Many hypnosis students fear this dreadful question.
If a hypnosis client asks: “What if it doesn’t work?”, how should you respond?
To answer this question, we’ll discuss:
- The principle of Threshold and how it is used in hypnotherapy.
- The different types of hypnosis clients, and how to deal with each of them.
- How to get high-quality online hypnosis training starting for FREE.
The Principle of Threshold - Is the Client Committed to Change?
This type of client is usually attempting to make sure he’ll get a refund for the session in case he doesn’t get the expected result. With this kind of attitude, we can assume this individual is not at threshold.
Simply put, a client who is at threshold wholeheartedly believes three things:
- Something has to change
- It has to be me
- It has to be NOW!
Without this kind commitment from the client, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve any kind of result.
It’s a lost cause to try and help someone who isn’t willing to actually make an effort to change. This type of client may believe that something needs to change, but they lack the other two that, in conjunction, would characterize threshold. In this case, there is a good opportunity for the hypnotist to remind the client that the onus for change is upon them.
Hypnosis is not about waving a wand or saying magic words at a person to fix whatever problem they have without any involvement on their part.
According to the Mandel Model of Therapy, hypnosis is a psychodynamic loop of communication between two or more people [hypnotist and subject(s)] in order to achieve a certain outcome. That means both parts must be actively involved and completely committed for the change to happen.
There’s an even worse type of client: the kind who doesn’t think something needs to change at all! Some people seek help for an issue merely to please family members and other peers (or to get them to stop bothering them about it), but they themselves don’t perceive the situation as a problem. In a case like this, nothing can be done.
Another possibility is the client may be asking this question due to nervousness or insecurity. Especially for things like smoking cessation, people resort to hypnosis when all else has failed. They lack the confidence in themselves to make the change. Unlike the other two scenarios, this can be fixed with Empowering Questions and Mindscaping.
Can You Make Someone Want To Change?
It’s highly unlikely.
To give you an example: when our head instructor Mike Mandel still worked with clients, a man came into his office saying he’d seen a number of famous hypnotherapists who had all failed. Then he looked at Mike and said “now it’s your turn to try”.
In other words, it was Mike’s turn to fail. That man’s defiant attitude attested his complete lack of commitment to the process, which put him as far from threshold as one could be.
This behavior is a clear indication that this individual was likely the kind who didn’t want to change at all. Mike wisely refused his offer, and he left the office with a smile on his face
Can You “Push” Someone at Threshold?
In the case of a client who genuinely wants to change, but lacks the other components of threshold, we must motivate them and empower them to take responsibility for their own change.
In cases like that, hypnosis could theoretically help. With guided imagery, metaphors and even covert hypnosis, it may be possible to get a person to develop a sense of urgency, and that they need to change the bad behavior that’s affecting them.
However, this is not where you’ll find clients who are already willing to hire you. These techniques are appropriate for friends, family members and other acquaintances. But the clients who will walk into your office will usually be either very close or 100% at threshold, or not at threshold at all.
Should You Refund?
Each of us has their own opinion on refunding. Generally speaking, it’ll vary on a case-by-case basis. One of our top contributors at our MMHA group, Rick Green, believes the money isn’t worth the bad word of mouth, so he’ll refund unsatisfied clients.
However, if you’re concerned about how much you should charge as a hypnotherapist, read this blog post or watch this youtube video to gain some great insights.
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