EFT for Change part 2: Empowering Clients Between and Beyond Therapy

Read Part 1 of EFT for Change here

From working with all kinds of people to help them change their outlook on life, Cathy Dixon has developed an empowerment programme based on simple steps and common sense.

Empowerment is a process in which an individual reclaims or increases the personal power through awareness, self care, commitment to healthy and growth, goal setting, and self honoring choices. It is a step out of victimhood and powerlessness into a self sufficiency, independence and choice making.

I have coached people from all walks of life. Whatever people come to see me about, the aim is always to empower clients through different modalities always to put my clients back in the driving seat, whether they are business entrepreneurs or homeless. The combination of coaching, hypnosis and EFT is a powerful one.   Many people come to hypnotherapy hoping to change or improve something about themselves, their lives or their circumstances. Perhaps it is the marketing, the associations with stage hypnosis and celebrity hypnotherapists that have given hypnotherapy its reputation for miracle cure and the same can also be said for the claims around the use of EFT.  This can result in the expectation that these interventions can magic the problem away and without the client having to change anything. As therapists, we know that hypnotherapy and EFT are very effective and can provide amazing breakthroughs in a single session or even a series of sessions. Yet I believe change work is effective when the public can relate to the practitioner as a guide and mentor who has some excellent tools to help them client grow and develop rather than the authoritative, all knowing expert or the magician who can fix everything.

Sometimes the change our clients require is on a more profound level and we all know that sustainable change takes time and commitment.  The combination of hypnotherapy, EFT  and goal setting coaching aimed at developing self empowerment skills is ideal for clients who need move forward out of inertia, start life again, find a new direction, reach a very challenging goal or move out of a disempowering situation or relationship. All of these contexts require a level or personal growth and self empowerment.

I believe that there is a case of for integrating coaching and mentoring tools in a defined process of self development through goal setting.

This approach would not be suitable for all clients yet those who desire and are really ready for life change would benefit from this hypnotherapy empowerment coaching combination. These include client groups who have been disempowered through life circumstances (abusive relationships, addictions, job loss) and those who need to challenge themselves and their personal standards in order to achieve a personal goal.
In my experience, entrepreneurial types of individuals and executives and professionals respond well to the material because they are already familiar with the concept of setting objectives and know how to follow processes. They intrinsically know that goal setting, planning and commitment are critical to success and that self belief and personal development are also vital ingredients.

This approach started three years ago when I was asked to write an aftercare programme initially commissioned by Rugby House now Foundations 66, a charity specialising in treating alcohol and substance misuse. I called this programme, Empower Your Life (EYL).

I asked hundred of clients over a three year period that had come through some extremely challenging experiences what had worked for them. The answer was invariably the same. They had a personal vision fuelled by hope that they could be different in the future. Then they found strategies that worked for them they could commit to every day habits that empowered this vision of the future.

They were the inspiration behind the intervention in Empower Your Life (EYL), – a goal setting programme based on personal vision and personal development. EYL encouraged clients to embrace the concepts of personal development, personal responsibility, self care and self empowerment as the most effective pathway to break the cycle of dependency inherent in all patterns of addiction and chemical dependency. The programme used hypnosis, guided visualisation and EFT to envision a different altogether more inspiring life.

It occurred to me, if this material worked for this community, then the principles could be applied to anyone who needed and wanted to change their life. I piloted this material throughout 2009 with several groups and the programme was developed further by asking entrepreneurs and business professionals what personal skills were essential in business. This resulted in a programme called Empower Your Goal which is now used by entrepreneurs, executives and people who want to achieve a definitive goal. The process and life tools employed in this programme were more or less the same as the original group though the context different. 
The programme was piloted in its entirety throughout 2010 with the joint project between Quintessentially Soho, (a privately owned members club) and the House of St Barnabas (a homeless charity) which contributed to an average 38% rate of employability amongst the 50 volunteers who attended the programme, achieving five times the industry rate for similar projects.

The client is taken through six sessions and these sessions help develop the skills listed below:

• Skill one: self-careLearn to nurture your physical health. Follow a daily programme to develop a balanced diet, regular exercise, a stable sleep pattern and control anxiety.
• Skill two: self-awareness Develop awareness of your strengths and talents – and be mindful of your vulnerabilities.
• Skill three: clarityDevelop a personal vision that’s based on your strengths, values and needs.
• Skill four: goal settingDevelop simple, yet effective, goal-setting skills that correspond to the personal vision     .
• Skill five: self-beliefBuild your self-esteem and self worth through exercises.
• Skill six: self-managementLearn to manage stress and maximise resources through time-management.
• Skill seven: communicationThe key element in the approach  is  a sense of self-responsibility – the willingness to say ‘I made this choice, I am making this choice which brings a sense of confidence, energy and optimism that you’re making decisions and choices that are right for you.

Developing a sense of wellbeing is the foundation of the programme, the core from which other skills would is developed. I developed a self help guide to self care called “Empower Your Health” in 30 days. It is a highly practical compendium for self care with a daily log which helps clients audit their mood, keep a food and exercise dairy. I often give this to my clients along with the six sessions of coaching if they feel they would benefit from this.

Following this  programme clients learn:

how to set positive intentionshow to choose more supportive and empowering language to support intentionsHow to increase mental focus and concentrationhow to meditate and relax the mindhow to manage difficult emotions and clear the pastHow to manage stress and anxietyhow to organise and structure their day according to priorities and commit to thesehow to incorporate a healthy eating plan into their lives How to follow a simple physical exercise plan to build their up their energy, flexibility and stamina and wellbeing

Empower Your Goal and Empower Your Health are complementary programmes that make up Empower Your Life approach to change and hope and commitment and the core ingredients of the programme.
The concepts will apply equally to a highly competitive Olympic athlete and someone stepping out of recovery – it’s very challenging yet exciting at the same time. To create something really worthwhile, we need all the help we can get.