IF YOU ARE thinking about counselling, therapy, hypnotherapy or just some support for yourself it may help to look at what other people say, what they feel the process has done in their situation or what they have seen and read. And you'll likely have some thoughts of your own - whether you feel drawn to certain approaches, or are uneasy or just not drawn in that direction.
THE INTERNET has plenty of information, so that you can see where you might fit into the general framework of 'talking therapy' or counselling, or perhaps hypnotherapy. SEARCH ENGINES are a useful place to start - in fact there's so much information it can be hard to know where to stop! Ask in the LIBRARY, or approach professional organisations.
GET a FEEL of what people say, whether you yourself like the idea or not, or you do but with reservations. NATURALLY a great deal depends on the kind of help available in your area, and some help can be relatively expensive, so you'll want to make sure you are happy about trusting yourself and your cash to someone else.
WHAT SUITS one person may not suit you, so you will be the best person to decide what you want to do, when you want to do it, how much you wish to pay and how much time you have available.
A WORD of CAUTION here, because you may have some physical problem which people perhaps have told you (and you may believe this yourself) could be largely due to your state of mind. Certainly one's state of mind is important in all sorts of ways, and stress or anxiety for instance could be playing a part in things. You owe it to yourself to visit your doctor or to find a doctor who can make the necessary health checks and give advice. You are the person responsible for yourself.
HYPNOSIS is simply a word used to describe the state of hypnosis. There are differing views on that, for instance whether it is a form of sleep, self-induced hypnosis, or a state of suggestibility where the conscious mind does not 'get in the way' of what is needed at a deeper level, and so on. Here again you will have ideas about what the process is, what it can do for people, and what you want it to do for you, and there's no definitive answer.
YOU MAY have seen stage performances at the theatre or on TV where the hypnotist seems able to do anything he wants with members of the audience, to the extent that they seem under his control. That is 'entertainment' - well some people think so. Hypnotherapy carried out properly does not work like that. The client should retain control of the procedure just as much as he or she would like and feels a need for.
HYPNOTHERAPY is a process where the hypnotherapist works with a client to help them in their life. It would be no good solving one problem brilliantly for him or her, without looking at other areas of the person's life or personality which could be affected. Some areas of behaviour can be worked on using mainly behavioural methods, or a combination of cognition and de-sensitisation. Hypnotherapy can also use these principles.
EVERYONE is an individual, and what a hypnotherapist or any other type of therapist should do, is gain sufficient information in order to provide the most appropriate help in the circumstances. By accessing the client's subconscious during hypnosis it can become easier to find and address the root cause of the problem. Other people would say it is not always necessary to do this, or that one can basically work with the conscious mind. Relaxation itself can be a significant component either way.
WORK OUT which method would suit you, your personality and your situation best. You may be apprehensive about forms of therapy on offer, and that is perfectly acceptable. Keep on looking till you find what you are looking for. Don't go for something that doesn't feel right, whatever other people may say. The same applies to any type of activity! Have a look at plenty of information too.
IF YOU THINK you would like to embark on any kind of therapy or counselling for yourself, allow some time to find a practitioner who is near enough, ask for a brochure, ask for a free chat to satisfy yourself that the therapy is what you want and this is the sort of person you feel comfortable with. It is not your fault or theirs if you feel you don't get along.
HOW LONG help should last will obviously vary according to many factors, but try to look ahead and discuss the issue so as not to prolong it unnecessarily.
THESE PRINCIPLES should apply to anyone you are thinking of approaching for help, such as a counsellor or therapist, voluntary agency or self-help organisation.. Give yourself some time to work out what YOU want first and foremost, and don't let someone else persuade you, or invade your privacy.
MOST of the WORK is done by the client, whatever the method used, and YOU are the person leading your life. Good counselling and help are really about helping individuals to work out what is best for them, rather than imposing any particular framework or ideology.
From article on Scapegoating:
'PEOPLE OFTEN help themselves and others without recourse to 'experts'. People living through war or other traumatic times may not have access to help, and it is a relatively recent development that people look more to others to guide them. We are not attempting to devalue good help, rather to say that people may manage better than they think without it, and help of the not-so-good kind is exactly what the term implies! But it may be that the kind of help is not suitable for the person, or at that time, or that the counsellor or therapist just does not suit an individual.'
GOING IT ALONE may be a better option until things become clearer in your mind, or the situation settles somewhat. There is nothing to feel ashamed of in wanting to get help for yourself, but things can become confused or compounded by intervention which does not suit a person. Circumstances can and do change and are often a significant factor contributing to our experience.
A FACTSHEET on counselling issues is available from MIND or for download;
More Books & Links on these issues particularly relevant for the UK are at http://www.talkingcure.co.uk
MORE on this THEME can be found Here
TOPAZ SELF-HELP InfoPage click Here
IF YOU FIND ANY SITUATION BECOMING TOO HARD TO HANDLE
THERE IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF IN ADMITTING TO YOURSELF OR OTHERS
THAT YOU MAY NEED TO LEAVE IT, OR THAT YOU NEED SOME SUPPORT
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