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Welcome to "Hypnotherapy Reflections: From Training to Practice!" Join us as we dive into inspiring stories of individuals who chose to train with CPHT as solution-focused hypnotherapists and transformed their lives. Discover how their specialised training empowered them to become successful practitioners, profoundly impacting their clients and communities. Each episode features candid interviews, valuable insights, and practical tips from seasoned hypnotherapists who share their journey, challenges, and triumphs. Whether considering this rewarding career or seeking motivation to elevate your practice, "Hypnotherapy Reflections" offers the inspiration and knowledge you need. Subscribe now and embark on a journey of transformation and success in the world of solution-focused hypnotherapy!
So hello, everybody, and welcome back to our reflections of hypnotherapy. So hypnotherapy reflections from training to practice. And today, we have Fang with us. And Fang only recently qualified as a solution focused hypnotherapy, but she brings so much to the field of hypnotherapy. And we're gonna now explore her journey and maybe some unique insights both from a personal point of view, and from how she's now gonna take her business forward and helping people, that what she gained from CPhD when she was training and the powerful, in fact, impact she's now found with using solution focused hypnotherapy and what it's had on her and her client base.
Gary Johannes:So get ready for an inspiring conversation highlighting the transformative power of hypnotherapy and the exceptional training provided by CPHT, which Fang has received. So Fang, welcome to our, latest edition. How are you today?
Yung-Fang Chen:I'm very good. Thank you very much, and thanks for your invitation. It's my honor to join you here.
Gary Johannes:Lovely. Thank you very much. Now I'm gonna let you introduce yourself fully, because I'd never get your name right. So introduce yourself, what your practice is, where you practice from, how you practice. And then I've as you know, I've got something like 20 questions to ask you all about how you're doing and what you do and where you came from.
Gary Johannes:So
Yung-Fang Chen:Okay. Yeah. So I'm Yongfang Chen. So I'm, from Taiwan, and people normally call me Fang or doctor Fang if you want to. And then
Gary Johannes:Oh, yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Doctor Fang. I should
Gary Johannes:call you that, shouldn't I? Doctor Fan.
Yung-Fang Chen:That's right. Yeah. So my business is, Inners Trans Hypnotherapy, and then I just qualified, in December. But I think I think through a lot of practice, so I am actually really happy to be able to help people. I still have a full time job, so I actually do this as a part time base.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I do it sometimes in the evening, yeah, most of time on Saturdays. But I think I'm enjoying the journey, And then I try to combine, actually, this hypnotherapy with my current job as well. So I think Yes. Fantastic journey for myself.
Gary Johannes:Do you mostly work online where you see people, from all over the place?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. So I do online only now. I think at the beginning, I was thinking I can do, in person, but, actually, I find it's much easier, much better to do online because I think clients, they can find their own environment to make themselves comfortable, and it's fantastic. And I also because I do a lot of international clients, so it's easier for me to find a suitable time for them.
Gary Johannes:So you work internationally. Is that mostly in Taiwan, or do you work across the
Yung-Fang Chen:Across. So I do have clients from Taiwan, most of them, and then I have them from euro Europe, and then there are some inquiries from America. I'm still trying to figure out the insurance policies, but I also have clients from South Asia. So I think it's pretty good. Wow.
Gary Johannes:So that's a real global business you've restored. Great. So I I I have a few questions for you because you are a doctor, and and you work at university during the day. So what's motivated you to pursue training
Yung-Fang Chen:in
Gary Johannes:the world of hypnotherapy? What what motivates you to become a hypnotherapist?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. So I think my current job is, you know, as a lecturer in university. So the doctor not on the medical side. I'm the useless person in the airplane anyway. So, what motivated me to be into this business is I really enjoy my job.
Yung-Fang Chen:But and then, you know, when we enjoy our job, we want to do everything. And I used to, like, you know, prepare lecture notes, emails, and supporting students, doing a lot of research every day nonstop until 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock. And then until recently, I started to feel that, I'm a bit old. I couldn't cope. And, actually, that was a time when I actually I was so almost burned out.
Yung-Fang Chen:I was sent to the NE waiting for a doctor to see me. And then at the time, I was thinking, oh, I might be dead today. Or if I am alive, and then maybe I need to really change my lifestyle. So I think that is a point that I thought I want to do something different. So to help me to kind of separate my job and my personal life.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then so I told my friend, my, my best friend, Maggie, and then I said, I want to do something I like. And then I am interested in mental health, but I don't know what I can do. I want to just do something. And at the time, she said, oh, actually, I'm interested in that as well. So, actually, she started to look for information, and then she said, they are hypnotherapy courses.
