Seven Success Stories of Hypnotism

Many misconceptions about success persist in this work and hopefully I can help you clear your mind so that you might maximize your effectiveness. The first prerequisite for success is a four letter word: "W.O.R.K." But hard work alone is not enough if you work without knowledge or without an awareness of what your efforts are producing. Everyone here is obviously willing and interested in doing the work and no one here believes that if you pray or chant enough affirmations that bags of money will fall from the sky in front of you.

#1 MAKING THE APPOINTMENT

The first session begins with the telephone call. All of you are educated enough not to use terms such as "patient" or "cure" or "treatment". We don't have any patients and we don't treat anyone. We are a hypnotism center - I am speaking to those of you who are not licensed in the healing arts. This is a hypnotism center and we give self-hypnosis, group and private hypnosis sessions. We use hypnosis as an educational process to help clients deal with certain goals, problems and motivations.

In the early part of my career, I did almost all of the phone answering. If you are beginning your career and you feel that you are too important to answer your phone and you let the office helper do it, you are losing business. Your office helper does not understand the nature of your work, even if it is someone close to you. You are the only one who fully understands what you do and your methods of operation. You should take as many phone calls as you possibly can. There will come a time when you will be too busy to answer the phone and you may have to let someone else answer for you.

Your main concern is to turn the inquiry into an appointment for the first session. When they ask, "Can hypnosis help me with my problem?" I reply, "The first step is for you to come in for a session and in that time I will test you to determine your level of response. I will discuss your problems and goals and at the end of that time I will tell you if hypnosis is indicated for you, how long it will take and what the cost of the program will be."

# 2 THE INTAKE INTERVIEW

Once the client arrives I spend the first fifteen minutes allowing them to present their problem and completing the intake form. Then I say to them, "How can I help you today?" and they begin to tell me their problem.

If you learn the art of intense listening, you are likely to discover the problem in the first five minutes. During the intake interview I interact, I communicate, I ask questions, I clarify and I feed back. When you are using the process correctly, the client will come to know several things, in the first Fifteen minutes.

One: that you are not just hearing them, but you are listening and focusing your full awareness and conscious attention upon them.

Two: they become aware that you are analyzing, interpreting and evaluating by the feed back that you give them ... "I hear you saying," or "I understand that," or "it seems as if," then they can confirm, deny or correct. "Oh, I didn't mean it that way, what I am really saying is..." or "Oh, yes, that's right."

Three: as they become aware that you are relating to them in a therapeutic process, your rapport is being developed in the non-hypnotic interview. They become convinced that you are interested in them and care about them, you devoted your full attention to them and that you are really a very wise person.