From Adversaries to Allies - Health & Wellbeing Magazine by Foyht

A Therapist’s Guide to Embracing Technology

The purpose of this article is to explore the sometimes, tenuous, relationship between therapist and tech, and in particular AI.

It seeks to address the ways in which these seeming adversaries can work together to achieve a more collaborative way of working.

My aim is to see how a dynamic mindset shift can replace fear and resistance, with curiosity and learning and thus open up a world of new possibilities. We explore the ways in which various tech advances, from client management systems to AI-enhanced script writing and virtual reality, can act as a support and, in some cases, enhance the human side of our therapeutic work. Hypnotherapy and complementary therapies are certainly not immune from the rapid advances in technology that are emerging in just about every profession.

In the world of complementary therapies, our main focus is on developing our relationship with the client, the human connection, which creates the solid foundation and starting point of our therapeutic work. With so many new technologies plus artificial intelligence, we seem to be poised on the edge of a new era in therapeutic practice. Do we resist and adopt an adversarial approach to tech and AI or do we find ways to jump in, harness these technologies, and make them work for us and become allies in our healing and transformative work with clients?

Adopting A Curious Practitioner’s Mindset

We always have choices. And this one is about the attitude we take to technology and in particular AI. Often our resistance is born from:

Frustration – possibly based on previous experience of the deep challenges that can be presented by tech, whether building a website, an email list or creating consistent content in its various forms.
fear of the unknown – the uncertainty about how these innovations fit into therapeutic practice and whether or not we can even keep up with such rapid changes.

And, you know what, it’s absolutely OK to feel that frustration and fear. But that said, we could end up a bit like some of our clients, if we allow those feelings to actually stop us from learning, then they become problematic.

So, what would happen if we chose to approach the new technologies with a sense of curiosity and a mindset focused on learning? I believe that it is then, as we open up, we start discovering ways in which that technology can actually complement our practices in ways that align with our core values.

If we think back a century or perhaps more, the very idea of recording audio for guided sessions would have seemed pretty revolutionary, but today it’s a standard practice that we all use to support our clients on their healing journey.

This curious mindset opens the door to several practical applications that can immediately benefit your practice. Let’s explore some of these technological allies in detail

Practical Applications for Today’s Therapeutic Practitioners

Client Management Systems

If we’re going to make use of technology, we must first apply it to reduce the number of repetitive and ‘boring’ jobs we do to maintain our businesses. If like me, you’re not enthralled by the number of repetitive admin tasks that need to be done and find yourself putting things off, then we need to use the tech that can automate as much as possible. The most basic areas include client scheduling, email reminders, secure notetaking, and of course another priority is GDPR, security and privacy compliance. Using tech to manage these will not only free up time, it also frees up our mental space so we can focus more fully on our clients.

Another point to bear in mind is that these systems can also provide us with useful analytics, like identifying patterns in client progress, session frequency, and cancellation rates. With the use of tech here, we can improve the overall management of this area of our practices, knowing where to target our marketing and advertising more accurately.

AI-Enhanced Script Creation

We all use personalised hypnosis scripts, and these are essential tools as we work with our clients. We can harness AI to support our work, such as generating initial treatment frameworks and specialised scripts that we can then refine and personalise, based on our knowledge of our client and therapeutic skills.

This collaboration thus combines our human knowledge and intuition with the efficiency of AI, to delve sometimes deeper or include, a point that we may have overlooked. For example, an AI could suggest a range of metaphors that are appropriate for specific therapeutic goals or help a therapist to avoid inadvertently using negative phrasing that could create resistance in a client’s mind. It certainly sparks moments of increased creativity and ultimately saves us valuable time.

Digital Wellness Monitoring

Today a quick search on the Google or Apple App Stores you’ll discover the endless array of biofeedback apps. These are the watches headsets and allow us to track sleep patterns, stress levels, and even provide meditation practices for daily life and living. They all provide reasonably objective data that supports subjective client reporting. The insights that are gained and shared by clients, can make it easier to identify triggers, patterns, and/or use the data as progress indicators. This then creates opportunities to tailor our treatment approaches far more accurately.

