REVIEWS
California Bookwatch
STRICTLY FOR THERAPISTS offers an account of the author's experiences with a number of problems presented by many clients over a period of time and offers sage, tested advice to new therapists and established therapists alike. From making new associations using various therapies to handling abuse, phobias, and other patient issues, this is a powerful, important presentation.
California Bookwatch
T. M. Collins (Berkshire, UK) (REAL NAME)
With a good strong knowledge of practical Hypnosis, I was drawn to this book, to understand better how Hypnosis is used to assist patients/cients in the field of Hypnotherapy, the use of Hypnosis to aid psychotherapy.
In his book, John Smale a practicing Hypnotherapist of some +15yrs, does what I believe is an excellent job in reflecting a practical down to earth understanding, of a subject and profession that is often lost, when steeped in the overly complex theories of Jung & Freud. John introduces some background to the wide subject to set the scene, offers valuable guidance to newcomers plus outlines some not so obvious do's and don't.
The fundamental premise of the 'Fight or Flight' response flows comfortably throughout the book and intuitively feels right in the relevant circumstances.
For me the ultimate value of the book is in the detailed analysis of each of the thirty four prime 'Problems', that clients typically look for help on.
I truly believe that both existing practitioners & enquiring minds alike, will benefit from reading this book.
Strictly for Therapists is an honest and open book that explains the causes, effects and treatments for many of the problems that a therapist is asked to deal with. Very often therapy is similar to doing a cryptic crossword. You have to look for clues from your clients but this book helps you by giving a lot of the letters for you to make solving those puzzles easier. The task is to expose the cause, defuse the negative effects of that cause and then to build a positive future for your clients. They will trust you to help; this book helps you to help.
A therapist is a catalyst for beneficial change. He/she listens, and then works out patterns and then changes perceptions to achieve constructive results. He/she should be a facilitator for positive change rather than a creator of a Frankenstein client full of false beliefs. A therapist is a channel for change.End of story.
The book is an appraisal of the author’s experiences with a large number of problems presented by many clients over a substantial period of time. It is aimed at giving guidance and sensible advice to new therapists, established therapists and their clients.
When I started as a therapist, my first few years of practice were based on the training I had received. This gave a foundation to my work but the therapy became elongated rather than efficient. The expectations of outcomes that had been prescribed were different in practice.
The conflicts that we hold in our minds are often those between the primeval, instinctual parts and the stresses and demands of modern life. The real clash, then, is that between the basic natures of mankind in contrast to the rules we feel we have to follow as a species that is crowded onto a planet that has changed from those old times.
When I am asked which problems I help to resolve, the answer is easy; two. Yes, two! This is because I deal with the two primeval survival systems that emerge in different forms, namely the ‘fight or flight’ response (panic/anxiety/phobias etc) and our ability to store fat.
However, the ways in which they show themselves are varied. This book tells you how to recognise their different guises and how to resolve the underlying problems.
What you will be doing, as a therapist, is reconciling the basic primeval drives that we continue to hold with a totally different set of circumstances in modern life. Those reactions keep an insomniac awake as they live on a hair-trigger that would have warned of a lion prowling around outside. It makes us want to escape from dangers, real or perceived as in panic attacks. It makes us become threatening and angry when confronted by situations that could be dealt with by more ‘civilised’ methods. It can make us store excess fat when under stressful conditions. And so on.
This book cuts away some of the absurdities in complicated therapy and allows the therapist to offer sound and constructive help in achieving a positive outcome for the client.
It explains why 'Past Life' therapy can cause major psychlogical problems.
So what follows is in the best interest of therapists and clients alike. Efficiency never reduces outcomes; instead it increases the reputation of the therapist. The book gives broad hints as to cause and effect but it never supposes that they will always fit the circumstances or problem of the client. You, the therapist, have to do the hard work and never assume you know the answers.
Ethics are essential. Honesty and the achievement of best practice are vital.
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