Coloured portrait

Coloured portrait

Friday, March 6, 2020

Dos and Don'ts for Healing Facilitators

To facilitate healing in your client is to see healing as a possibility. 

What hinders healing:

- Seeing a "case of" instead of a person
- Expecting the client's decline. As facilitator, you are in a position of power: your bad prognosis, expressed or silent, are bound to lead your client's expectations.
- Quoting statistics and science to persuade the client of an impending decline
- Making prophecies of doom "You're going to have this condition all your life" or "You have up to five years to live" (I heard doctors saying both to patients, and none turned out true)
- Pity. This is one of the worst disservices towards a healing client. Unlike compassion, which is empathy plus the desire to alleviate suffering, pity is fear-based and diminishing to a person.
- Trying to impress or some other form of self-service, like persuade client to buy more services from you. Sadly a great deal of marketing is fear-based ("Buy my stuff or you're going to die") and thus not true service.

What promotes healing:

- Hold your client in high regard and focus on their strength. That's even more important when he or she has self-doubts
- Stay centred, open and loving. You are in the caring professions, so heal and practice heart-opening practices so you can fully care about the person you are treating.
- Stay open and curious to what is possible for your client. Understand that the realms of possibilities is vast and beyond the grasp of your current understanding.
-Let go of statistics and prognosis. Your client is not a number. See the unique person who stands in front of you, and inquire into what is possible for him or her.
- Aquire good, solid communication skills. Practice listening with your entire body. Learn to convey that which is useful.
- Hope is never unreasonable. Hope is a glimpse into possibility. Encourage your client to remain open and curious.
- Be client oriented, take the client's perspective. Instead of asking "What can I do for you?" (first person perspective inquiry) ask: "What do you need or want to address today?"


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