There, I thought that would grab your attention :D. Dear fellow reflexologists, what do you do when a client says something like 'let's see if you pick up what's wrong with me' or 'let's see if my dodgy shoulder shows up during the treatment' or similar? Talk about pressure! I don't know what they've been used to in the past, but I'm not in the habit of going into much detail about reflex points that are out of balance. When clients try to 'test' me I tell them that reflexologists are not trained to diagnose etc but I really don't like being put on the spot like that. What do you do/say?
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Yes, it's almost as if they're testing you to see how good a therapist you are!!
I always tell them, before the first treatment, that I am not a doctor, therefore I don't diagnose, but just pick up areas of imbalance, either physical or emotional. It seems to satisfy them.
I do have one client, however, who will never see a doctor or use allopathic medecine at all under any circumstances. She takes her own blood pressure twice a day, has loads of supplements, eliminates anything from her diet that she thinks will cause her problems (including water). The problem is she reads too many books and does everything they recommend. She actually called me very early one Sunday morning to tell me that she had a very bad pain in her neck and her blood pressure was up and what should she do? I knew recommending the doctor wouldn't help, but was able to convince her to see an osteopath.
But if it had been any other kind of ailment, I'm not sure what I would have done. I have told her that I don't diagnose, so she said 'don't worry - I'll do the diagnosis and you can treat it'!! [&:]
Lesley xx
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Most of my clients say things like that, I think they like to test you.. testing aside and checking your abilities, with the cunchiness some peoples feet manifest, the clients can normally tell themselves which bits are tender or pop or whatever, so when they ask and I tell them or later show them on a chart, they are pretty impressed. Try not to see it as a negative, for many of your clients it's one of the most fun parts of the treatment: The guessing game.. can be equally good fun to play along.
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
oh i always get asked this! i dont like being put on the spot either. and they also say things like " oh i wonder if you will pick up whats wrong with me" - then i feel like a bad therapist if i dont pick up on whats wrong! try not to doubt myself, but wonder why i didnt pick up on it!?:(
and yes i also feel that they test to see how good you are.
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
i think we all get this from time to time. of course, its important to be honest and if i dont feel anything, where they expect, i'll tell them so! i also explain that i am not psychic, and thats why i do a consultation... even if, as i say, at the end i have to say, well i didnt pick that up.
what i do hate though, is getting a new client and finding nothing!!! i think it disappoints them to not even pick up that bad cold they had last week, or a dodgy earache... the sort of thing they forget to tell you at consultation that you can then say... hows your digestion and they say, oh its not very good actually! now, thats job satisfaction :).
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Ha! It seems that I'm not alone then :D. I know what you're saying Justine, but client expectations can make a therapist feel under pressure to 'perform' and like Rosie says, if you find nothing particularly out of balance it can feel like a bit of a swizz! Oh well, I must just remind myself that I'm there to treat people holistically and not to zoom in on symptoms etc. At the end of the day it gets results, and people love it and want to come back so I feel it's a job well done!
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
I find the other difficulty is finding an imbalance that the client may not necessarily be aware of, especially if it is in the area of a vital organ such as the heart. Even finding something in the breast area can cause anxiety is some clients and I always stress that it could just be hormonal or an emotional rather than a physical imblanace. But the last thing I want is my client to go away more stressed than when they arrive.
How do other people deal with this?
Lx
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
I also get put on the spot by some clients. I sometimes say at the beginning of a treatment that its not diagnostic and if I detect an imbalance say for instance in the liver, I've no way of differentiating if someone had one too many cream cakes last night or if they have cancer of the liver........................
I just try and balance, but I find a lot of reiki comes through with me especially during linking and Im learning more and more not to say too much. When the client zonks out, the feet or toes start twitching and they come round at the end of the session with a peaceful smile, then I know I've been able to be of service to them.
These are just my experiences
Love and hugs
pinkpearl
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Good question Lesley. If the person has mentioned that they aren't feeling well or are under the weather I would recommend that they see their GP, especially if their feet are saying that all may not be well. I always suggest the visit to the GP in a non scary way and say something like 'to put your mind at rest'. To date I've not been in the situation where I'm very worried about a client because of something I've picked up in a treatment. As pinkpearl says, if you detect an imbalance it could be anything and I want to put that ball in the GP's court in case it is a medical problem. But yes, you're in a slightly delicate situation especially if the client keeps asking what's this and what's that. I'm finding as time goes on that I'm saying less to the client about the treatment itself and areas out of balance that I'm picking up, unless they are very inquisitive. The majority of my clients don't ask lots of questions once I've explained what reflexology is and they've had their first treatment.
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Yes, Siobhan, I am doing the same. But I was always taught to inform the client of any imbalances and I feel a little 'dishonest' when I don't [&:]
Lesley
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
I know what you mean about not wanting to worry the client.
I have this lovely lady who has been coming to me for about 6 months now and there is a definite lumpiness in her hepatic flecture. She has had IBS in the past but says she is fine now. I always ask her how her bowels are and its always ok, so no excuse to say see her GP. (Her husband is a retired GP BTW. )
Anyway I have said that I can feel something there to her now and that its probably a bit of fecal build up, and that she might want to get her husband to have a press around. She did not seem to be worried at all by that fortunately.
Strangely enough last visit it was less lumpy so perhaps its dispersing now, hopefully.
What would you do?
Jan
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Hello At One
I'm glad you brought this up as I get this all the time. I cringe when I've finished a session and the client sits up an says 'so, what's up with me then?' I try to gently tell them that they should have told me everything that was 'up' with them at the consultation. I've even compiled a little leaflet explaining that Reflexology is definitely not a diagnostic tool so it doesn't make any difference really what the imbalance means because the therapy is all about treatment and NOT diagnosis and to diagnose would infact be very wrong.
When I first started I was a bit too enthusiastic about explaining to my client what this or that may mean but I have learned through experience to tell them only what they need to know and keep it to a bare minimum.
Some clients,,,don't you just love 'em!!
Susan
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Wow! It's nice to see you Susan, haven't 'seen' you for ages. I guess a few of us here have, with time, learned to curb that initial enthusiasm for explaining what is what in any great detail :). Do you do that thing of talking in body systems? I find that with the right questions you can often get to the bottom of something eg crunchiness in ureter tube/kidney reflex may be explained by client not drinking sufficient fluids. But I'll talk about an energy imbalance in the urinary system rather than referring to kidneys or any specifics. Gee whiz, you need to be a diplomat to do this job! Don't you love it though??
RE: I'm not a performing monkey!
Ahh thank you At One that's nice of you to say so! I didn't think anyone would notice 🙂
No I haven't posted for quite a while but I do often come and read everyones comments. I love to read everyones views on things.
Susan
xx