Yung-Fang Chen:What would you think? I said, that's alright. Let's do it. And I actually had a look of, the impact of hypnotherapy, and I think it's really good because that help to support mental health and other things anyway. So I thought, yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Let's just do it. And I think that's why where I start to enter these, hypnotherapy stuff.
Gary Johannes:So, again, it's from a very personal reason. You started from your own, you know, what you was feeling yourself, and then it's like, how can I be better at this? How am I gonna get myself better? And how do I support others? Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. You said you, work in a university. You and you you lecture. What is it you know, what did you what is that? You know, what you do?
Yung-Fang Chen:So I I am actually is a assistant professor in disaster management and emergency planning. I'm also a course director for MSc course in emergency planning and resilience. So the it's very fascinating course. So Yes. Basically, the basically, we train people to be able to respond to different type of disasters, nature causes.
Yung-Fang Chen:So for example, earthquake, flood, or conflict, etcetera, and they're looking into how we can support the refugees. So it's a lot of things. And I think my job, I always feel that I can train people to be able to support people. And I think maybe that link to later that I want to be able to do it by myself.
Gary Johannes:Yes. And
Yung-Fang Chen:now I'm doing it. So I think it's exciting bit that it's not only stay behind the desk, and I'm doing it myself.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. That that's amazing. And and there's a definite even though they're they're miles apart, they are poles apart in one way, there there's a coalition between helping people get mentally better as well as in that danger zone of when there's a disaster. So I could see
Yung-Fang Chen:Exactly.
Gary Johannes:Connection. What was it about CPhT that fitted for you? Because the the what solution focused hypnotherapy is different from most other therapies out there. So what was the connection that made it go, yeah, that's the right course for me? Because you're you know, you work at a very high level.
Gary Johannes:You you, you know, you you use a lot of modern techniques in your day job. So what was it about CPhT work? Stuck a note for you.
Yung-Fang Chen:I yeah. I think for p c CPhT, I didn't know when we were searching for the courses. Meg Meggy did most of the work.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:She did a grounded work, and then she helped me to summarize some of them. And I started to look for different approaches. And I think solution focus has attracted me the most because what happened is that we actually what I like is that we wanted to look forward. And I'm I'm always a practical person. I want to see how can we solve a problem.
Yung-Fang Chen:How can we make make ourselves better? And I think that is the thing that really attract me because I wanted to see how I can help people to achieve what they wanted to achieve.
Gary Johannes:Right. And that and that really struck a note for you. So Yeah. What solidified that for you to, you know, your your decision to become a hypnotherapist rather than any other type of therapeutic approach. You know?
Gary Johannes:What what was it to help?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think it's destiny. I need to say it's a destiny. And I think it's a I think it's a lot easier. You know, as I say that I have been trying to help people to be able to help people. And then I just want you to have more sort of the critical elements in my life so I can do something.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I think, you know, one thing that my research interest your topic is to develop effective pedagogies to be able to train people to respond to disaster better. Yes. But then the thing is that I always trying to use a theoretical thing, although I deliver CPDs as well. And then and then somehow, it's still behind the desk. And then I have research found in that if we actually train the people
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:To become relate before, you know, running anything, they can make better decision. They can have better situational awareness.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then but somehow, we finish there. So or I finish there because it's everything is written on the paper. I can see it, but I don't know what I can do. And then so later, actually, I I went to join the, mental health first aid training. So I was able to deliver some help with my students, with, other people.
Yung-Fang Chen:But then, still, I feel that it's not enough because that is we are very passively waiting for people to come until they are broken. And I want to see what can we do before they are broken. And then somehow this hypnotherapy really kind of strike me that I can do it because, you know, in the training we have in CKHT, we needed to already practice. And then during this time, I already see the links between the theories and the practice, and I can see that I'm helping people. I make an impact.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I said, oh my god. That is great because
Gary Johannes:of you working all the way through from day 1 of the course, you have
Yung-Fang Chen:to be
Gary Johannes:practicing with live clients. Do you think that really made a difference for you? That
Yung-Fang Chen:That is. And I think that is also one of the decision I made to choose a PhD because I think you have really good curriculum plan. It's progressive learning, and there was a lot of support. I like the supervision session. I think, like, later I will talk about that as well.
