Plans for a Career Involving Hypnotherapy - Essay Example

Personal ment Introduction When I enrolled for the MSc Clinical Application of Psychology programme I had very high expectations of the hypnotherapy course because I hoped it would provide me with the foundations for a future career in this area. At first I had some worries about whether or not I would manage all the academic and research elements of the course. On the other hand, I was looking forward to the practical side, because I thought that this was where my strengths would lie. This personal statement reviews my initial expectations, my experience of the hypnotherapy course, and my final reflections on what I have learned. It concludes with the impact that I think the course has had on my own personal development and how I plan to continue my plans for a career involving hypnotherapy. Reflection on the hypnotherapy course There was a considerable amount of reading required for this course, and so my very first impressions were more to do with the workload required to understand key concepts and follow the theories of the main experts in the field of hypnotherapy. The time spent in the library and online reading about the early days of hypnotherapy were not in vain, however. I was very interested to trace the steps that were taken to bring hypnotherapy out of the realms of quackery and entertainment and into the realms of serious science. I also gained valuable skills in locating and synthesising information, and putting together academic writing that rests on solid foundations. In fact the academic side of the course was in the end less daunting than I had feared. During my forays into the literature I found plenty of new areas that I did not have time to explore thoroughly during the course, such as pain management for example. I can now see that there is a huge amount still to learn, and I have started on a path of discovery that will no doubt last throughout my whole life. The practical side of the course did not disappoint me either. I enjoyed working with other people on the course, and this aspect opened my mind to a very wide range of views and approaches to hypnotherapy. Observing how people from different backgrounds approach the same task in different ways, and seeing how age, gender and personality affect people’s reactions to being hypnotised was fascinating. The diversity of the group was a distinct advantage for me because it encouraged me to develop flexibility and be sensitive to the needs of all kinds of different people. In a clinical context the practitioner has to deal in a competent and fair way with people from all walks of life, and so this was a valuable training opportunity for me, in preparation for the time when I hope to have my own private practice. The practical experiments proved to me that it is not a good idea to operate a rigid “one-size-fits-all” approach in hypnotherapy, and I learned to be much more observant, picking up implications in what people say, and reading the information hidden in body language and different styles of speaking. A key insight for me was the realisation that silence can be very powerful. At first I tended to feel a compulsion to say something when silence occurred in a session, perhaps out of insecurity or a lack of ability to work out what was going on. As I practised more ,and observed others, I came to see how sometimes a period of quietness can be part of the healing process. I gained confidence and felt able to pace a session to suit the particular needs of each client. There are different kinds of silence, and it was important to me to learn to use them, whether to build trust, exert a gentle pressure on a client, or signify confirmation and acceptance. A very important part of the course was the experience of being hypnotised by others. I was very moved and impressed by this on several occasions, and it was good for me to feel the benefits of hypnotherapy. I know for sure that it can help people and can testify to its ability to have positive effects on me. The experience of being hypnotised also reminded me of the great trust that clients are required to place in a hypnotherapist, and it helped me to understand better why some clients can be fearful or resistant at first. I think now that the first few minutes of contact with a new client are absolutely vital in setting up the foundations for any future work. I have revised my opinion that my strengths lie in the practical side, and I have become aware of some weaknesses in my own abilities that I am beginning to address. It was very sobering to find that I still have so much to learn in this respect. If anything I have become more humble, and more respectful towards clients, while at the same time I think I have acquired a wider range of approaches and more confidence in applying them. Getting the balance of the client/hypnotherapist relationship exactly right is more difficult than I had previously thought, and I intend to focus on this in future. I would not say that I have developed one favourite therapy style. I like working with elements of cognitive behavioural therapy, because I can see real potential for lasting change using these methods. I like to see clients taking more control of their own conditions, and utilising techniques that they can apply to many different areas of their lives. Sometimes NLP can be useful, especially with clients who are naturally creative and open to visualisation. The whole area of analytical hypnotherapy is of great interest to me, but I doubt whether it will be of much practical use because of the length of time (and therefore high cost) that it entails. Conclusion The hypnotherapy course has provided me with most of the essential foundations for setting up my own private practice. I feel that I have covered the basics and achieved a level of competence in my work which would allow me to now launch my own business. My next plan is to access some CPD, most probably in the business aspects of my chosen career, and in specific clinical areas which might form specialisms when I have my hypnotherapy practice up and running. At the moment I think pain management, anti-smoking therapy and weight loss might be good avenues to pursue but I will first have to consider insurance issues and local market conditions before I decide on this finally. The hypnotherapy course has been of immense benefit to me, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn so much in such a short space of time. Bibliography Read More