Is there a guarantee for hypnotherapy?

Are you considering using hypnotherapy to resolve some problems in your life? If so, you may be looking for someone who offers a guarantee for hypnotherapy so you know it will help. But if you have done some reading on the subject (and you absolutely should!) you will be aware this doesn’t happen. I thought I would look at why not.

You have probably heard that hypnosis is very effective; maybe even been told that it can be a ‘miracle cure’. It will ask for an investment from you in terms of time and effort as well as money. So it might seem reasonable to hope that it can offer a guarantee to resolve your issue.

Why don’t therapists offer a guarantee for hypnotherapy?

I can’t make any guarantees about what level of success you’ll get. Neither should any other therapist, hypno- or otherwise. That’s one reason there are so many different approaches out there; counselling, coaching, psychotherapy, and hypnotherapy. If any of them could guarantee a 100% success rate for everyone, it would be the only therapy around.

For one reason, the results of any therapy depend on the client as much as they do on the therapist. Of course, you need a therapist with skill and experience. But if the client doesn’t use the techniques when they’re in the real world, the techniques won’t work.

Also, to have a sort of therapy blueprint that would work in all circumstances and for all people, I’d have to be sure that all my clients were exactly the same. Everyone with anxiety would have the same type of anxiety. Anyone with a phobia would have it to the same extent and for the same reason. Everyone that wanted to quit smoking would have the same motivations and challenges. But of course, we know that each person is different, and that means all my clients are different too. If my clients are all different, then their situations and solutions will be different too.

Your World, My Words

When I wrote my first book about hypnotherapy, this is the title I chose because I thought it reflected very well what goes on in a hypnotherapy session. In order to make my hypnotic suggestions as effective as possible, I have to get into your world, to ask questions and perhaps ask you to think about things in a way that’s new to you.

You are a one-off, with a unique and individual outlook on life. You and I can explore your world together, and I have a set of skills which may well be able to help you change it. But they’ll have to be used in the right way for you.

Building on your motivation

So what does this really mean? Well, we are already off to a good start. Just by being on this site and reading this, you’re showing that you are no longer willing to live with a problem. You have the motivation and the desire to do something about it, even if you’re not sure what to do. And you are realistic in your expectations of what therapy can offer. We can begin there.

What I can ‘guarantee’

As said, I can’t guarantee to ‘cure’ you, and to be honest I don’t even like using the word cure. Resolve, reduce, change, help; all those words are much closer to what I do. However, there are things I can say that I will always do:

• Listen to you.
• Treat your ideas and feelings with respect.
• Respect your dignity and privacy.
• Tell you if I think I can’t help you, or that someone else can help you more.
• Not try to persuade you to stay in therapy longer than you need to, although I can only estimate how many sessions you will need at the beginning.
• Work with you and your feedback. If you feel something isn’t right for you, we can look at other approaches.
• Trust that you genuinely want to change, that you are prepared to make an effort to do so, and that you’re willing to extend the work we do in sessions into your everyday life.
• Do my very best to help you achieve what you want to achieve, and become the person you would like to be.

If you want to know more then drop me an email or give me a call. I’m happy to answer any questions you have and to make sure we’re a good fit before undertaking to work with you. My number is 01977 678593.