HYPNOTHERAPY - A SERVICE BUSINESS

Hypnotherapy is a service business.
By that I mean, hypnotherapists, just like any other practitioner of a business,
offers their services for a fee.

If your faucet breaks you call a plumber, he comes to your home and using his expertise,
experience and inventory, in the form of a new faucet, he repairs your sink
and in doing so, your problem.
You pay him and if you are satisfied with his work,
you would call him back for additional work if needed.

If you are in need of a hairstyle, you find a barber or a hairstylist
that follows your directions; has the skills you require
and if they do an exceptional job,
along with the tip and their fee for their service,
you will go back to that practitioner again and again.
If you truly like their work; if you find that no one else can offer you the service that
that hairstylist can and they are better than any other stylist you have ever used,
you will travel miles to where that stylist works.

If you feel the muscles in your back become tight,
you may find yourself needing the services of a chiropractor or massage therapist.
You may find their services extremely helpful and should the pain come back,
because you were happy with the work they had done on your back,
you would return to them for additional services.

All these services rely on repeated business for their success and that just makes sense.
Whether we are talking about plumbers, hairstylists, chiropractors,
massage therapists or doctors, lawyers or any other practitioner offering a fee-for-service
each one wants your repeated business.

All service industries are based on this simple fact.
For their business to survive they must satisfy the needs of their customers
and if they truly satisfied the needs of their clients,
they will be rewarded with repeat business,
so that their businesses will grow and they can continue
to offer their services to old and new clients alike.

Now none of the above should be surprising to you.
It does make complete sense that if you are running a business
you want your customers to continue to return.
So if I tell you this is true of all businesses, except HYPNOTHERAPY,
you may question me.

Why, you may ask do I say that?
The reason may not be as simple as what I’ve stated previously.
Using hypnosis as a therapeutic tool, to assist people with behavioral change,
is referred to as hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy has been used for centuries,
although the practice may not have been called “hypnotherapy”,
the procedure of using hypnosis to facilitate a positive change
in behavior with a client, called by any other name would be the same.

In an ideal situation the client would come to a hypnotherapist,
asking for assistance in changing an unwanted behavior
and after that very first session, leave the office
thrilled that that unwanted behavior no longer is troubling them.

Which brings us back to what I had said previously,
that hypnotherapy is different than other service businesses.
Whereas other service businesses seek out repeated business for exceptional service,
hypnotherapy by its nature eliminates repeated business,
by offering exceptional service.

A skilled hypnotherapist, who is dedicated to helping his clients,
should not see that person again,
because the initial problem that was presented
had been resolved completely in only one session.

I have been using hypnosis along with other therapeutic modalities
to help people change unwanted behaviors, for the past 13 years.
In that time I have noticed, that although my referral rate is high,
my repeat business (for the same issue) is very low.
What this means is, in my opinion, that people coming to me for my services,
which include smoking cessation, weight management, anger management,
sports academic and artistic performance, eliminating fears and phobias, etc.,
find that after only one or two sessions, the problem they came to change
or eliminate had been satisfactorily handled
and that they were satisfied enough to refer me to their friends
with similar issues, but found there was no need to return for continued hypnotherapy.
This is why I say,
that the indication that a hypnotherapist is successful,
is his having a smaller repeat business and a greater referral rate.

I have to smile, when new clients ask me for my success rate.
What I say to them is that if a hypnotherapist claims to have a high success rate,
I should question how that success rate is determined and
how the statistical evidence was gathered.

When I first speak with a prospective client who asks me about smoking cessation,
for example, and asks for my success rate with previous smokers,
I tell them, that it is very difficult to determine an accurate success rate.

In order to have an accurate success rate,
I would have to have follow-up calls,
at one month, six months, one year and five year intervals
and I feel that these calls may be viewed as intrusive
by my clients and so I don’t do them.
I do tell them, that by reviewing the referrals I get from the people
who are no longer smoking due to smoking cessation intervention
and how word-of-mouth referrals are the best advertisement for me,
I could say comfortably, that my success rate is good.

