The Diagnostic Scan – Method and Purpose
As in all competent practice, the subject should be kept informed of what the therapist intends, and why. The purpose and method of the Diagnostic Scan should be explained to the subject before the session, and whilst he or she is in hypnosis. The therapist’s intention is to recruit the help of the subject’s unconscious mind in determining when any event(s) occurred which are contributing to his or her presenting problem; the method is to question the unconscious mind via the Ideo-motor Response.
The therapist explains that he/she will count back from the subject’s present age to birth, and then count up again. As each age is reached, should anything have happened then which has a bearing on the presenting problem, the unconscious mind will indicate same through the IMR.
The therapist will then count slowly backwards from the subject’s present age, noting any relevant age(s) indicated by the IMR. Having reached 0, the therapist then counts upward to the subject’s present age, double checking for indications. The therapist, now, has a note of the year, or years, which have significance to the subject’s presenting problem. He or she will then terminate the session, using the customary care in re-orientating the subject in time and place. At future sessions, the subject will “revisit” the significant events one at a time. (To attempt multiple “revisits” is discouraged as being reminiscent of the questionable behaviourist technique of Flooding.)
