This morning I went to see a hypnotist hoping to get some help / relief with a couple of phobias and negative thought patterns. The visit was organised by someone close to me as an xmas gift so even though I had reservations about it, I felt I had to go.
I didn't like the guy from the off but within 2 or 3 minutes of meeting him, I agreed to fill out a detailed lifestyle / personal questionnaire outlining stuff like names and ages of siblings, state of current relationship, family background, relationship with parents and lots of personal details. I don't know what possessed me to be honest, but I really went for it and allowed a deluge of pent up shit pour out onto 3 or 4 pages.
He was outside the room while I did this and when he came back, he went through what I'd written and circled stuff with a red pen making fucking ridiculous assumptions and promises of "I'll sort these out for you", all the while minimising what I felt had been fairly traumatic events in my life.
I allowed myself to listen to him for over an hour and remained polite although I told him I was completely sceptical. He bored me rigid with his anecdotes and tales of success and I knew quite quickly, that I wasn't going to come back.
After he presented me with the cost of the 16!!! sessions he believed I needed to "get you on track", I just said I'd think about it and get back to him and I got my arse out of there sharpish.
I'm so fucking angry with myself that I provided him with all that info and actually signed the bottom of the sheet. I feel somewhat cheated although I did volunteer the information. I'm not quite sure what he could do with all my details but right now, I don't want him to have it.
Has anything similar ever happened to anyone and would I be within my rights to ring him up and ask him to destroy it? He seemed a tad dodgy to me to be honest and I'm a bit scared about what he might do with this kind of stuff and also incredibly pissed off with myself for rolling over and giving it up so easily.
Fuck.
― stupidstupidstupid, Tuesday, 4 January 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)
i thought this thread was about something altogether different.
i'm quite certain your information is going to be fine.. i mean he might be a crap psychiatrist but it doesn't always mean he is some evil man who'd steal your info. and you haven't written anything like bank details or anything right?
― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:10 (twenty years ago)
Not bank details, no. He's a hypnotherapist, read unemployed plumber or something. I didn't check his credentials but I'm guessing, he ain't got too many.
He was a bit like Benny Hill now that I think of it.
I think it's probably more annoyance with myself at doing something I didn't really want to do.
― stupidstupidstupid, Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)
I would trust my bank details with Benny Hill. He had better things to do than run amok with personal information.
― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)
If he did run amok with it, you can bet that he'd be followed by an old bald man, a nurse, and a meter maid.
― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)
Of course, you're quite right.
Both of you.
Does it matter that he only looked like him?
― stupidstupidstupid, Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)
At this point, no. The suspenders have been snapped.
Call him up and ask him to destroy it. If he says no, tell him you're not planning on coming back, and you made up most of the information anyway because you thought the whole idea was a bit of a joke.
― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)
If it's in the UK, if you tell him you have no intention of coming back and that he should destroy your info, I believe that he is obliged to do so.
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)