“THE NEW MUSIC”

I’ve been a little frustrated lately,
wanting to put in a blog entry for a while but I’ve been just so very busy.
So, recently I sat at the computer, opened up a Word document
and prepared to do a blog entry about teaching and being a psychic
which will probably be my next blog entry.

As usual I had my Sirius online radio on and began to sing along with a song that came on.
I was enjoying the music and the beat and the memories it brought back.
But when I began to listen to the lyrics, I was somewhat shocked at what I was hearing.

It’s interesting these days, how my generation, the baby boomers look  at today’s music
and in particular, gangster rap as being so negative, cruel, sexist…
We look at the lyrics of the song writers of this time and feel somehow,
they are jaded, hardened by their lives.

But I’d like you to read the lyrics, from the song I was just listening to;
It goes…

“Well, I’d rather see you dead, little girl then to be with another man…
You better keep your head, little girl or I won’t know where I am.
“You better run for your life if you can, little girl, hide your head in the sand little girl,
catch you with another man, that’s the end, little girl…

“Well you know that I’m a wicked guy, and I was born with a jealous mind
and I can’t spend my whole life trying, just to make you toe the line.

“You better run for your life if you can, little girl, hide your head in the sand little girl,
catch you with another man, that’s the end, little girl…

“Let this be a sermon I mean everything I’ve said,
Baby I’m determined and I’d rather see you dead.

“You better run for your life if you can, little girl, hide your head in the sand little girl;
catch you with another man, that’s the end, little girl…
 It was interesting as I was sitting listening to the music,
enjoying the memories they brought back,
knowing I had listened to those lyrics,
enjoyed the song,
enjoyed that time in my life,
and now listening to the lyrics realizing how dark they were.

And how much times have changed… Or have they?

Pretty nasty stuff, huh? Sounds like a homicidal maniac,
determined to kill his girlfriend before she could be with another man.

He’s aware that he’s jealous and he is telling her that.
He’s telling her, that she better watch out, he so jealous that he could kill her.
And I’m guessing she just might  stay with him.
Perhaps she could change his ways?
Those of you who are my age, you might recall the lyrics,
perhaps with a smile on your face.

For those of you who are too young, that really dark, pre-gangster rap group
was called, the BEATLES.
Yes the Beatles, perhaps the most popular band in history, with the most love musicians,
who, spouting peace and love, seemed to have a dark side.
It was a song on the “Rubber Soul” album called “Run for Your Life”…
Go figure.
So when us old folks, start to complain about the music of this younger generation,
with their crazy clothing, their outrageous hairstyles, the way they carry on,
let’s just look back to the 60s.
To the Ed Sullivan show and think about our parents
and remember them talking about those mop toped kids
with their crazy clothes and crazier ideas.

Think about the Doors, the Stones and all those amazing groups of our generation
that paved the way for these new amazing groups that our children and grandchildren are enjoying.

An old expression comes to mind,
“The more things change the more they stay the same”.
The more I scratch my head,
and look at the MTV music awards and the Grammy awards
wondering what is happening to our society,
the more I think of my father .
On February 9 1964 the family was watching the Ed Sullivan show
eagerly waiting for the first performance of the band
that caused an illness in the US called “Beatle-mania”
and asked if we could shut it off and put on the Lawrence Welk Show.

Sadly for my father, he was out voted 3-1,
my mother was also caught up in the contagion of Beatle-mania.

As I sit and play with my six-month-old grandson,
I wonder what kind of music he will be listening to in his teenage years.
I wonder if he’ll enjoy the music I listened to at that age
and will he enjoy the Beatles, Eric Clapton and the Doors, as his father, my son does.
I wonder when he, my grandson, becomes a grandfather;
will he be sitting with his grandson, playing and listening to music?
And will he be scratching his head as his grandfather did,
when listening to his grandson's music?

But there is one thing I don’t have to wonder about,
I know at that time when my grandson has his own grandson,
I will be watching over them and appreciating them from a completely different perspective.
View it on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3wNopYS8YE