What is solution focused therapy and how it works with hypnotherapy
It has occurred to me that I don't often explicitly talk about what solution focused therapy is. I do explain how our brains work a lot! and that goes to some ways to support the solution focused model.
In 2009 I qualified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and immediately went on to complete the Solution Focused therapy training for hypnotherapy in 2010.
So, they have always worked together very well as far as I am concerned, but they are not the same.
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT): Developed in America in the 1980s by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer. After spending many years studying problem behaviour and trying to change it they switched to studying 'solution behaviour' and how to promote it! Two simple ideas lie at the centre of solution focused therapy.
This talking therapy helps envisioning a positive future and identifying practical steps to get there. It’s a creative process where your strengths, skills, and solutions take centre stage.
Hypnosis: Also known as trance, induces a deep state of relaxation. here we can talk directly to the subconscious to promote mental health, rewiring negative thought patterns, building new habits, and cultivating a more optimistic mindset.
Together, these components create a holistic approach that addresses both conscious and subconscious aspects of your well-being.
The main Tenets of Solution Focused Therapy:
The future is created and negotiable: You can shape your present and future. How we think and act creates our reality. In other word, we are never actually stuck, everything is always in movement: we can engage creatively in that movement.
Small steps can lead to big changes: Each small step we take can give us the motivation and energy we need to take the next step, and before we know it, we've made significant progress.
This emphasizes the systemic view that movement in one part of the system always results in movement of the entire system.
The solution is not necessarily directly related to the problem: Solving problems is not the goal in this therapeutic approach. Instead, we engage with your own skills and resources to help you embody your potential and live your life in a resilient and authentic way.
No problem happens all the time: There are always times when the problem is not happening. Exceptions reveal coping strategies and skills that can be utilised in challenges and to create a new future. The future is both created and negotiable.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it: In other words, if something works, do it more often, and if something is not working, do something else. Einstein himself talked about this when he said:
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". On a personal level, it implies that if we want a different outcome, we need to change our actions and decisions. It urges us to examine our behaviors, identify what’s not working, and make necessary changes.
How it works in Practice:
· Collaboration: In each session, the client and the therapist work closely together. We have a creative dialogue that helps discover and cultivate your resources, strengths, skills and natural way of dealing with life. We may use scaling, "miracle question" and positive questions to encourage clients to envision their desired future and explore practical solutions to achieve it.
· Empowering Mindset: The client is seen as the expert on their own life. The therapist believes that each individual possesses the knowledge needed to improve their situation. This is brought to light in the creative dialogue and in the hypnosis to help the client recognise that they have choices and capacity to make changes. By focusing on what they can do, they are empowered and motivated to move forward in their own way.
· Hypnosis Boosts Change: Hypnosis accelerates the process. By accessing the subconscious mind, it boosts the natural healing processes of the mind, encouraging post traumatic growth, letting go of the past in a meaningful way. Hypnosis also consolidates positive changes, it conditions thinking and behaviour patterns to align with the client's goals.
· Neuroscience Backing: This therapy is cutting edge, it is grounded in neuroscience and brain-based research (but our capacity to be creative beyond imagination has always been!)
· Reducing Overwhelm and Creating Hope: When clients try new ways to think about things or approach them, with the support and help of the therapist, they realise that many choices and possibilities are available and that there are more ways forward than they thought.
Remember, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy isn’t about ignoring difficulties, nor is it about fixing them; it’s about harnessing existing strengths and discovering choices in Mind (thoughts), Body (actions) and Heart (emotions), supporting you in making the choices and creating the habits that lead you to your authentic self and the life you want to live.
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