Medical and dental professionals know how difficult it can be to build and maintain a thriving practice. In general, their clients come in when they are in distress rather than embracing a preventative routine that could easily forestall the development of massive problems.
Moreover, many patients implement a schedule of benign neglect once they’ve left the practitioner’s office. They don’t take their medications on schedule, or they maintain the same eating, hygiene or exercise habits that brought them to the office initially.
Can a health care provider motivate his or her patients toward a healthier lifestyle in a manner that is effective, provides constructive results and contributes to the growth of his or her practice through creating positive client experiences?
Having a well-trained clinical hypnotherapist on staff can deliver solutions to many of the above problems health care practitioners face. Patients often procrastinate when seeking medical or dental attention because of fear: fear of pain or fear of the possible outcomes or results.
Hypnosis is a time-tested, scientifically proven method of reducing or eliminating self-induced feelings of fear, increasing the sense of well-being and altering the perception of threat or loss.
Hypnosis has been used successfully to assist in weight loss, smoking cessation and in sales training to overcome cold-call reluctance.
It can be used in medical or dental practices to reduce or eliminate conditions such as needlephobia, which prevents many people from utilizing infusion or injectable therapies, or the very common fear of the dentist. The relaxed state that is achieved during a session reduces the need for anesthesia or pain medication.
This is not only beneficial to patients with medical conditions that contraindicate the use of a sedative, it helps reduce operational costs for the provider. Hypnotic induction requires very little time. Generally, a skilled hypnotherapist can induce an altered state in a matter of minutes. With the addition of appropriate post-hypnotic suggestions, the effects last for hours or even days.
Moreover, most people are suggestible so these techniques will work on the majority of patients. Having a staff hypnotist need not involve hiring an additional person. A technician or front-desk staff member can easily be trained as a clinical hypnotist.
The Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis and Psychotherapy can be acquired in 6 to 12 months of self-paced online learning and 5 days of in-person practical training. The ideal candidate would be someone who has a well-modulated voice, a calm demeanor and some level of persuasive ability. Often, the person who can engage a youngster’s interest –with a bedtime story or game –makes an excellent hypnotist.
How would any of this help your practice? If hypnosis helps reduce fear and resistance, then patients are more likely to be consistent in using their prescribed therapies and in making a regular schedule of preventative checkups a priority. They will embrace those lifestyle changes that you’ve suggested rather than fighting them. Because their treatment has been nearly painless, they will be more motivated to keep future appointments.
All of these small changes will lead to progressively better overall health, which in turn will reinforce the behavioral changes the patient has made. In addition, a happy patient who has regained his or her health or is better able to manage a disease condition is likely to refer others to you who are dealing with similar issues.
The staff member who engages in a clinical hypnotherapy course as a part of his or her professional development can add significant value to your practice by generating positive clinical experiences and developing highly motivated, wellness-focused patients.
