From Therapy to Life Mastery: Coaching as a Natural Next Step from Hypnotherapy

The focus in psychology and psychotherapy for most of the twentieth century was on repairing the negatives of symptoms, traumas, disorders and deficits. Then around the turn of the century a refreshing movement began to gain credibility: Positive psychology and positive psychotherapy. Positive psychotherapy contrasts with standard therapeutic interventions for symptoms of mental or emotional dysfunction by increasing positive emotion, engagement, character strengths, and meaning rather than directly targeting negative symptoms. This developing trend is a direct descendent of the humanistic psychology movement and transpersonal psychology which evolved in the second half of the twentieth century. A further development in this continuum adds the dimension of adult development for optimal functioning into as yet unrealized potential: life coaching. Coaching hypnosis is the deliberate use of hypnotic strategies and principles as an adjunct to accepted coaching process. The inclusion of hypnosis, NLP techniques, and hypnotic strategies and principles in coaching is not only appropriate but highly effective. We will document some of the neuroscience reasons for this. Hypnosis creates a state of dual effect: relaxation yet responsiveness. The conscious mind is calmed, enabling access to the unconscious mind - 'trance logic' - a way of reasoning that does not follow the rules of 'normal' logical processes. Through this mechanism, an individual may have experiences and interpret them in ways that transcend their conscious rational belief system, opening new perspectives and expanded horizons of what is possible. Hypnosis: a new dimension in coaching.