Yung-Fang Chen:But then, also, this that we started to oh my god. You know, the first time is, I need to have clients already. You know, I'm still learning, but that really so it was real experience, but it's really good. And So I think yes.
Gary Johannes:So, normally, we talk to people who've worked in some level of working with people within mental health in some ways, nurses and things Yep. That might have retrained. You've come from a very academic background. Have you found the the elements you've learned learning to be a hypnotherapist and and the and the neuroscience and a very modern approach to therapy, have you found any use in your day to day job? You know, are you Of course.
Gary Johannes:Any of that into what you already do? Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think that is I need to say that I didn't expect in the week 1, we started to learn the neuroscience. That was mind blowing already. Okay? And then, also, you know, in the mental health first aid training we received, but it's not as in-depth as that. And then Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:That kind of help me to really understand human beings, our brains, and also how we can help people. And each I need to say, I started to revise my lectures using these newer signs. Yeah. And then I delivered that with our students. And then, also, I need to say I run currently, I'm running regular based sessions, relaxation sessions with the colleagues, with the schools, and then Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:So try to really actually deliver that important message of, you know, how to make sure our brain is healthy. Uh-huh. And then really utilizing those theories.
Gary Johannes:Absolutely. I mean, I'm loving to hear that somebody who's been part of our training, and and I know the lecturers, obviously, apart from me, have been working to train you. But you've been implementing that into Yeah. The university courses to improve people's ability to learn and the way they learn. And, actually, even some of the content is from a nurse as we're helping that.
Gary Johannes:That's just mind blowing for me that we can have such an impact in a such a diverse way. It's brilliant. So I love that. You know?
Yung-Fang Chen:And I think I like that new element to be able to integrate with my day to day job. Yeah. So that is good. I'm enjoying better of my job even.
Gary Johannes:Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So from a you know, you you've talked about you was working so hard because you want to be so helpful that you ended up almost at burnout point by the sounds of it. Yes.
Gary Johannes:So I think
Yung-Fang Chen:it was. Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Do you do now to maintain that work life balance between doing that full time job, doing some hypnotherapy, and looking after you. And you said earlier that your mom as well, so that's a full time job on his own. You know? So how do you manage that? How do you now make sure you look after you?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think the important thing I learned from the course is setting the boundary. I think we have the metaphor to talk about the boundaries. Yes?
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:I do that. So I actually am better in time management.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:So now I know that I need you to have a structure sort of day, and I have, you know, the work time. I have my exercise time. I have my family bonding time with my child, and then I have the hypnotherapy time. And I think for this business, I know clearly that it's a part time job. I don't want to be really greedy.
Yung-Fang Chen:I set up a business plan of how many people maximum I can get.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I also wanted to set aside the time that I can do the promoting and marketing. Yes. And I also oh, and also yeah. Of course. I'm so fascinated about this course.
Yung-Fang Chen:Currently, I'm doing advanced level of hypnotherapy, the level 5.
Gary Johannes:The level 5.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I need to I yeah. So now I need to set up the time to write my essay as well.
Gary Johannes:Yes. Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Really need to have very rigorous time management. But I think it's important because once you have that time frame, you know what you need to do. And, actually, life become easier because people ask me, how can you put in so many things? I said, because I know what I need to do at certain time. And and, actually, now yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:And, also, now I have better sleep because I know the importance of the rim. Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Yes. So you know the importance of each element?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah. Yeah. So I'm doing it by myself, and then I, you know, I do that you know, share that with my clients. So I think it's really good for me and my clients.
Gary Johannes:So one of the things which I saw in you, and and you've already sort of said you're down to the level 5. Because I was gonna ask you, how do you stay up to date with the new developments in the field of hypnotherapy, particularly solution focused hypnotherapy? Because we're so connected to the advancements of newer science. How do you make sure you're up to date and sort of, like, keep learning that new stuff?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah. I think, for CPhD, you have a lot of CBDs anyway, and I really like that because it's very flexible. You regularly rung you rung on a regular basis. So for me, it's easy to see where I can fit in. So I have done actually, after I finished my course, I have done the neuroscience because I was so passionate that I wanted to do more.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I have have done the PDSC because that is something my passion. I wanted to do more with, you know, my students. So I have done that, and I'm going to do the mindfulness soon as well. So we keep up, you know, with all these CPDs and and, yeah, and, also, I think for the mental health first aider, we also have regular as well. So that is where I just get you know, make sure that I participate in any part possible thing.
