Written by Rory Z Fulcher

What are core values?

Our ‘values’ are beliefs which are important to us. We have many different values in our lives, and sometimes we have different values relating to different areas of our lives. For example, in our home life, our values may be focused on family, relationships, comfort and even humour, whereas at work our values may be completely different, such as preciseness, logic, timeliness and integrity. We also have what are known as ‘core values’. A person can have hundreds or even thousands of different values which dictate how they act and react in various situations. Core values are the most important of those values, and they significantly influence people’s lives and the choices that they make.

Changes in core values

A person’s core values are not concrete. As we grow, develop, and have new experiences, our core values change in line with those experiences. Sometimes we change and adopt new core values, and other times our existing core values are strengthened further. Problems occur when our core values are in conflict with our lives.

Sometimes things in our lives can change, yet our values may remain the same and this can cause disturbance. As an example, someone may be in a relationship and have a core value of ‘freedom’, which they meet by travelling the world with their partner and with their friends. If that couple were then to fall pregnant and have a child, that individual’s lifestyle may then change significantly, however their core value of freedom may still remain in place. As raising a child often leads to sacrifices in freedom, whether physically, financially, or otherwise,  this loss of freedom could then go on to cause an issue if not dealt with appropriately.

In contrast, sometimes the opposite is true and our values change even if nothing else in our lives has changed. This same individual mentioned above may go for years travelling, partying and being ‘free’, and one day they may just decide that it is no longer what feels right for them. It may be that where they used to value freedom as being the most important thing, they have changed on a deeper level are now more led by the core values of ‘family’, ‘stability’ or similar.

These changes in core values can happen over any period of time, and can either be naturally occurring, or can be due to specific events in a person’s life. The key point of note here is that throughout our lives, our values are constantly changing.

How do you find out what your core values are?

To learn what someone’s core values are is a relatively easy process. In fact, we have designed a set of ‘core values cards’ that will help you to do just that.

You can use these cards with your therapy clients (as many therapists around the world do), within companies to get staff/team core values, and you can also use this process for yourself, if you’d like to find out your own core values.

When you have your core values cards, which consist of over one-hundred different values, you simply take the cards and arrange them into three piles of different priorities; high, medium, and low. You do this as quickly as possible, making choices with as little conscious input as you are able to. This selection speed is important, as you want to get a ‘gut reaction’, rather than a considered, critical-conscious response, because consciously, we may seek to find logical reasons or explanations for our choices. Reasons can involve pleasing others, or doing what we feel we should do, even if that goes against what we want to do.

Once you have your three piles, you take the ‘high importance’ pile and (quickly) go through all the values and put them in order to find your top ten core values. As a result of this fast process of choosing your core values, people often find insight is generated when engaging in this core values cards activity.

Why are core values important in hypnotherapy?

As a hypnotherapist, or any other talking therapists for that matter, it is important to know what a client’s core values are. By knowing a client’s core values, we are then able to tailor their therapy goal so that it meets those core values. In contrast, if a client has a therapy goal that is not linked to at least one of their top five core values, then that therapy goal is less likely to be effective, as the client has no real reason to be motivated to achieve it. By linking their goal to a core value, the goal becomes much more important to that individual client and they are much likely to strive towards successfully achieving it.

If you’d like to learn more about our core values cards and how they can help you, whether as a therapist or for your own personal use, check them out now on Amazon UK:

Buy On Amazon

Also, if you’d like to learn more about setting effective therapy goals, check out our ‘Goal Setting for Hypnotherapists’ online course. This course contains a section specifically on the use of core values when goal-setting!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog on the importance of core values in hypnotherapy, and if you have any more questions about this topic, or anything else for that matter, do please get in touch, because we’re always happy to help!

– written by Rory Z Fulcher
(Hypnosis-Courses.com Trainer)