What to Expect During Your First Hypnotherapy Session….
So it’s your first Hypnotherapy session and you’re curious about what to expect. The first piece of advice is to have no expectations about the experience. Every session varies depending on the internal work that needs to be done and how the client processes their experience. However, there are some aspects that can be expected from the session.
The first being the pre-talk. Pre-talk ensures the client and Hypnotherapist have the same expectations and are working towards the same goal. Being on the same page ensures the likelihood of a pleasant and successful session.
Next, the Hypnotherapist will ask the client to find a space of physical comfort. Therefore the client will be asked to find a comfortable position either sitting or laying down. When in a comfortable position, the session will likely begin with some guided breath-work and sensory meditation to help them relax and finish with a count up reassuring that the client is grounded. Everything else in between varies.
Every client is different in the way they experience the world, therefore variations occur. These can include and are not limited to resistance, the way the client experiences the session, and emotional release. The difference between a good hypnotherapist and a great hypnotherapist is their ability to pick up on these variations and work with them as they guide the client to their destination.
Clients may feel insecure about how they are supposed to experience a session and I am here to say there is no right way. No one can tell you how to navigate your world, therefore why would I, a Hypnotherapist, tell you what you should and should not experience your session? I am only here to tell you common things I have experienced from clients and I am continually surprised at how they experience their sessions.
Resistance:
Sessions can vary due to the resistance to relax, resistance to trusting themselves or the Hypnotherapist, or resistance to the entire idea of hypnotherapy.
These are all normal resistances to have, however I do not recommend Hypnotherapy to those who already have created expectation of the session failing. Hypnotherapists can only help those who want to be helped. Creating a negative identity of the hypnotherapist and their ability to help is not productive for the client nor the hypnotherapist.
Overcoming the resistance to relaxing and trust can usually be done through the client giving themselves permission to have this experience and knowing they are safe in their body and environment. With high amounts of stress, trauma, and therapy fails, it is no surprise clients have a tendency to feel unsafe in their world. Safety is a common overlapping theme among clients covered in sessions.
Experience During the Session:
Clients experience the world in their own unique way, therefore sessions are no different.
Some are able to visual every detail, down to textures and details. Others may only get a sense of what is happening, and can have very minimal senses involved. They may say things like “I feel like such and such is happening” and may or may not include feelings in the physical body. Clients can also have the ability to use their other senses (hearing, smelling, tasting, physical touch) to navigate their experience.
It is important for the Hypnotherapist to identify how the client is experiencing their session so they may guide the session appropriately to find the answers the client needs for their session.
Release:
Emotional release can look different depending on the degree of the energy that needs to be released and how the client expresses release.
It is important for the Hypnotherapist to release their own expectations about how release should be done. If the Hypnotherapist is expecting a client to release through crying and the client releases through laughing, the Hypnotherapist may assume the client is experiencing one thing when in fact, they are releasing something different.
Some clients may have no emotional release during the session and still find the results they need for the session.
Healing and release can happen during or after a session, so a lack of release during a session does not mean that it will not happen.
The Hypnotherapist simply guides for this experience to happen and the client is technically doing the work themselves. This is why I never claim the title “Healer”. I only create space for people to feel safe as they heal themselves.
After the Session:
Due to the variations in how a client processes experiences, it is common for post session release to vary. A client might find themselves exhausted the rest of the day or even the day after.
Post Session release can express itself as a roller coaster of emotions, physical fatigue, changes in eating patterns for the day, urinary and bowel movements, and just simple revelations about one’s life.
While others may go the rest of their day as though the session was nothing more than just an hour out of their day. There is no way for the Hypnotherapist to predict if or how a client might release post-session, but we will prepare clients for the possibility by giving aftercare tips such as taking a bath, getting extra rest, and staying hydrated.
In Conclusion…
It’s important for both the client and the Hypnotherapist to release all expectations around what should happen during a session, while creating common ground to work together. The client and Hypnotherapist are co-creators for the experience, therefore it is important for the Hypnotherapist to listen to the client so they can accurately guide the client through the session.
It is also important to note that trust happens over time, so it is okay to feel hesitant about receiving hypnotherapy at first. I hope this helped relieve some questions you may have had about Hypnotherapy and I hope to see you soon!
Thanks for reading and looking forward to working together! -Jarisa