Our demonstration subject for session three has two presenting issues - an undercurrent of sadness that seems to be everpresent, and a difficulty communicating about financial situations in her life. Dr. Zeig starts off the session by speaking Spanish, Karina’s native language. This simple technique puts Karina quickly at ease and sets the tone for the session. By inducing a hypnotic state Dr Zeig is able to do a quick age regression, and through utilizing a number of linguistic techniques - recursion, speaking in triplicate, altering tempo and tone of voice - he was able to seed therapeutic goals and create motivation for change.
Demonstration subject Mette is struggling with issues trying to feel an emotional connection to her children. She describes her difficulty with being present for her children, and is looking for guidance. Dr. Zeig exhibits a few simple techniques that help create a powerful therapeutic relationship quickly, through the use of gestures and strategic interview questions. Dr. Zeig is able to utilize this information to create useful suggestions to help Mette with her situation.
Ratifying victimhood often paradoxically sensitizes to trauma’s effects, and is heavily reinforced socially. Therapists are challenged to help victims restore personal agency and accountability, without denying victimhood. Contracting for roles and boundaries precedes efforts to interdict traumatic re-enactment, redefine personal and social identity, access locus of control, and restore accountability.
Dissociation can be described as the failure to integrate information and self-attributions that should ordinarily be integrated, and as alterations of consciousness characterized by a sense of detachment from the self and/or the environment. The strong connection between Hypnosis and Dissociation is known since the time of Pierre Janet's pioneer work. Dissociative hypnotic intervention demonstrated to be very useful in treating pain, anxiety disorders and many other conditions.
In this hour-long discussion, participants will have an opportunity to address questions regarding deliberate practice and their use of routine outcome measures in clinical practice.
The American novelist William Faulkner stated, "The Past is never dead. In fact, it is not even past." This presentation emphasizes the unconventional use of reality therapy that connects the past with the presents by helping clients realize that their current behaviors are normal responses to abnormal situations that they have experienced. It also operationalizes the Ericksonian principle: "The solution often appears unrelated to the problem."
This interactive workshop utilizes the group to teach and apply highly effective trance methods, combined with evidenced-based research from Stanford, and drama therapy action methods, (i.e. sociometric scaling, role reversal to increase empathy and the empty chair), to address clients’ unwillingness to give up defensiveness, blame and other relationship problems.
Hypnotherapy and psychotherapy have been developing over time through various phases. Directive therapies with an intervention orientation have shifted over the years to suggestive and client centered approaches. More recently both research and practice has opened our minds to relational and responsive approaches. The concept of “client responsiveness” is discussed in my book with Ernest Rossi, The Practitioner’s Guide to Mirroring Hands.
Chronic pain is frequently encountered by healthcare professionals. The current treatment is primarily pharmaceutical intervention with Opioids or NSAIDS that create new problems and address a limited part of the pain. Pain, whether physical or mental/emotional, tends to be experienced as one. Anticipated pain and memories of past painful incidents also contribute to the experience of pain.
Warmth is essential to life itself and we have therefore been attracted to it since the beginning of time. Conversely cold, the absence of warmth is associated with conditions of a more precarious nature such as scarcity, isolation or even demise. The association also seems to hold true for human relationships: people who are able to signify the concept of warmth in the way they relate to others appear socially competent, trustworthy and charismatic. The presence of warmth positively enhances attachment experiences and therefore moments of significant emotional connection.