Gary Johannes:So I so keeping yourself really up to date with whatever changes. And Yeah. I mean, the neuroscience CPD is is amazing, and and the lovely Claire runs. I know how important PTSD is, something I personally specialise in, and we've now got so many people who've gone through. And if you're working in that disaster zone sort of in your chin, that's goes hand in hand with that.
Gary Johannes:So I can see why that's also attractive to understand how human behavior fits with that disaster situation. So that's amazing. Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:So
Gary Johannes:Yes. You've worked globally. You've worked in some unusual communities compared to some of the people, say, such as me who've very much worked within my sort of local area, maybe. What would you say sticks out as a story? What stands out for you from working with for clients or something that was surprising or unexpected you've experienced with clients to see their their their change or growth?
Gary Johannes:Is there anything that sticks out and and Yeah. Massively impresses you?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. I think we are working in different, you know, different ways anyway because I think I work globally only because I used to do this environment. The experience, I think I might be able to share too if that's possible. Okay. Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think the first one actually comes very early. So, you know, we started to be to need to do, you know, to practice since week 1 or beginning. And then so very quickly, I think, normally, solution focus is pretty quick. And I think now I can say, you know, between 8 to 12 weeks, we can have you can see the impact. So I think among possibly in month 4 or 5, the first group of my guinea pig, yeah, almost finished their trip you know, the the sessions.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then so one day, I just all of a sudden, I get a feedback. And then she was saying that, you know, your sessions really changed my life. Yeah. Really? I say, you're just helping me me to practice my sessions, but, you know, I really changed my behavior.
Yung-Fang Chen:I'm not happy with my children, with my family, and I know what I'm doing so it's much better. I said, oh my god. I'm just practice, but this is the impact I wanted to, and I'm really happy to see. Yes. And then so that is a really amazing time for me to see.
Yung-Fang Chen:Actually, I'm doing it great. And then so the second second example is actually one of a client come to me to say she wanted to do a weight management. I say, okay. Good. So we started to do IC, etcetera.
Yung-Fang Chen:She has been great because she worked very hard to do it. She really report back to say every week, she achieved whatever she set up to do. And then but what else is that? She said, oh, you know, I am really on target of work management, but then I'm really good with my friends, with my family. I've followed my life, and then my work performance is fantastic.
Yung-Fang Chen:I that's really good. And I see that, actually, what I did nothing. Oh, sorry. I do something. So I just help her to empty the stress bucket.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I can see that, actually, the important thing is that we just need to empty the stress bucket. Everything become perfect. And I did not it's really the thing that I feel that I'm doing something good, isn't it? Because that is what I want you to achieve in this, you know, the training. And I'm doing it.
Yung-Fang Chen:So that
Gary Johannes:There there were so many second, 3rd, 4th, 7th wins Yeah. And we we see somebody who wants to fix an area. But as a side effect, everything else gets into a great space as well because we're all connected.
Yung-Fang Chen:Exactly.
Gary Johannes:Well, it's lovely to hear that. You know? So you you you mentioned earlier that you're much better at setting boundaries.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yep.
Gary Johannes:What self care do you put in place to keep you grounded, to keep you in good space? Do you have anything?
Yung-Fang Chen:I do, actually, because, you know, I am featured in person. Possibly, when I was in the school, you know that I'm always jump up and down. So I direct Yes.
Gary Johannes:You're very lively.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah. Thank you. You know, my student called me a machine gun because I talk very quickly. You know? But they understood.
Yung-Fang Chen:But so I do regular exercise. So we do, you know, like, a body body combat, weight lifting, and then so in the weekdays, and I do parkrun. I think it's fantastic. I really want to promote parkrun because it's 3, Saturday morning, 5 k. You just do it.
Yung-Fang Chen:You just feel that fantastic. You the weekend is come. And then so and I have allotment, so I do grow things. I try to imagine that I'm semi self sufficient, but I just enjoy the fresh air. And then the weekends, I take take my child and friends out for walking.
Yung-Fang Chen:So all of these really kind of help myself. And
Gary Johannes:Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:In the evenings, I yeah. And, also, I do the you know, I listen to the m p 3 as well. You know, I found one of your m p threes online. So, actually, that's why I'm
Gary Johannes:online? So, yes. Oh, my words.
Yung-Fang Chen:You're still there. So starting now is possibly in month 2. Alright. We found it. And as I share with our you know, with our peers.
Yung-Fang Chen:So we know somewhere there is a recording of yours online.
