Step #1 Rapport Building ( Get to know the person and make them feel at ease and that they can trust you, and that you have their best interests at heart, elicit cooperation)

Example:

Hi, Good Morning! My name is _____________.You must be Mr._________. Its an honor to work with you Mr. _________ . Can I call you___________? Well, _________, I'm part of the surgical team and I'm here to talk to you about getting you through this as easily, comfortably and quickly as possible. Would you like to spend a few minutes with me learning some extremely effective tools you can use to make your experience more enjoyable? ...(get response)

Step #2 Orientation to the Technique ( Explain, sometimes using embedded commands and hypnotic language, the process; get them to feel that they are part of the team; ask a few questions, elicit commitment)

Great! Well that's what I'm here for. My job on the surgical team is to teach you some easy-to-use, tried and true methods for stress reduction and relaxation that have been proven effective to reduce discomfort and speed your recovery. Your job, as part of the surgical team, is to be the one that enjoys using them as often as you want. And, by the way, since you really are part of this surgical team, if you have any questions or comments, please be sure to let me know. It may be reassuring to know that you've already done the most important thing you could do, which is to get here. You are safe now, and what I'm going to teach you works. And if you have any refinements or suggestions as to how it could work even better for you, that is excellent. Your unconscious mind knows what's best for you and you can trust your feelings to help us tailor these methods to fit you perfectly. You know, what you think makes a great deal of difference. (Have you ever seen a person blush? Well, you know nothing has happened except a thought, an idea, and all the little blood vessels in the face responded. So, what you think in your mind will make a great deal of difference in your body.) And you really can use your thoughts to relax deeply.

There will be lots of times when relaxation will be beneficial, for example, when you waken up from the anesthetic, you'll find yourself on the breathing machine. This is a routine procedure for all surgery patients and is only temporary, until you fully wake up from the anaesthetic and can breathe on your own. You'll have a tube in your mouth and throat and the machine will be breathing for you. Have you ever experienced this before? (...get response...) Well, the machine will have a rhythm, and if you will allow your body and mind to find this rhythm, your lungs and heart will begin to work together very quickly.

After you are breathing on your own, it is important to breathe deeply to keep your lungs open. This stretches the chest wall and accelerates the flow of air to your heart. And you can clear your lungs by coughing. The most important thing is to allow the chest to fully expand and contract so that a normal healing takes place. That's important, for a natural reaction is to try to protect the incision. Your cheat and lungs can handle it, so its worth it to let go of your concern and keep your lungs clear, by breathing deeply.

Now I'm going to ask you a few questions:

What's the biggest obstacle you've overcome in your life?

What are you looking forward to doing after this is all behind you

What's the positive effect this is having on your life?

Is there anything you want me to know?