Q: Do I have to talk to the patient continuously throughout the procedure?

A: No. Comfort Talk is designed so that you actually end up talking less. Once you help patients activate their own internal resources, they are basically on auto-pilot. They just start enjoying their own experience. That means you can relax and focus on your part of the work and both you and the patient have a better time.

 

Q: When a case is really long how should I check in with the patient to make sure that everything is ok?

A: From time to time you can say, “Hmm, hmmm” and/or “That’s right.” You can also ask, “Are you comfortable?” (NOT: “Are you having any pain?”). It is always helpful to give patients encouragement: acknowledging them for their contribution e.g. “Thanks for holding so nice and still, this gives excellent images.”

 

Q: Isn’t reading the script a sign that I don’t know what I am doing?

A: Reading from the script has been validated in three large rigorous clinical trials, which can be found at our Training Day Materials page. In my 18 years of experience in procedure hypnosis, I found that patients are actually comforted by having a script read to them—a script dispels the myth of arbitrary practitioner mind control and adds professionalism.

 

Q: When I ask the patients how they feel and where they are, doesn’t it interrupt the spell when they answer?

A: It didn’t adversely affect efficacy in our trials. Asking indicates that you are interested and can help you building on the patient’s imagery. Asking also lets you know if the patient has pain or issues that you need to do something about. However, if the patient hesitates to answer, you can always say, “That’s ok. You can tell me or just enjoy your experience quietly.”

 

Q: What should I do when I finished reading the script? It sometimes takes less than a minute to get through a script.

A: Just stay quiet. Silence can be very powerful. At that point, the patients are already enjoying their own experience. If you want, say, “Hmm, hmmm” and/or “That’s right.”

 

Q: What can I do to get better at finding the right words? I am really bad at ad-libbing.

A: Just read the script. It has worked in thousands and thousands of cases. The more often you read it, the sooner its language rubs off on you and the wording becomes second nature. You can also check out our Comforting Suggestions page. It has lots of easy reference cards you can use in all kind of situations.

 

Q: What shall I do if a patient starts crying? Does that mean that I failed?

A: Allow the patient to feel whatever he or she is feeling and acknowledge the experience. You may be the only person who listens to the patient and this may be the only place he or she feels able to open up and share worries. This is not a failure on your part. It can actually be very liberating for the patient. You can just say an empathic “Ohhh” – “Hmmm.”

 

Q: What if a patient just doesn’t want to be helped?

A: All you can do is help patients help themselves. They have to be willing to go some of the steps with you. Our research showed that the intent to treat counts. Just being able to say “no” can be very empowering for patients; it confirms that they are in control in an environment where they have no control over anything else.

 

Q: What if I say the wrong thing? Can that hurt the patient?

A: You will be on the safe side if you remember to immunize the patient right from the start by saying, “Use only the suggestions that are helpful for you.” Then the patient’s subconscious mind will just discard whatever you say that is not in the patient’s best interest. It’s important to make a habit of immunizing against unhelpful suggestions.

 

Q: How specific do I need to be when I give suggestions to alter physiology?

A: You must be very, very specific. The subconscious mind interprets things very literal. If you suggest to someone to raise or lower his or her heart rate—say exactly to what number. It may sound spooky but it works.

 

Q: What is wrong about inviting a patient to remember a happy time?

A: You can never know what demons lurked at an event that should have been happy. When thinking back to a “happy” time, people can flash back to old trauma, which is much more difficult to handle. Therefore, just focus on what patients would rather do now or where they want to go. Going to the past can be a minefield. Projecting into a successful future delights and gives strength.

 

Q: When structuring a relaxation, why do I need to match the other person once they have their eyes closed? They can’t see me anyhow.

A: When matching, you not only signal that you are in rapport to the other person but also with yourself. You may have noticed how both of you tend to relax together once you start guiding Comfort Talk. Matching helps you to be in sync and come up automatically with the right words and tone. Trance works bi-directionally (or both ways).

 

Q: What shall I do if I prepare a patient but will not be the one who will be there when the patient is ready to leave and the person attending to the patient hasn’t been trained in Comfort Talk? Can the patient remain stuck?

A: The concern that patients have such a good time in their state of self-hypnosis that they don’t want to leave your medical test or procedure area as quickly as they can is extremely low. When you explain the three Steps of the Eye Roll to the patient, you can add “And whenever you wish to return to your natural state of awareness you can count backwards from three to one, on three getting ready, on two rolling up your eyes, and on one opening your eyes and feeling refreshed and ready to go on with the day. So you are fully in control to relax yourself whenever you want, now or later, or even at home by following Steps one to three, and to become alert again by reversing from three to one.” In this way, you are empowering the patient to proceed on their own.