Gifting Hypnosis

I had client ask me today if I offered hypnosis gift cards because they wanted to give one of their relatives a hypnosis package. Giving the gift of hypnosis to another is a deeply personal thing. You have to know they would be open to receiving such a profound gift, that they are ready to work on whatever the purpose of the session or package is. It could potentially be offensive to gift someone a session for an issue they either are denying or are just not ready to work on. For example, right now I am gearing up for another round of weight-loss hypnosis group in January and I can only imagine trying to give this to a relative would be hard on your relationship. The only person who knows if they are ready to feel better and change is them.
So here are my suggestions to gift hypnosis compassionately:

• Introduce them to hypnosis before giving it as a gift. Talk to them about its benefits maybe even show them my website. Phrase it as your interest that you are sharing with them. Ask them what they think: Would they ever try hypnosis? What would they like to achieve with it? It is best not to surprise someone with it.
• See if they want to check it out by signing up for a free discovery session where they can ask questions about hypnosis and talk with a hypnotist about what they want to change. Make sure they get to do this alone just in case they are nervous about someone judging them on what they choose to work on. 
• If they seem interested, make up a special card for the holiday that has a “coupon” from you that says you will purchase a hypnosis package for them. You can also give them some options like “hypnosis or a spa day”. This will take some of the pressure of them so they can decide on their own what would help them more.
• Be gentle and know it is okay if they are not ready. People like to do things on their own time-table and trying to force it on the holiday will not ingratiate you to them. They also may be more resistant to working towards change because they felt forced or cajoled into it. 

Lastly, note that I don’t offer gift cards. I suggest using some of the ideas above to gift hypnosis with compassion if you feel it is something that would benefit someone in your life.