For new clients: Start here
Hi, I’m Dr. Bach Ho. If you’re a new client, start here. I’m going to cover three things:
What value will you get from me?
What is working with me like?
How do you know if you’re benefiting? When should you stop working with me?
1. What value will you get from me?
You and I may already have chatted and discussed what value you’re hopefully going to get from me. For example, getting more done in life with less effort, help with thinking strategically about your long-term business plan, resolving symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, stress
So whatever we discussed, that’s the value I’m providing in your particular case
If you’re curious about my value pitch in genera:
For most clients, my role overall is advisor. You could say business advisor, as I’ve done a lot of strategic thinking in a business context for clients, but I’ll stick here with advisor. I do get a lot of clients not from the business world and whose goal is primarily to suffer less, not so much to enhance performance, intellectual capacity, or do strategic high-level thinking and plotting against competitors
The fundamental value I provide is biological capacity growth ,which is the root of everything. And I mean everything. Some particular concrete gains I’ve helped people achieve include:
Helping high performers function much more easily. E.g., able to work 100 hour weeks with much less stress
Improving sleep, brain fog, anxiety, depression, migraines, chronic pain, bodily numbness, painful memories, addiction
Able to get more done even when feeling emotional and physical pain
Increased intellectual capacity and creativity
Increased pleasure throughout the day
All these benefits are rooted in growth of capacity
2. What is working with me like?
We meet on Zoom
Sessions are typically 50 minutes, but can be shorter if that’s what organically happens, and longer, if we both have time
Typically, we meet once a week
But there’s no rigid schedule, and there are different possibilities
For example, in some situations, I recommend meeting more frequently and for shorter duration
So what happens exactly in these Zoom meetings?
We have a free association conversation. You can talk about anything that you feel like and we go from there
Small talk is actually important and valuable, even though to many people it feels awkward and like a waste of time
It’s valuable because signs of capacity growth often emerge when we engage in small talk
So you’re welcome and encouraged to talk about the weather, what you had for breakfast, the birds you see outside your window, and so on
You’re also welcome to talk about serious matters if that’s what’s pressing on your mind. E.g., your trauma, your burnout, your business, how your life is falling apart, and so on
That can be productive, too. I’m stressing small talk here because people already know that talking about serious matters can be productive. They don’t need selling on that point
What I want to stress and sell here is that small talk can be, too, and especially so, because signs of capacity growth often emerge when we’re feeling less intense
So, we’re on Zoom, having a free association conversation, where you’re welcome to talk about intense, serious matters, and also and especially welcome to make small talk when it feels at least somewhat natural to you
During our chat, I’m doing subtle things to support your capacity growth
Moments of silence can also grow capacity, when they’re enjoyable. So, when you get to a point where you’re comfortable being silent with me, we really welcome that
You don’t have to make eye contact with me. This is a huge breakthrough for many clients, who are used to maintaining eye contact, because of social etiquette. And when they feel free not to make eye contact, their intensity drops and more signs of capacity growth emerge
But of course you can make eye contact, too
Sometimes, I’ll suggest that you connect your eyes and ears to what you can see and hear around you. For some people, this may feel strange at first, and like a waste of time, but it’s important for reducing intensity, which is important for capacity growth
As our work deepens, your body may start doing involuntary movements. Sometimes the movements are large and obvious. Sometimes they’re very small movements that you may not be aware of
I will sometimes call your attention to the movements and give precise instructions on what to do with them
For many people, experiencing involuntary movements is alarming and embarrassing, especially when someone is looking at you
But these movements are very normal, expected, and work with them is part of growing capacity
So, it will help our work if can be OK with unpredictable, involuntary bodily movements
3. How do you know if you’re benefiting? When should you stop working with me?
If the value you’re seeking is more along the lines of rent-a-friend, that’s easy. You just keep seeing me as long as you want to, and stop when you don’t
If you’re trying to achieve a specific value, like “quit Fentanyl,” this gets hairy
Someone actually quit their addiction just from my free online content, so you could try that
If we’re working together, to determine if you’re benefiting and when you should stop working with me, here are some thoughts
Pay more attention to how you feel in the days and weeks after a session, as opposed to how you felt during a session. What matters primarily is the impact on your life, not how enjoyable a session is (unless it’s rent-a-friend)
That said, sessions should be overall enjoyable, because that’s what promotes capacity growth. If you don’t enjoy anything, and that’s why you’re seeing me, if your pleasure capacity is compromised, pay attention to whether you’d prefer to see me over not see me, even though you don’t enjoy seeing me (because you don’t enjoy anything)
Notice if other people mention that you seem better, happier, less suffering, or are improving in some way. Often, it can be hard to tell if you’re changing even if you are; feedback from others can help
If you’re experiencing benefits, but they’re not ones you went in for, maybe the work is still worth it and maybe the benefits you went in for will come later. For example, maybe ten weeks in, you haven’t quit your addiction, but you started exercising and making social connections. That’s still benefit; and sometimes what people come in for is one of the later things they achieve; there’s an unpredictable sequencing of benefits that build their way toward the benefit pressing on their mind
In my experience with clients, stress and anxiety usually improve within the first three weeks; often after just one session
If we’ve been working five weeks, and you’ve had zero benefit, we should probably talk about next steps
Thank you.