1.2 Introduction

Background

Here is how it all started. You can watch the video and/or read the optional transcript.

Video 1.2.1

Click Here for the Video Transcript

Comfort Talk ® consists of about 90% advanced rapport skills—including a greater awareness of language choice and patient preferences—and 10% of formally guiding a patient in self-hypnotic relaxation typically using a script. Comfort Talk ® is NOT hypnotherapy or even hypnosis in the classic sense historically used to solve a person’s life problems. It is just a method to help a patient call upon his or her own internal resources to have a better experience during the medical encounter with you. It is a way to help the patient deal with stresses as they occur in the moment and give you an extra set of skills to manage situations in your daily practice.

Even though the changes in vocabulary or behavior may be very slight and not very different from what you do during unreflected daily encounters, the awareness makes the language style used “hypnoidal.” And just as—depending on your profession—you may have had to learn extended physics of MRI or ultrasound to be able to turn a few knobs just right to get the best image, or had to dive deep into pharmacology to be able to understand and remember not to place a patient on a spinach diet when starting blood thinners, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the extended spectrum of hypnotic techniques to be able to apply the appropriate bits and pieces for a successful outcome.

This module contains the results of more than 20 years of combined research and clinical experience and the wisdom I learned from masters in the field, particularly from our trainees who always astonish me with their creative approaches. Distilled herein are the best practices on the topic.

Notice of Responsibility

The techniques, methods, strategies, information, and opinions presented in the Comfort Talk ® module are believed to be accurate and represent the best judgment available to the authors based on their training and experience and on the data collected during the twenty years of their research involving rigorous prospective randomized studies with >700 patients and subsequent clinical studies with tens of thousands of patients, which clearly showed that the use of rapid rapport and quick hypnotic techniques made medical procedures more comfortable and safer for patients and improved the overall patient experience.

This module freely shares our experiences and the results of our research with healthcare professionals who may wish to personally select and incorporate any or all of the Comfort Talk ® techniques, methods, and strategies that they feel would be prudent additions to their unique professional work environment. However, no action or inaction should be based solely on the information presented in a Comfort Talk ® module.

The hypnosis techniques presented in this module are better known as “procedure hypnosis” and their inclusion here is intended for the limited use of healthcare professionals desiring to help their patients help themselves cope with medical procedures. We at Hypnalgesics, LLC do not in anyway encourage readers to attempt any other application nor expansion of these techniques. While we are confident that applied as intended these techniques are effective and safe, we cannot and do not accept any responsibility for individual application, use, or misuse of the techniques, methods, strategies, information, and opinions presented in the Comfort Talk ® module.

Instructions for Use

The segments of the module are adapted to the learning styles of adults. We attempted to respond to the different learning preferences of users by including text, video, audio, and interactive questions furthering reflection and self-assessment.

Research shows that writing down answers to questions (without first peeking at the answers) enhances learning and furthers retention. Some of the questions may offer multiple choices, others ask for free hand entries or modifications of text segments. Sometimes there may be only one “correct” answer, but often there can be many solutions. After all, Comfort Talk ® is about how to help you find your own language and style. You can also always leave comments for feedback.

Based on the segments you complete, you may receive feedback through short emails from us with additional pointers on the content and summarization of key elements. This type of spaced learning has been shown to be helpful for retention not only of factual knowledge but also of new vocabulary in individuals learning new languages. You will have the ability to opt-out of this feature if you would prefer not to receive these messages.