Gary Johannes:Well, you just have to go on the Inspire to Change website, and you can download mine. Yeah. And, yeah. And it's always free. Yeah.
Gary Johannes:It's it's all of ours out because it's so good. Oh, and that's embarrasses me slightly that you're listening to my my voice at night. But, you know
Yung-Fang Chen:It's pretty good because it's really I think it's a language pattern really help to settle and then to help to sleep. And I think that is what we need to do. You know, not only tell our clients to do it. We are doing it until we have to do ourselves.
Gary Johannes:We've gotta walk the walk, haven't we? So Yeah. Yeah. One of the biggest challenges, which people who've just trained or people who are training come to me and ask of how to deal with this, how to deal with skepticism, where people Yep. Are skeptics of what we do, or there's misconceptions about what hypnosis is and things like that.
Gary Johannes:How do you deal with it?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think, you know, people have different opinions. And then what I learned is they can say anything they like, but what we need to do is to respond to what we learn. And I think, normally, the neuroscience is important. We tell them this is what we are doing. And I think most of the time, they say, oh, that's interesting.
Yung-Fang Chen:That's different. And I think that's normally some the change in their mind. And, actually, I did manage to to get some clients from explain these signs, you know, behind to them, and then they can oh, okay. I can try that. So So that is important really to promote the sign scientific evidence to Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:People.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. No. Absolutely. And that's exactly what I would have said. There's no point in trying to defend hypnosis because if they've got an opinion, they've got an opinion.
Gary Johannes:But when they say, oh, that's what you do, or is this how it works? So you go, well, no. Actually, let me tell you the neuroscience behind what we do. It normally Yeah. Absolutely changes every a conception about it, so there's no misconception.
Gary Johannes:So, yeah, that's exactly the same. So would you say, you know, that you've had any personal transformations as a result of training as a hypnotherapist, as a social hypnotherapist?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think, yes. In what you mean, either personal level?
Gary Johannes:Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think, you know, normally, I'm
Gary Johannes:a different person.
Yung-Fang Chen:I'm pretty positive already, I think. I'm very happy. But I think after the training, I've become even happier. Maybe that's I don't know. It's good time anyway.
Yung-Fang Chen:I'm happier. And then and then I think I set up the boundaries. And what is important is I learned that I need to look at family myself better than I can look after other people. And I think that is the thing that I transfer myself. And now I build up this, I think, an element to my team as well.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I think I can see my team. They have that positive impact. They are changing. At the same time, it's my family, my friends as well. So I think that is the all positive for myself.
Gary Johannes:Yes. Yeah. That's brilliant. You know? Is there anything in particular which stands out that where you've changed, whether it's in your relationships, whether you're schooling, you know, with you with your friends, where you go.
Gary Johannes:Actually, I've noticed this aspect is I I've changed my the way I respond to this or this happened. There's really examples there.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think possibly the good example would be me and then my child. I think we have I think my child is really good. She's 13 years old. I believe that we always maintain very nice relationship. I'm very proud because I think she's
Gary Johannes:Wow.
Yung-Fang Chen:Super good. But and then it's only that, I think, because now she's in teens. So, of course, she started to have very interesting rebellion behavior.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I think But it's alright. You know, I used I was there before, so I knew what happened. But the change throughout this course was that I learned to pause. Yes. Because I could be very quickly respond to anything that she shouted.
Yung-Fang Chen:I can shout it back. But what I know is now I just smile, listen, and I say I love you. And would you like to share some of my power of love? Do you want a hug? And everything sorted because you just feel like she's defeated.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I think it's great because I learned to pause.
Gary Johannes:And then learn to In that pause, in our language would you say that it enables you not to go into your primitive mind in that moment so you didn't react, and you then was able to respond from your intellectual mind.
Yung-Fang Chen:Of course. I think because, you know, if we see those yelling and the shouting as polar bear, as we say, the threat, of course, we are going to have big fight freeze, whichever response we have. But nope. Because now we learned that we don't need to activate that mind. Yes?
Yung-Fang Chen:We just use the utilize our intellectual brain and just say, yes. Whatever you do is great. Fantastic. We post.
Gary Johannes:Brilliant.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then we responded better. Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Okay. That's brilliant. So you mentioned earlier that you are doing the advanced course, and you've looked at some CPDs. And I was gonna ask you, during your training, how accessible, how useful was the support from the lecturers and the mentors within CPhT that helped you, you know, maybe guided you or helped you? You know.
