This is a question that a person on Quora asked which I believe is both very interesting and helpful for anyone who is seeing a therapist to understand. Here is how I answered the question:
I am not a licensed mental health person, so I am answering it from the point of view of a hypnotist with a ton of experience on both sides of the aisle in the world of therapy.
The main thing that needs to be taken into account is the type of client that is in front of us. People with borderline personality disorders don’t want to hear anything about their therapist in many cases – it is all about them!
Second, if any personal disclosure content is being shared, it needs to be done as a way to demonstrate how the issue at hand was overcome, or more easily dealt with. In other words, it is never about the therapist’s problems, rather it is ALWAYS used as a way to more deeply connect with the client to help the client to better understand the issue they are dealing with in the therapy and give them tools and techniques to use to help them deal with said issue. It is a form of role modeling as far as I am concerned and one of the things that my clients have found gives them a ton of hope that they had lost, as well as concrete ways to help themselves.
Frankly, it is only through true authentic communicating that people are going to care about what a person has to say. So, I have always had a down-to-earth manner of relating with my clients which has worked really well for the great majority of them. For others who are more used to the more classic style of psychotherapy – I am NOT the right fit for those people and that is quite fine.
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About Suzanne
Suzanne Kellner-Zinck founded Dawning Visions Hypnosis in 2002, She has become an innovator in the use of hypnotism and neuro-linguistic programming in the areas of obsessive compulsive disorders such as: eating disorders, sexual addiction and substance abuse as well as working with those with anxiety and mood disorders.
Her clients have come to work with her from across the United States and as far away as Africa to help them to finally be freed from these emotional issues that once ruled their lives. Today she is in the process of bringing her work to many more in the form of ebooks and other downloadable formats.
She is a member of American Holistic Medical Association and the American College for Advancement in Medicine.
Prior to founding Dawning Visions Hypnosis, Kellner-Zinck worked within vendor programs for the mentally ill working to help them to live up to their fullest potential. Many of her previous clients were able to move out on their own and find fulfilling work.
Kellner-Zinck is a Certified Trainer of Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic programing through Tad James Company, Inc. and a Master Hypnotist and Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming through Advanced Neuro Dynamics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and political studies from Curry College.
Dawning Visions Hypnosis is teaching people that they can indeed leave their unwanted behaviors behind as they move forward to living fulfilling and joy filled lives.