Love that response Dominique, thank you for contributing here today 🙂

Marty, you assume that there is such a thing as the unconscious mind here and not that we can simply deal holistically with the individual. When I ask questions, I firmly believe that I am talking to one person, with one mind and that they are one thing.

🙂

I think it would be disrespectful to the clients needs to not gain as much information as we can when exploring their problem. “I just want to get better” – What would that feel like for you? Can you remember a time when you were feeling that way? What would tomorrow be like should you wake up and you are better? Also their defenition of “better” should be explored as we dont all enterpate words in the same way.
“I just want to be happier” – What do you feel is stopping you? How do you feel when you are happy? What does being happy mean to you? How will your life change when you are happier? How will this effect those around you?

I think it is possibly even more important to set goals for the kind of clients that “dont really know” becuase it will make them more aware of how they are spending their time on a day to day basis and what actaully effects them in positive and negative ways. Confusion and uncertainty can also be an effect of the conscious mind purposefully going against the unconscious.
When we really get to know ourselves and how we work, thats when our behaviours make sence and change can really start to happen.

I think that after the first session with a client they will be doing a lot of thinking about themselves and their situation which will hopefully encourage congruency with themselves. With a person who is “not sure” I think it is likely that their mail goal(s) may change from session to session, depending on the time between them.

I am not a “magical-thinker” and wouldent encourage any of my clients to let their unconscious mind “lead the way” becuase all you need to do is listen to my voice and I will cure you without you knowing it. Aaaand thats £300. Cash.

No. It is an alliance, a partnership, and when you simply do these things I ask you during and after our sessions, we can work together to improve your life in the way you want.

But when you ask a client questions, you’re not going to be just talking to one mind and not the other. You’re going to be talking to both. So it is quite possible that the outcome the client wants and or the wants of the client come from both the conscious and unconscious mind, if they exist.

I think it’s a matter of trusting the unconscious but not at the expense of everything and not seeking to worship the unconscious mind either.