Gary Johannes:And also Mhmm. What was the peer support like from your other, people training alongside that. So, you know, basically Mhmm. Was the support up to scratch. You're you know, it's really important actually because normally I'd ask this for everyone, but you're in a unique place where in your day job, this is your role.
Gary Johannes:We swapped choices. So how, you know, how did you find the support, see PhD, when you're training?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think because in my university, we are pretty proud of ourselves as student support, and I can see the same value there in CPhD. So I think, first of all, it's a in the training, always Saturday morning is the q and a session. That is super important to me. I need to say that because, you know, I'm a lecturer. So I'm so tend to really tell people what is the best.
Yung-Fang Chen:You just do it. But then for solution focus, actually, it's not because it is about the clients. They need to think about what is best suit for them and then we support them. But then that kind of changed my mindset of whatever I did. It's not really right here.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then the q and a session really helped me to Yeah. Shape the way I can deal with my clients. So I think that is very useful. And then there were several times during the training session, I was crying because I don't know, oh my god. Have I done something wrong with my clients?
Yung-Fang Chen:I emailed the supervisors. I could actually, ring them, but I just decided to email them. They responded super quickly, and I think that is very supportive because they know that we are their need. So I think that is a support. And then we are I'm from a very small cohort.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think we have about 7 people in my cohort.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. You you you are particularly small. Yeah. But we do Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah. But I think it's really nice to do.
Gary Johannes:Over 14, but, you know, you yours was particularly small.
Yung-Fang Chen:But I really enjoyed that because I had more time with super supervisors. And then I didn't say and then so, with our group, we started very early with the WhatsApp group, so we support each other. And then so we talk about, you know, the bit no. Not the bit. So talk about how we can complete our assignment, etcetera, or if there are any issues, etcetera, we share the experience.
Yung-Fang Chen:But now actually, we continue to talk in this WhatsApp group as well. Yes.
Gary Johannes:It is really good. How since you've qualified, have you found that peer support still connected and useful?
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. Because and then, actually, now it's be we expanded it because now we are reaching out to other cohorts. So we have different WhatsApp groups, and then so we kind of share our experience and then also, you know, the challenges, etcetera. So I think it's really good because knowing that someone is out there, maybe having the same problem or they can share experience, that is super good.
Gary Johannes:That's brilliant. And did you find because you've come from many years as an academic, and you've now
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Gone into the practice of hypnotherapy, private practice
Yung-Fang Chen:Yeah.
Gary Johannes:Did you find the support from your training and from the other people who were training you who one of the things about CPh we're all working hypnotherapists, so we've all got private practice. Did you find that useful and and that, you know, their personal experience, the lecturer's personal experience of how to run a business. And did you was that helpful to you?
Yung-Fang Chen:It is very super helpful, I need to say. Because, you know, as an academic, we do nothing for nothing. No. We do a lot of things without asking for money. But the thing is that now if I need to write private, it's totally different mindset.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I think for us, first of all, we started to practice at the beginning. And then during the course, we have the marketing strategies. That is super helpful. And I need to say for my cohort because it's a very small group. So we were very nice, had to be together until very last few months.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I realized, oh my god. We need to do marketing. And that line's kind of we need to do a lot of things. But then all the lecturers, lectures, they share their experience of how to do marketing, how to establish business. That is very useful for me because I have no clue of
Gary Johannes:what
Yung-Fang Chen:is there. And I think my peers are very good as well because they also tell me about you. You need you need to the steps, how to set up a business and the step of how to report tax, etcetera, because these are the things I didn't need to deal with before. But they are all included in the training course.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. How how with the ongoing support since you've qualified, you know, how have you found that support? And and how simple has it been or easy to move forward if you wanted to to to to grow, you know, within the Yep.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I think one thing because we have I'm I joined the group, sort of, supervision, method, so with you and other lectures. And I think that is pretty useful for me because you run regular basis with different times, so that suits my time really well. And then so I can see different, lectures, and I can hear their feedback. And what is important is that then I can also meet other hypnotherapist at different time. And now we started to have some ideas generating this.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I think this is really good networking opportunity. Yeah. So I think that is kind of support.
Gary Johannes:Was that easy to do, to transition from a student into a practitioner and and and getting that support? Was that simple for you?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think I shouldn't say I wouldn't say it's simple. It does give me sometimes, you know, scrape my head to see how to what I supposed to do and also because I have the full time job. But I think one thing I wanted to say is I always like to integrate different things together, and there was one time in the training that helped me to manage to see. So now I'm going to do this hypnotherapy business, but how am I going to work with the university? And you remember you have a research that you have done in the public?
