No two people are the same. Although we might experience similar problems and issues, the reason why we developed the problem and how it affects us now will vary from person to person.
We all have different hopes, dreams, fears and motivations, therefore a course of therapy, whether that's hypnotherapy, NLP or talking therapy, needs to be tailored to you and your situation. Every person's therapy journey is different; some people progress quickly and some people need a little more time as they make more gradual changes to get to where they want to be.
It's a common myth, particularly with hypnosis and hypnotherapy, that the therapist will 'put' you into a trance and then 'make' you overcome your problem or issue by implanting suggestions into your subconscious mind, without any conscious effort from you. Hypnosis isn't a magic pill; you cannot be made to do something that you do not want to do, so you need to be prepared to play your part too.
Therapy is a two-way process where you work with a therapist to make the changes that you need to achieve the outcome that you want. Your motivation and participation also play a key part in your therapy, especially when listening to hypnosis CDs or MP3s and carrying out other therapeutic tasks between your sessions. These tasks are designed to work alongside your sessions and are just as important as the therapy done during each session.
Is therapy guaranteed to work?
There are a number of different factors that can affect the outcome of therapy, whether that's hypnotherapy, NLP or talking therapy and these include the problem or issue, along with the level of rapport with your therapist, but most important of all, is your level of motivation, participation and commitment, which is essential for therapy to be successful.
No ethical or responsible therapist could make any promise or guarantee of a successful outcome and I would suggest avoiding any therapist who does offer such a guarantee. If you think about it, your doctor never guarantees that a particular medication or treatment will be successful, because they can't due to the number of factors that are involved. What I can promise to clients, is that using my skills and experience, combined with their motivation and participation, I will do my best to help them achieve the outcome that they want.
So what about The One Session Wonder?
In reality, for therapy to be as effective as possible, you can't have a 'one size fits all' approach because everyone is different, therefore the number of sessions required will vary from person to person. The only exception to this being hypnotherapy for smoking cessation, where the therapy is usually delivered via a highly focused one or two session programme.
The length of time it takes for therapeutic suggestions to take effect and for change to happen is different for each person. Your level of motivation and participation play an essential part too, particularly when listening to hypnosis CDs or MP3s and carrying out 'homework' tasks between your sessions.