Are Negative Thoughts Holding Your Practice Back?


Do you have negative thought patterns that are getting in the way of you having the practice you’d like to have? No? Maybe? Ask yourself if any of the following are familiar?

  • There are very few clients out there
  • No one has any money
  • People are making other choices, such as Reiki, or Homeopathy, or Angels
  • Therapy is seen as an expensive way of sorting out your problems
  • No one wants to take the time it takes, they want a quick fix
  • No one wants therapy in my area?

And all of these statements are true.file0001517402088

Except for those people for whom they’re not true.

Focussing on the negative aspects of anything to the exclusion of the positives is called “Selective Attention.” We all do it in some part of our lives. You’ll know this from our work with clients, the beliefs such as, “I’m not lovable,” or “There’s something wrong with me.” And we do the same about our own practices.

We can focus solely on the negatives and ignore ANY evidence to contrary. We can tell ourselves there are no jobs out there, even though most of those who want work have it. We can use selective attention as an excuse not to take action, for example, if there are no clients out there, there’s no point in my going out and looking for them. We are blind to possibilities that may be out there.

Can you think of any ways you might be selectively attending to what’s going on in your practice? Have a look at those statements above again, and see if you can spot any beliefs you have about why you can’t get the practice you want.

photo  (11)Could you find more supportive thoughts that could help you to move in the direction of what you want for your practice? Are there any ways you could soften the absolutes, by moving from a negative to a neutral statement, or from a neutral to a positive one?

Instead of: There are no clients out there; how about: There are some clients, and I can attract them?

Instead of: No one has money; how about: Some people have money to spend on therapy, and I’d like to find them.

Instead of: People are making other choices, such as hypnotherapy or reiki; how about: There are lots of choices out there, and that’s good. And some people are still choosing to do this work.

And so on…

Although it can be difficult, it’s important to try to be willing and open to look at possibilities, and not cut them off before we start.

Often, our family scripts, our schooling, our religion, or past experiences may have left us with contradictions about some of these issues. So if these are things that trip you up, or you suspect they might be tripping you up, you may need to explore them.

One client I worked with identified a belief that rich people got rich at the expense of poor people, and this was preventing her from charging for her work, because unconsciously she was afraid of being one of those BAD rich people. Another identified a real sense of entitlement, in that she felt she was OWED a living, and that was showing up as resistance to taking action to make her practice more successful.

Letting in what we say we want is half the battle. Are you ready to receive what you say you want? Paradoxically, most of us have real reservations about receiving what we say we want. Ask yourself, “If I were to allow in a different belief what might happen?”

One example from my own life which I discovered while I explored these issues, illustrates what I’m talking about. I kept getting caught up in what others would think of me if I was successful in my practice, and I got in touch with an experience during my childhood, where a woman had stood on our doorstep with her foot wedged in the doorway, looking for money. She was saying, “It’s all right for you in your big house. This money means nothing to you.” I remembered the sense of exclusion and being misunderstood that had stayed with me since then. Unconsciously, I was sabotaging my success because I didn’t want to experience the exclusion and rejection of others.

In a subsequent post, I’ll give you some more examples of ways you can change negative thought patterns and beliefs once they have caught hold.

If you think that negative beliefs may be getting in the way of you having a successful practice, perhaps I can help you. Contact me here to make an appointment or for your free 20 minute consultation.