We have reached the middle of the road exploring the six human needs, the basic drivers which determine the choices that we make and the lessons that we learn.
Today we are going to talk about the driver that we need to recognise in everyone - that of significance. Often people come to alternative therapists because they cannot find solutions in mainstream medicine. How many clients you have seen, who'd taken their concerns about bloating, constipation or diarrhoea to their general practitioner just to be given a laxative and sent back home. They felt their stories, their personal circumstances did not matter. That's how they started investigating and found that they could come to colonic therapist and actually have a consultation.
They come to you in the belief that their story, their personal circumstances matter not only to them, but also to you. They hope that this uniqueness will be acknowledged and recognised. This is why it is extremely important to ask the questions directly related to the person in front of you:
- what do you feel is wrong;
- tell me about your lifestyle;
- tell me about your daily routine;
- tell me what makes your condition better/worse;
- how did it start?
- how long have you been suffering from it;
and so on. Asking direct, specific questions will help you understand your client, and, more importantly, will enable your client to develop a rapport with you and to relax before the treatment. And as we know, relaxation is crucial for the client who comes for a colon hydrotherapy session for the first time.
There is, of course, the danger of a therapeutic over-reach. We are complementary therapists, not allopathic doctors, and you must make it very clear to the client that you don't diagnose, you don't prescribe, and that you require this information to look at it from the holistic perspective in order to adjust the colonic therapy session and the aftercare advice to the individual needs of the client. But you of course already know this.
Occasionally we see a client who takes significance to another level. He or she (because despite the generally held assumptions that it's mostly women, both sexes are equally prone to it) will come to you already convinced that they are so different, so special that you won't be able to do much for them. They just want to tick off colon therapy as something that hasn't done them any good. They don't believe in supplements but take a lot of them. They have a long and complicated health history etc. Well, you can only do what you can. You need to be attentive, professional and give them a good treatment. You can suggest stress management, recommend talk therapies or massage. Sometimes all you can give is another option. One day, they will find their answer, but may be not from you.