In the late 1970s, two pioneering psychotherapists, Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, developed Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. One of the approaches they popularised was the use of scaling from 1 to 10. It allows a client to identify where they are in that moment and then explore what being just one or two points higher on the scale would look and feel like. Sometimes it’s also useful to acknowledge what being lower down the scale might be like, helping clients recognise just how far they’ve already come.
I incorporate that approach into my own practice, alongside hypnosis.
As you may know, when you’re in a hypnotic state, your attention becomes more focused and absorbed. Many people find it easier to imagine new possibilities and experience them vividly, with less of the usual internal chatter or self-criticism getting in the way. So, in a session with me, we first build a detailed picture of what positive change might look and feel like, often using scaling. Later in the session, I guide the client through that picture while they’re in hypnosis, allowing them to experience those changes in their imagination. In doing so, those new ways of thinking, feeling and responding can begin to feel more familiar and achievable.
It’s a straightforward process rather than an especially complicated one, and it’s something I’ve developed a great deal of confidence in over the years.
This process of imagining can also be enjoyable and playful. When it suits a particular client’s personality, I sometimes compare it to creating a remix of a piece of music.
Most people have a picture in their mind of a mixing desk, with its collection of faders, dials and switches, and they understand its purpose. Want more bass? Push that fader up a little. The strings are too dominant? Ease them back in the mix.
Sometimes, metaphorically speaking, we imagine that the client is the music track. A track that, for one reason or another, has drifted out of balance.
Together, we work out which faders need adjusting.
More confidence? Where should that fader sit? Up around a nine? What would that level of confidence feel like? When was the last time you experienced something close to it? What would you notice first? What would the people closest to you notice?
How about more energy? More sparkle? Let’s adjust those faders and explore what changes.
Perhaps it’s the “Not Caring Quite So Much What Other People Think” fader. Where would that sit? Interestingly, very few people want it at ten.
Once we’ve explored one or two parts of the remix together, I help the client enter hypnosis and invite them to experience that new version of themselves as vividly as possible. They aren’t just thinking about change—they’re rehearsing it, experiencing it and becoming familiar with it in their imagination.
In that sense, the client isn’t simply the restored piece of music.
They’re also the composer and arranger.
I’m simply the producer, helping them create the best version of the track.
So, if you’re looking for guidance, I offer a free, friendly consultation where we can talk about what’s going on and explore how hypnotherapy could support you.
Sessions are available in Muswell Hill, Central London, or online, whichever suits you best.
Just call 07966 464 005 or get in touch here.
