Credibility

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on June 15, 2008 at 9:05am

Appears to be essentially an offer for an easy to comlete online hypnosis course. Too easy. However, the reaility is this: Anyone who is actually going to practice hypnosis will recognize that they need much more training and information, so the risk of uneducated graduates from this actually working, is no greater than the risk of uneducated non-certified people hanging out a shingle and starting a practice.
Then of couse, there are people who like to collect certificates beliving this somehow makes them seem important to clients, and they may buy one just to have another certificate on the wall. Then there are the wierd old uncle joe's who want to impress the kids with his "hypnosis certificication" even though he knows nothing and will never do hypnosis.

Not trying to justify it here but the alternative to an unregulated market, is one the govenrment regulates, and that means anyone without psychology degrees and credentials, will be unable to do hypnosis. (Nobody really BELIEVES psychology boards, ASCH, social work boards, pharmaceutical comapnies, the ama, etc. are really going to let people with 300 hours of "vocational school" do hypnosis under a state regulated scheme, do you?)

In all honestly I could see this same post being posted on a psychology bulletin board, with, "Can you believe for $999 and 100 hours of training, you can be a certified hypnotherapist!?" "I had to get a doctorate to practice, and the National Hypnosis Certifying Agency is offering it for ony $1000 dollars???"

Although certified hypnotists want to attach meaning to the certififcations they hold, the reality is that all certification in this profession is only as valuable as the reputation of the organization doing the certifying and as meaningful of the skills possessed by the hypnotist ....

Richard

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Permalink Reply by Synapse on June 15, 2008 at 9:09am

Excellent points Richard, thank you for your input.

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on June 15, 2008 at 9:20am

And to think I cared whether or not my certificate (for a 250-hour course that required I actually know how to hypnotize people) had my name spelled right . . .

I glanced through the quizzes--they're poorly written multiple-choice tests to make sure the "student" has read the material and can parrot it back. Some of the questions are highly dubious, such as "True or False: A hypnotist must always give a subject a suggestibility test first." I don't know what the website considers to be the right answer, but I know that's a matter of debate and personal method. (You'll have to forgive me. I spent ten years plus in the educational assessment business, writing multiple-choice questions to exacting standards.)

For a real hoot, check out the "free books" section. The book on stage hypnotism is from 1901. *snicker*

Ultimately, the site tries to justify itself by pointing out that flashing membership cards and displaying diplomas will lend credibility to the hypnotist. And based on how many hypnotists claim degrees from unaccredited sources, that should be an easy sell for this site.

Unfortunately, the practice of false or meaningless certification does the opposite of what this site claims: it damages credibility, not only for the individual, but for the entire community.

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on June 15, 2008 at 9:27am

It's true that the alternative to an open market is government regulation--but every site like this makes government regulation that much more likely. It's sad that someone is willing to drag the whole industry down so that they can run a business selling cheap diplomas.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on June 15, 2008 at 1:36pm

James, you are 100% correct in everything you write. I just don't think anyone is actually going to learn hypnosis or do hypnosis or flash around these credentials. The course is lame, in fact video is even unavailable that they use, the questions are no-brainers, and the content not well structured.

It is not that I endorse or think the website in question is a good thing, its just that it is so lame, the credentials are really only good for impersonating a hypnotist, and I think anyone who would attempt to represent themself as a professional based on this program would be a person who was an odd duck anyway, and all but the most vulnerable clients would see the person as they were.

And so, most of the purchasers (if any - just becasue its on a $4 dollar a month hosting account doens't mean it's selling well) really aren't going to use this for anything.

The credibility problem comes at a much larger level, people who are good hypnotists, with good training, holding out fake doctorates from unaccredited schools, and people who are trained and skilled doing things that they don't even believe in (PLR) becasue it fills another seat in the office...

Credentials on the wall, be it a certificate from a hypnosis guild or association, or a doctorate is psychololgy are a lot less important to clients than hypnotists think. The real issues in credibility for the public are:

1.) Do you see people in your HOUSE?
2.) Do you practice religious hypnosis (PLR) and pass it off as science?
3.) Are you a college dropout who earned a "doctorate" online from an unaccredited school?
4.) Do you make health claims based only on antecdotal evidence?
5.) Do you sell clients multi-level marketing schemes and body cleansing programs?


I am sure I will really tick som poeple off with this post, but these are the kids of things consumers pay much greater attention to than what papers are on the wall.... In fact, the papers can usually be seen for what they are, based on these and many other issues.