While wellness monitoring provides valuable data for treatment planning, emerging technologies like Virtual Reality are taking therapeutic interventions to entirely new dimensions.

Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) in Hypnotherapy

Now this is one of the newest innovations and for myself, it took a while to get my head around! VR technology allows the client to experience their phobia in graduated ways (systematic desensitisation) in a very controlled virtual environment. A client with a fear of flying may be exposed gradually to the noise of check in, to boarding a plane, take off, landing etc.

In terms of neurology, VRT experiences do support hypnotherapy very positively.

It works with the brain’s plasticity to create new neural pathways & responses.

Early research indicates that by combining these approaches we could begin to see more rapid progress for clients who are working through phobias, anxiety, and trauma-related issues.

Maintaining the Human Touch

It is, of course, important to remember that the therapeutic relationship must always remain central, and in particular for hypnotherapists where the power of suggestion and rapport still form the cornerstone of effective treatment. Technology simply provides additional new avenues for delivering these fundamental elements.

As we learn to choose our tools carefully, and as they become integral elements in our practices, we should bear in mind that they shouldn’t be defining our practice rather they should be ‘serving’ it. This distinction is crucial because at the end of the day one could say that successful integration is where the tech itself becomes an almost invisible part of therapeutic practice.

Ethical Considerations

Ethics, relating particularly to AI, do tend to be something of a minefield where each step needs to be taken very cautiously. When using the newest tech such as AI, our own ethical awareness and understanding is increasingly important, and there is an overriding need to stay up-to-date. There are many, many questions about data privacy, informed consent and the suitable boundaries between automated and human-delivered therapy, each of which requires a great deal of thought.

The National Council of Hypnotherapy’s Code of Ethics does provide very clear guidelines that focus hypnotherapists on client welfare as our primary concern.

It is vitally important that each practice/practitioner develops explicit and highly transparent written policies about how data is used, stored, and shared that these are clearly communicated to clients. It is equally important to be as aware as possible of any possible biases within an AI system, this helps to sure it doesn’t accidentally reinforce harmful stereotypes or treat everyone as ‘the same’, when each person’s experience is unique.

With these ethical considerations in mind, the question becomes not whether to incorporate technology, but how to begin doing so thoughtfully and effectively.

Getting Started: The Learning Mindset

From working with several clients, I’ve found that there is a need to shift ways from the general notion that tech is ‘complex’ and the idea that being ‘tech-savvy’ is for the well trained techie or ‘other’ people. We need to switch into curiosity mode and see how tech might benefit your practice. No one needs to be a ‘te-xpert’. You simply need to know how something will help positively develop your business and practice. This open, learning mindset will, without doubt open new possibilities and reduce the frustration.

Start small:

Experiment with a digital tool that can address a particular challenge in your practice
Tap into colleagues as a resource and find out who’s successfully incorporating the technology
Register for workshops or webinars that simplify the many tech advances we’re seeing
Join online communities where people share their experiences
Find a mentor who understands the balance between tech and therapeutic wisdom

The Client Perspective

As always with clients, we want to meet them where they are and still create a safe and familiar environment that supports their healing process.

Today it’s important to bear in mind that many of our clients will naturally expect there to be some level of tech in your practice. Younger adults have grown up in a ‘digital world’ and are likely to be very familiar with online booking, digital resources, and app-based support. Understanding our clients’ expectations and comfort levels with technology ultimately guides how we balance tradition and innovation in our practices.

Balancing Our Future

It may be said that the therapists of tomorrow are those who shift the mindset from fear to curiosity and learning. They are the ones who will no doubt find ways to balance the efficiency of tech and human intuition.

As we approach technology with curiosity rather than fear, we align the profession’s rich traditions while embracing some very exciting innovations that ultimately could help more people experience the benefits of hypnotherapy and complementary therapeutic practices.

And as I’ve already said, do remember – you don’t need to be a te-xpert to simply use it.

As long as you have an open mind, curiosity & you work to explore & discover, you will gradually find the tech becoming your ally rather than your foe!

References

Main – Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash