What's 'Curious Flamingos' got to do with building confidence and engagement in work and life?

This spring, renewal came to my Cognitve Hypnotherapy business bringing forth a flamboyance of curious flamingos, and a new website. Not a typical name for a hypnotherapy service, I’ll admit, but the more I brainstormed ideas, the more the name Curious Flamingos seemed to fit.

For some time, I’d been thinking about giving a refresh to my Cognitive Hypnotherapy business in order to focus on areas that particularly interest me.

Over the past 14 years, I’ve worked with all kinds of issues, and it’s been both fascinating and rewarding. And interesting as I’ve noticed myself being more and more drawn to working within a particular area of support - that of helping clients build confidence and/or engagement in various areas of work and life.

In some ways, deciding to specialise in a particular area is counterintuitive because Cognitive Hypnotherapy doesn’t treat the ‘label’; it treats the person. If you come to see me for help with something, it doesn’t so much matter what name you choose to call the issue; it’s how it presents itself that is significant. This will be largely unique to you – as will the specifics of how you and I, together, resolve it.

For example, if two people came to see me for, let’s say, anxiety, I wouldn’t follow a set ‘plan for treating anxiety’; I would find out what specifically was going on for each person, and then tailor the change-work and suggestions accordingly.

So, if that's the case, why have I decided to narrow my focus to help with building confidence, focus or engagement in things like public-speaking, general work interactions, setting up or running a business, taking exams, achieving personal pursuits….?

For me there are two clear reasons:

Firstly, the nature of these things is something I can personally relate to, and I’ve seen and felt for myself the difference Cognitive Hypnotherapy can make.  (I am also now OK with spiders and with flying, but I’d say it’s in this area that I feel the most meaningful difference in my day-to-day life.)

I may still be an introvert but I’m now an introvert who can stand up in front of people and give a presentation – and even elect to do this. Something I would once have avoided at all costs!

I can speak up in a group and not immediately feel myself going as red as a tomato. I can say my piece with confidence.

I’m able to take steps to further my business that I would once have put off.

And I can enjoy the sense of achievement and personal growth that these changes have given me.

Secondly, I feel particularly inspired when clients come to see me about something they want to achieve; when there’s something they want to get more confident / comfortable / focussed / engaged in doing.

It’s a great feeling to see people overcome limiting beliefs, self-sabotaging behaviours or unhelpful habits, and instead experience more beneficial ways of feeling, and seeing, and thinking and doing, so that they achieve work or personal goals.

Yes, it’s a great feeling.

And I think that’s why the name Curious Flamingos feels right. Because it’s about feeling good:

While specialising in a particular area, I’m still retaining the curiosity that Cognitive Hypnotherapy applies to each and every situation. Every client is individual and unique, and making a beneficial change involves us both bringing curiosity to the session. And curiosity is a wonderful antidote to any difficult feelings.

As for the flamingos, well they can symbolise balance, transformation, and standing tall - all of which capture outcomes that clients would like from the sessions – outcomes that feel good.

And flamingos are strong flyers, capable of flying long distances. They don’t necessarily have a set flyway, instead adapting to their circumstances. I think being able to follow your own ‘flyway’ or do things in your own style feels authentic, and that feels good.

And bringing the two together as Curious Flamingos? Well, put simply, I like the light-hearted ring to it. Working through difficulties needn’t always be heavy – particularly in this area of specialism. It's true that in the course of change-work, a memory might come up that brings difficult feelings with it, but our objective here is then to change the feeling around it so that it no longer has the same effect.

And much of the work we do together can be enjoyable.

So, in our sessions together, you can feel emotions, and you can smile, you can laugh, you can get really curious about making beneficial changes. And you can close your eyes and picture a flamboyance of flamingos standing tall and poised or soaring high in the sky.