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Houghton on June 15, 2008 at 4:53pm

Very good points made in this post and this isn't the first time I have run across this type of "certification". The only real way to combat this type of stuff is to continue to educate the public. Many people believe that educating the public means only telling them about hypnosis. This just isn't the case nowadays. We must also educate people about programs like this and explain the difference in a certification that has some merit to it and one that lacks any sort of meat to it.

Bringing this to the forefront is important, but the general public must also understands the differences and what makes a good hypnotist a good hypnotist. I have a blog whatsonmybrain.com and I do my best to educate people about hypnosis and issues such as this. I think it's important for us to break this information down to the public or anyone who takes a interest. For instance, if any of you have blogs I recommend you write a story about this including many of the key points made by Richard and others here. I will be doing a story on this very soon or would like to invite Richard or someone else to write a article on this for my blog.

I feel this helps our community by showing that us as hypnotists only want the best in our profession and truly want to make sure we have well trained hypnotists in the field. Its hard to place restrictions on a community or profession that is also condenming stuff like this. At the least it shows people we care about our profession and the level of training required. Just my take on things and thanks for bringing this too the attention of this board. It is sad this exist, but let's look at it as just another chance for us to educate the public.

Josh Houghton
www.whatsonmybrain.com

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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on June 15, 2008 at 6:44pm

I always find it interesting from the standpoint of "credibility" to note that liability claims against so-called "lay hypnotherapists" are less than 1/50th of those made against our so-called "more professional" colleagues who have the licenses on their walls. That includes morals charges, folks. My statement is based on actuarial data from the insurance industry, not just on notes I've made in over 40 years of tracking reports about people who have filed actions against hypnotists and therapists who use hypnosis in their practices.

Credibility is an interesting thing, especially in these days of instant information and immediate access to court records and case files online, not to mention the published works and even recorded debates between various practitioners of this wonderful modality!

Things like the APA's man of the year getting nailed in a suit brought by one of the families of one of his patients for clinical abuse because he thoroughly believed that there was an international, multi-layered and highly organized Satanic Conspiracy to control the world - wherein the case almost cost him his license to practice medicine and psychology, evidently DID cost him his position as head of service at a major metropolitan hospital's special treatment unit (that HE had developed to deal WITH the "victims" of this nonexistent conspiracy as well as forcing his insurance company to pay out a very large, but undisclosed, settlement, as well as forcing him to make a public retraction of his stance ON the very conspiracy theory that had won him his man of the year award!

One has to wonder where the real credibility issues sometimes reside.

Lee Darrow, C.H.
www.stagehypnosissafetyclass.com

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on June 15, 2008 at 7:03pm

Now Lee, don't get me started on the credibility of licensed folks.... I meet 5000 a year and I am convinced 4000 of them are lousy therapists, and at least 600 of them are dangerous....

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on June 16, 2008 at 7:16am

I agree with everything you say on this, too, Richard. Clients care a lot more about results than about degrees, certificates, titles, and trappings of legitimacy--if they cared about those things more than results, they'd still be going to medical doctors and talk therapists.

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Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig on June 16, 2008 at 7:28am

Lee,

That's a great statistic to be able to cite. Is there a published article somewhere that we can point to on the relative number of claims against "lay hypnotists" and licensed psychotherapists? If not, will you write one and publish that information with primary sources cited?

(On a side note, my blood boils every time I see the term "lay hypnotist." It is based on the Catholic term "lay brother," and it implies that some people are "ordained hypnotists" with some sort of lineage of apostolic succession. It implies that the power to use hypnosis was handed down by God to some doctor, who has then ordained others to use this God-given power to change people the way that a Catholic priest is said to transform the host into the body and blood of Christ. Isn't it funny how the "scientific" community is quick to imply a divine mandate when it serves them?)

Sorry about the rant,

James

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Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on June 16, 2008 at 7:49am

Psychologists are they "lay hypnotists". after all they spend most of the time doing intereviews, paperwork, traditional psychotherapy, testing, etc. They may have a few clients here and there they use hypnosis with, but most are using hypnosis irregularly and with a minorty of clients and most are only trained in a one-size-fits-all Ericksonian model. Contrast that with the certified hypnotist or stage hypnotist, who hypnotizes people for a living all week long, and work with every client in a hypnotic process. Now who is the "lay hypnotist"?

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Permalink Reply by Synapse on June 16, 2008 at 7:53am

Yeah, I hate the term (incidentally it's practically unheard of in the UK) "Lay" anything implies amateur, (as in "layman") which most "lay" hypnotists are not.

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