What should I expect the first session to be like?
As a rule, I schedule first sessions to be 90 minutes and subsequent sessions 60 minutes, but those times can be adjusted as needed.
For the first 30 minutes or so of the first session, we go over the paperwork that is required by Washington State, answering any questions you may have had while reading and signing that in the Client Portal. Washington requires that paperwork so that you know who I am, what I can do and what the rules area about hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and therapy are in this state. Since that paperwork is completed online, in advance of your session, we concentrate on just the questions you may have.
The next 30 minutes, we will talk about the Kappasinian "Theory of Mind" and how it relates to you. We will talk a bit about the history of hypnosis and hypnotherapy and we will discuss what you can expect to experience. I will also likely ask you to answer some questions that will help me determine how your mind reacts to different types of suggestions so that I fine tune my approach to work the best for you. Finally, I may ask you to visualize a few different scenes to further adjust my approach.
In the final half-hour, I will perform an induction that is designed to work with the way your imagination works. Inductions are how the hypnotic state is entered and there are hundreds of ways they can be tailored to better match an individual. Once you are "in state", I will show you around a bit, have you experience and visualize a few things I think you might enjoy, then get down to the business at hand.
You may remember nothing, some stuff or everything from the session. That varies from person to person, but I am more than happy to summarize the session as we close.
Afterward, you will likely feel really relaxed, more so than you may have in a very long time. Some people state that colors are a little brighter and most people notice that the "chatter" in their heads is greatly reduced, leaving a more focused feeling.
One thing to note: After a first session, most people are uncertain if they were really hypnotized or not. This is normal too and is because the hypnotic experience is not what most people were expecting. They weren't unconscious, didn't lose control and weren't unaware of their surroundings. Don't worry, in subsequent sessions, you will know what to expect and will get better at maximizing the effect.
