As well as being a clinical hypnotherapist, I am also a former professional musician. One of the things that our band was well known for was our ability to perform improvised ‘jams’ at a concert in front of large audiences. When the time was right we would occasionally break into a piece that was improvised on the spot. I think we were able to do this because we had all learnt to play hundreds of well known songs together as a unit.
These songs laid a strong foundation for our collective knowledge. We were able to take elements of these songs and create something new. I feel the same way about hypnosis scripts. Learning loads of different scripts can help you find your own style and voice. What is wrong with using some scripts to learn how other clinical hypnotherapists approach their work? You may not agree with the script, but you will still learn from them. I have looked at many scripts in the past and learnt how not to write a script!
Usually there are at least a few nuggets of ideas to be had from a hypnosis script, and sometimes you find a script that is pure gold – something that you wish you had written yourself, that can be useful for many different patients and problems.
Less experienced clinical hypnotherapists may wish to repeat the script verbatim. However quickly they often find that they begin to stamp their own style and personality on the script, and sort of half improvise around it, changing things to suit their personality, and the personality and the needs of the patient. This may then lead to the development of what some describe as a more ‘pure’ form of improvised hypnotherapy.
I do not think that an improvised session is necessarily better than a session that is read verbatim off a script. Just because of the fact that it is improvised does not mean it is of a better quality. I would argue that a session read verbatim off a good quality script with confidence and passion can be far more effective than an ad-libbed session where an unsure therapist runs out of things to say and forgets what he has already suggested. Even worse should the therapists mind go blank.
A script also provides a record of the therapy given to a client. When recording the details of sessions for future reference, it can be difficult to remember every suggestion that was given if it was 100% improvised, and difficult to follow a coherent treatment strategy (but not impossible) if you are dealing with a large amount of clients. It is also easier to monitor the success of various strategies for the benefit of future clients as well.
In today’s litigious society, it is becoming even more necessary to provide full details of treatment given to a client. Imagine how it would feel if you were in court and could not provide the details of what suggestions you gave a client.
Hypnosis scripts are a bit like a cooking recipe. You can follow them to the letter and gain good results. Over time you may wish to start experimenting and adding your own strengths and personality into the mix, gradually altering the recipe. After a while you may find that this has evolved into your own unique gourmet meal, full of flavour and personality. Having the recipe in front of you, even if you ad lib around it, can help ensure that you don’t miss out any of the essential ingredients.
Some hypnotherapists ultimately prefer to heavily rely on scripts, whereas some do not use them t all. I don’t think there is any right or wrong, as long as the words are delivered with confidence, care and energy. They must also be relevant to the client and their particular problem. There can lie problems with scripts, but a well written script should be tailored to suit most types of client. You must also be familiar enough with your scripts to know whether it is relevant to your particular subject.
An approach that works well for one hypnotherapist may not necessarily work for all hypnotherapists. Find your style, and allow that to evolve over time. You may find that now you rely heavily on scripts, but over time you deviate further and further away as you develop as a hypnotherapist. Or you may discover your own unique way of blending the use of scripts and your own ad-libbed therapy as you experiment and learn.
Whatever your current situation and your path, your therapy is still perfectly valid if you do decide to use hypnosis scripts, and how far you wish to use them is totally up to you.
Author Resource:-
Jon Rhodes is a very experienced clinical hypnotherapist and co-founder of HypnoBusters. Please click here if you are interested in his powerful tried and tested hypnosis scripts.
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