What Happens in Individual Sophrology Sessions?
“The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.” – Dalai Lama XIV
You’ve heard me talk about sophrology here and there, but I get that it can seem a bit of a mystery. It’s probably new to you, after all!
In this blog, I’ll address the following:
- What actually happens in a session?
- What do you get out of it?
- Is there anything woo-woo about it?
Let me answer that last one first, before we get started. No, there’s no woo-woo, but it does require you use your mind’s eye to feel and imagine things. Last time I checked, that was perfectly human and normal!
The First Session
This is our initial meeting when I ask you a lot of questions about the reason for your visit (or online session), followed by questions regarding your general health, eating and sleeping habits, living situation and relationships, profession, hobbies, aversions and favourite places or objects.
You talk and I listen carefully, jotting down notes as you speak. I may ask for clarification or more information, but it’s all in an effort to understand your needs.
Once I’ve gathered all the information I need, I ask you to state your objective for your sophrology program. It’s got to be singular, stately positively, measurable and have a timing attached to it.
It could be something like, “I want to feel peaceful at work on a daily basis.” And you might decide that you give yourself 2 months to reach this objective.
We’ll then look at when you may have already felt that way in the past and what will be the physical, mental and emotional indicators to show that you’ve attained your objective.
We’ll then go over what sophrology is and what our mutual commitments and engagements are over the course of the accompaniment. Once we’ve gone over the logistics of the number and frequency of sessions, there’s always a mini sophrology session with some exercises and a relaxation.
You should come away from this first session feeling relaxed.
The Middle Sessions
Once our first session is over, I look at your objective and begin to build a framework for your accompaniment. Basing the intentions of each appointment around a specific intention, I create personalized sessions based on your resources (the positive things in your life) and your needs.
The following sessions follow the same format:
- a chat
- 2-4 dynamic relaxation exercises
- relaxation/visualisation
- another chat
The chat at the end of each session is so important in this work. It’s a chance for you to verbalize what you felt, any sensations you experienced and, most importantly, any realizations you had along the way.
The first few sessions you’ll be mostly focusing on your physical sensations, but after a while, you’ll start to see things in a new light.
All of it is gold.
The Final Session
Once we’ve reached the end of your program, there is always a final session to validate your transformation.
While the middle sessions can be increased or decreased, depending on how things are going, there’s always a closing appointment. The changes you have experienced along the way are confirmed as you retrace your steps in the final visualisation. You may have felt that the changes were slight, but when you look back to where you started, you realize just how far you have come.
Not only that, but you leave the accompaniment sure in the knowledge that you are equipped to better deal with whatever life gives you.
And that’s it!
Of course there’s a lot that happens in those middle sessions and it’s different for everyone. But that’s what a full personalised program generally looks like.
Is Individual Sophrology For You?
Personally, I think it’s for everyone because we all could use a little help and support in some part of our lives. That being said, here are some instances when sophrology could be especially important. If you are:
- experiencing stress or anxiety
- feeling stuck
- not sleeping well
- suffering from panic attacks
- preparing for a specific event (wedding, birth, speech, exam, competition, interview)
- having a difficult time seeing things objectively
- experiencing low self-esteem or self confidence
- creatively suffering
Do you recognize yourself in one or more of those items on the list? If so, and if you feel like they are issues that are negatively impacting your life and health, individual sophrology is definitely for you!
Even if the negative impact is “liveable” it’s still creating stress, which can create health issues.
Investing time, energy and money in individual sophrology sessions is a conscious choice. If you would like to chat about it, feel free to book a free 30-minute discovery call or else book your first session!
Want a small taste?
Check out the free Mini Sophrology Session Video with Interactive PDF that I created for you.
Click the image or the button down below.