Gary Johannes:I did. So research. Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. So looking into the impact of the hypnotherapy to the police, I said, oh my god. Actually, this is really good because, you know, if I do that because what I wanted to do is to do the workplace trace, management. I wanted to work with emergency service, try to help them out. But then I now realize, actually, if I can also do similar things, you know, to see the impact on the fire service, see the impact on other emergency service or even with the students, that can be a really good sort of positive return to our solution focused monotherapy as well because that will be a solid evidence in science.
Yung-Fang Chen:So I thought, well, that's fantastic. Yeah.
Gary Johannes:So maybe we need to connect up about our next research project and see if it would fit in what you want to do.
Yung-Fang Chen:Well, I think that is a question I was going to ask. You might be interested to work together because I think they started to, you know, make inquiries to some of the fire stations, and I think they are pretty interesting idea. And I think I'd like to see, you know, more of how what kind of methodologies I can use and or I can learn from you to see, you know, what is the best way to But
Gary Johannes:it evaluate that impact. It is there, so we can definitely share that with
Yung-Fang Chen:you. Fantastic.
Gary Johannes:Maybe that would grow to be more. So that's fantastic.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think so. And I think I'm really excited about that, and I think that is really the time, like, oh, yes. I really make that integration, and I feel that it's much easier for me to run my full time and part time job. So I don't feel any sort of I don't know. The career or something.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I know I need to continue to grow the business. I know that I need to continue to do the marketing, but I think it's alright because, you know, I have the goal. I have something I wanted to achieve, so I'm really happy Sure. In this position.
Gary Johannes:So what's if you shared just one highlight
Yung-Fang Chen:Right.
Gary Johannes:Of your learnings
Yung-Fang Chen:Yep.
Gary Johannes:What was the thing anything? What stuck out for you? A lot of your learning with that that that was amazing.
Yung-Fang Chen:I need to say 2. I'm greedy always 2. So the first one, I think you might remember. So in the first weekend the first week module. So I just came back from a field trip.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think you remembered I was in Sochi and the kids I learned in the UK later. I went home at 3 o'clock. I need to be in the morning, I need to be in the classroom in 10 o'clock. And I was like, oh my god. I'm so tired.
Yung-Fang Chen:But then I learned about neuroscience, etcetera, and at the end, we had a trans. That is really mind blowing because I I don't know right there. Sleeping is important, but what is I don't know. But then I was lying there. I think I got a special permission.
Yung-Fang Chen:I could lie down on the floor in the classroom because I was so exhausted. Then I really had a really, really relaxed time. And I see, past me, that was a long time that I had that feeling. And I still if I could bring this feeling to my clients, I'm successful already. And I think that is the first time I have mind blowing that.
Yung-Fang Chen:I said, yes. This is a course. I want to do this.
Gary Johannes:Wow.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think that is one thing. And then the second time, it was there was a one module. We are looking into the miracle question. And, you know, I always like to volunteer. So I volunteer to be asked.
Yung-Fang Chen:And then so I remember that was, I needed to really sort of my, you know, the receipt you know, receipt from, over the trips I had. I need to claim my money back. But I just feel, oh, I don't want to do this. But then I just utilized the chance to say, right. I'm going to do this, you know, tomorrow morning, Monday, and then to Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:Really started to report all these receipts, and then I can get my money back. And you know what? On Monday, 10 o'clock, there's no hassle. There's no fucking about bringing up the pile of receipt, start to enter computing it, and I can see, oh my god. I don't know why it's happening, but I'm doing it.
Yung-Fang Chen:I knew I have put this pile, like, months. I never wanted to do it. And I say, if I can bring this to my clients, that is really something I could achieve for them. Wow. Because then they can achieve whatever they want you to do.
Yung-Fang Chen:I'm doing already automatically, not like, you know
Gary Johannes:Yeah.
Yung-Fang Chen:Something. So, I
Gary Johannes:mean, these are
Yung-Fang Chen:mind blowing for me.
Gary Johannes:Those two things were how not so much what you learned, but also what you witnessed. You did learn it, but you actually felt it yourself. It worked for you, and and that gave you that confidence. So
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes.
Gary Johannes:What advice would you give somebody who's considering training in hypnotherapy?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think just follow the curriculum. Just put yourself out there. Just practice. And I think we have we CPIC has really structured way to work with clients. Stick with that structure because that works.
