My first session today

[Cbarrett76]

So I am seeing a hypnotherapist today for my first session ever. He is certified and made me feel comfortable in our discussions on the phone so I am really looking forward to it. I'd like to get the most out of my first session so i want to make sure i communicate to him as effectively as possible to help him help me so I thought I would turn to this board for help.

The issue I want to see him about specifically is my terrible procrastination. I am terrible when it comes to doing anyting. Work, chores, bills, etc all get put off to the point where it is rediculous. Its like I can't even force myself to do the things I should do that are in my best interest.

Part of it is laziness on my part which is more a character flaw than a habit and I am trying to work on that :( But there is something else there and i can't explain it. When I sit back and think "why am I like this" or "what do I need to do to change" there is a huge resistance to it mentally. I know it sounds crazy but I get a bad feeling inside when I start working through this issue. Its like my mind wants to stay away from the issue and puts up a wall. (I don't think I'm explaining this well) :(

Anyway, would explaining to him what i just wrote muddy the waters and get us off track by trying to look at some past thing thats not even there or should I try and talk about the feelings and strange mental block as something relevant to the overall problem? I don't want to get off track and waste time on something that is silly or irrelevant to the problem at hand.

[Connie]

What you do is listen to him and answer HIS questions, fully and to your best, honest ability. Don't have a "plan" or think of what you will or won't say. Let him direct the session. He's the professional, which is why you're seeing him...let him decide what is relevant.

[Apsinthion]

Cbarrett76~ the way I see it, you're already being very proactive by seeking the guidance you know can help you. I've suffered from the same condition as you for most of my adult life, which is why I'm inclined to respond. For me, I had a certain 'idea' of what it meant to be responsible, active, efficent, etc., and as long as I didn't live up to that 'idea' I kept beating myself up, and for some reason that never helped ;)

So what I'm saying is the very fact you are seeking help and see that you have what it takes to change, shows me that you are not as 'terrible', 'ridiculous', 'lazy', or 'flawed' as you may think ;)

If it's in your nature to be passive, then let yourself be passive to the influence of your therapist. It's kind of like a 'backdoor' into becoming more active ... see what I mean?

[MissPiggy]

Its like I can't even force myself to do the things I should do that are in my best interest.


I can imagine that. If I would try to force myself to do something, no matter what it is, there would be a lot of resistance inside me. I don't know how you are but I don't like to be forced to do something not even if the person who does this is myself. It's much more nice and much more easy to do something when you're convinced or maybe even seduced to do it. For example I hate to clean the house. I'm a master of procrastination when it comes to cleaning, I really hate cleaning. But the moment I changed my view about it, stopped talking about cleaning and changed into thinking like 'I want to make the house look nice and beautiful' suddenly there is no procrastination anymore.

[Poodle]

is in the book Reframing which I believe is a B&G book.

As Connie wrote, we know the questions we need answered so just go and enjoy, totally enjoy, your session. This is not like "talk therapy" where someone tries to drag secrets out of you and you talk and talk and talk and it takes forever to get anything resolved. Hypnosis is relatively quick and quite effective.

Enjoy!!
Pood

[Cbarrett76]

And it was great. Pretty much what I expected after reading these forums and doing my own research. We talked for about a half hour so he could determine the whats and whys, etc. We outlined specifically what behaviours I wanted to change and then he had me lay back in a big comfy chair and went to work.

I didn't feel tingly or like i was floating or anything, which I didnt expect anyway. But I was really relaxed. He said I drifted back and forth between a light and medium state which was good for my first time.

The best part is how I felt afterwards. It was like I had just come out from a perfect nights sleep. I felt very well rested and very relaxed. I also had an overall good feeling of wellbeing.

I also think it was very effective. When I went home I saw all the things I needed to do and, instead of immediatlely feeling overwhelmed by the idea of taking care of the things I just walked over and did them. Took like an hour, it was nothing. I didn't feel compelled to do them (didnt expect to either) and I still didn't like doing crappy chores but I didn't feel the overwhelming push NOT to do them. The negative emotions, the lack of drive, and the excuses werent there. It was like the most natural thing in the world to go over and "do it now" instead of putting it off till an undetermined "later."

I've got another session on Tuesday to reinforce the treatment and I'm really looking forward to it.

Interestingly, he is a licensed psychologist so my insurance covers the cost of these treatments. I can do 29 more this year for like 30 dollars each. I'm interested in going back and working on other issues that aren't nearly as big a deal but I can see an application for hypnosis to help. Is there a situation where it becomes less effective or unhealthy to do this regularly? I would like to maybe go in once a week for positive reinforcement, etc even.

[skip]

Actually it will tend to become easier and more effective.

[Poodle]

Around here we are called "trance puppies" meaning that any old excuse will do. We knew you would like it a whole lot.

Pood

[bonecollector]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

It actually reminded me of my first session with a live hypnoterapist. As someone mentioned this isnt a "talk therapy" but in all honestly i found the question / answers part of the session fascinating.

I give full props to the hypnotherapist by making me believe that i have "a choice" as well as "power" in my life instead of just being a victim whos suffering with problems.

Yes and the results are quick but after your first session you will be making the time for a booster session due to the pleasant experiences.