When I first moved to Portugal in 2007, Skype was not on my radar or the radar of anyone I knew, although according to my google search it has been around since 2003. Who knew!
I have always been a tech luddite, dragging myself grumpily several years late through each technological advancement. I remember for years proudly resisting mobile phones, making dinosaur comments like, ‘I’ve survived perfectly well until now without one,’ or ‘I just don’t want to be at the end of a line constantly’. Now of course, like everyone else, I’ve practically fused with my iPhone. I get a bit jittery if the battery drops below 2 bars.
You will not then be surprised to hear that despite numerous requests over the the last 5 or so years from past and present clients for online hypnotherapy, I have always resisted.
My main excuse was that I thought that being in the same room as my client during therapy was paramount.
If asked why, I’d stipulate rather pompously that I needed to pick up ‘subliminal cues, subtle changes in body language, hand movements, eye direction etc, etc.’
This is all true to a certain degree. There really are advantages of being one-to-one.
What I refused to concede was the advantages of online therapy can actually far out-way the disadvantages.
Since embracing Zoom my possible client base has risen from -
English speaking people living in a 20 mile radius in rural Portugal (it shames me to admit that my Portuguese is still not at the right level to be able to practice in Portuguese), or the 200 or so clients who come here on retreats or holidays every year, to -
THE WHOLE OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING WORLD...ANYWHERE ON THIS PLANET!!!
Another massive plus is that my clients can simply turn on their screens and click onto a link in the comfort of their own home. Gone are the days of traipsing to Central London, sitting in an imposing waiting room then having to fight through rush hour all the way home. You can’t get more opposite to hypnotic relaxation than that!
No more paying extortionate rent in Harley street - this saving has been passed onto my clients with significantly reduced hourly rates.
Best of all the hypnotherapy session itself is now recorded and edited on Garageband. This is then sent in MP3 format, so clients can listen as many times as they choose.
2020 was such a horrid year. Even those not directly effected by the virus itself have been left feeling like the world has shifted. The stability we used to exist in has weakened.
Covid has been the catalyst that forced me out of my comfort zone and into the world of online therapy.
I’m so glad it has!
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