Yung-Fang Chen:And I can see it because, you know, we So
Gary Johannes:they what about people who are just considering it? It? Maybe I'll train in hypnotherapy. Maybe I'll look at all the different options available, whether it's counseling, hypnotherapy. What would you say to someone who is just thinking about, that's a nice idea.
Gary Johannes:I might do that.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think stick with solution focus because, you know, there is no point to look back. I I think for me, it's that there is no point to look back of what happened before because it's gone. We are dealing with that already. We don't need to remind ourselves so many times. And we don't need to go back to our previous life because we don't live previous life.
Yung-Fang Chen:So it's really about what we want to become. And I think if we can see the impact of our therapy to other people, I think that might be the choice that they should they can choose.
Gary Johannes:So just do it and choose solution focused. Fantastic.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. Yes.
Gary Johannes:So I emailed you all the questions, but as you may have heard from all the other people, I have one question, which I didn't tell you I was gonna ask you.
Yung-Fang Chen:Yes. I know. I I found it. That is the question.
Gary Johannes:So you're very clever, and you've done lots and lots of different things. And you'll you know, you you've done it. But if you could instantly master another skill or field, which should complement your hypnotherapy. So nothing you've already ever, ever done, but something you could instantly be great at, what would it be and why to complement Mhmm. Do as a therapist?
Yung-Fang Chen:You mean the can you say, like, the the sequence of yourself break up? Skill. Something. Yes.
Gary Johannes:What skill or field would you like to be instantly a master of from never touching it? Like, you've never played for England football team, but tomorrow you are the best footballer in the world. Right? But it needs to complement your way you help your clients. So what skill would you choose to instantly become a master of?
Yung-Fang Chen:That's, very difficult. I remember, you know, during lockdown, we had a lot of work with my daughter, and then she asked me all these questions. And I think you you she there were different options. Like, you know, do you want to become better in speed, or do you want to be able to travel across place, or do you want to be able to, go back to time, etcetera? I think
Gary Johannes:But this is no options. It's anything you want, but it's got to help your hypnotherapy clients or you as a hypnotherapist. What skill would you like to have?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think for myself, I like to be able to understand people even better.
Gary Johannes:Okay.
Yung-Fang Chen:I think sometimes also because of my favorite
Gary Johannes:what skill would that be?
Yung-Fang Chen:Mind reading? So I understand people.
Gary Johannes:You'd like to be a mind reader. Amazing. Why?
Yung-Fang Chen:I think only because this really actually the journey I have that, realizing I am not a very people person because I'm so focused on my research, so focused on what I want to achieve. And then I ignore a lot of small signals of people, And I like to be able to pay more attention to these small signals so I can understand them better.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:She can better be will be very yeah, and I think for this helping to understand people better also help me with the therapy because Yes. I also learned that we have different personalities. I know I'm very outgoing. But when I see someone who is more introvert, I miss a lot of
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Evidence, and I want to be able to pick up all these small subtle thing. Then I make bring up better therapy, I think.
Gary Johannes:Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's fantastic. So to finish off then, how do, you know, how do people find you? So what's the name of your business?
Gary Johannes:Say it slower so we can get it.
Yung-Fang Chen:Okay.
Gary Johannes:And, how can you be found? You know, what social media can they find you? What website? You know, things like that. Let's find out.
Yung-Fang Chen:How can you? So I am a very slow person, so I haven't got a website. And I think I rely a lot on the word-of-mouth, but I do have Facebook page, and I do have Instagram page. So it's all about my business name. So it's Inner Strength Hypnotherapy.
Gary Johannes:Yes.
Yung-Fang Chen:Inner Strength Hypnotherapy?
Gary Johannes:Yes. Inner Strength Hypnotherapy. And that's on Facebook and on Instagram.
Yung-Fang Chen:That's right. And I think I can also post them under the YouTube link you are going to post Yes. So they can click there. So click like and follow. Thank
Gary Johannes:you. Absolutely. So, I'll make sure it's also in the bio and everything. So that's fantastic. So thank you very much for today.
Gary Johannes:And,
Yung-Fang Chen:Thank you very much.
Gary Johannes:We'll, we'll get that posted as soon as possible. Thank you, and good luck.
Yung-Fang Chen:Thank you very much. Thank you very much, and thanks a lot for your invitation. It's really enjoyable to be be able to be able to share my experience. Thanks a lot.
Gary Johannes:Bye bye.