Empowering Your Hypnotherapy Journey: Why "You" Deserve the Spotlight
Hey there, future clients! Choosing the right hypnotherapist for you is an important decision and various factors will form part of your decision.
But be cautious when a therapist over-highlights their own mental health struggles to attract you, and understand why responsible self-disclosure matters to you and your therapy.
However, before we get into it, let’s have a look at what ‘disclosure in the therapeutic relationship’ actually is.
Disclosure in the therapeutic relationship is a complex and delicate aspect of the therapeutic process that revolves around the sharing of personal information between the therapist and the client. It involves a careful balance between the need for openness and transparency on the part of the therapist and the boundaries necessary to maintain a safe and therapeutic environment.
Therapists often disclose information about themselves to varying degrees in advertising, your initial consultation and during sessions. This can include personal experiences, values, or emotions.
Such disclosures are typically made (and should only be made) with the intention of helping the client feel more comfortable, understood, or to facilitate the therapeutic process.
Disclosure should always be in the best interest of the client's progress and not for the therapist’s own needs.
But… when does it cross the line and move away from responsible disclosure on the part of the therapist?
The Red Flag: When It's All About "Them" 🚩
1. Boundaries Matter: Hypnotherapy thrives on clear boundaries. When a therapist overshadows your needs with their struggles, it can get confusing.
2. Your Focus is Key: Effective hypnotherapy should be all about YOU. When it becomes more about the therapist, it might hinder your progress. Especially when you are trying to develop your own unique solution(s) to move towards your own preferred future.
3. Potential for Distress: If you're struggling with similar issues, hearing about the therapist's challenges could be distressing or triggering for you.
4. Privacy & Trust: You deserve a safe and confidential space. Too much therapist self-disclosure might make you question the privacy of your sessions and hinder building a safe and effective therapeutic relationship.
5. Balanced Approach: Therapists need to stay neutral to provide you with unbiased support and guidance.
6. Avoid Overidentification: You're unique, and your hypnotherapist's focus should be on helping YOU, not just relating their own experiences.
7. Expertise Counts: Seek a hypnotherapist for their expertise and skills, not just their personal experiences.
Responsible Self-Disclosure: How It Helps YOU ✅
1. Building Trust: Responsible self-disclosure, when done thoughtfully. ethically and in the best interest of the client (not the hypnotherapist), can help build trust and connection between you and your therapist.
2. Normalise Struggles: Knowing your hypnotherapist has faced challenges too can help you feel less alone and more understood.
3. Inspiring Resilience: Learning how your hypnotherapist overcame difficulties can inspire hope and resilience in your own journey.
4. Setting Healthy Boundaries: It helps demonstrate the line between personal and therapeutic information, creating a healthier therapist-client relationship.
5. Ethical Compass: Hypnotherapists who follow ethical guidelines, especially around self-disclosure, ensure you receive the highest level of professionalism and care during your hypnotherapy journey.
Remember, you're on a path to empowerment and self-discovery during your hypnotherapy sessions.
Seek a Hypnotherapist who places YOUR needs at the forefront.
Want to find out more about how hypnotherapy can help you?
In-person at my Oxfordshire Therapy Room (Upper Heyford, near Bicester or Online).
The first step to setting yourself free and living the life you want.
It's perfectly normal to feel a bit apprehensive when reaching out to a therapist for more information. Taking this step is a powerful choice, and I want you to know that it's absolutely okay to feel that way. I’m here to provide support and guidance every step of the way.
My name is Andy Selway (he/him) and I am a fully qualified Clinical Solution Focused Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist. I run HeadFirst Hypnotherapy®, based in Upper Heyford (near Bicester), Oxfordshire.
I assist people in regaining control of their lives by retraining their brains to overcome limiting thought patterns, master their emotions, and cultivate resilient behaviors for a brighter and more positive future.. I know… It’s awesome!
In a nutshell, I ‘get you out of your own way’. Because, let’s face it, a lot of us are.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy taps into the power of your subconscious mind so you can move forward towards the life you’ve always wanted to live. It’s a quick, practical way to address thought patterns, emotions and behaviours that are holding you back in life.
I’m a member of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and National Council for Hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy sessions can be done either in my garden therapy room in Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire (Near Bicester). Ideally situated, it also serves individuals in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Warwickshire and I also work online nationwide via Zoom.
