THERAPY-SEX ABUSE-SUICIDE

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Permalink Reply by Pattie Freeman CH.t, MST on February 24, 2010 at 11:58pm

If someone is going to committ sucide no one or anything can change their mind, Its a mental unstablity and they need to seek professional help. So sorry about the lost...

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Permalink Reply by GIL BOYNE on February 25, 2010 at 7:55am

Hello Ian, Thank you for searching out the Daily Mail story of two years ago. It shows how a licensed/registered/regulated therapist can create a cult built on outrageous practices mixed with recognized therapy approaches. The interview with Gena Dry gives an insight into the psychic turbulence that precipitated her suicide. It also shows that there is NO WAY to stop anyone from engaging in strange philosophies and calling them "therapy.".

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Permalink Reply by Susan French on February 25, 2010 at 9:18am

Thanks for posting this Gil. It has been my concern from the beginning that 1) many or most of us are not licensed counselors or therapists, therefore needing to be very careful to stay within the realm of vocational and avocational self-improvement. 2) There are techniques that overlap and can be dangerous, especially regression, and especially the regression that insists that the client revivify the experience. 3) Because we're not really regulated, there is a lot of room for us to make well-meaning mistakes with clients. Even the licensed therapists, doctors, etc make mistakes or make the wrong judgement call.

I think most of us are responsible and aware that sparking memories or issues can have completely unexpected and/or negative results. However, it's easy to overstep the legal and moral boundaries, given our experience and our licensure or certification.

This is especially true with beginners, especially those who have been 'trained' without proper precautions.

It's a long -time bitch of mine. God forbid someone chooses suicide or other self-destructive behavior on my watch.

Pattie: I have to respectfully disagree that suicidal people can't be talked out of their ideation. Statistics can't include people who made an attempt that may or may not have been serious and ended up dead. I had a beautiful 19-yr old god-daughter with whom this happened bc she woke up from her OD, told her dad that she was just trying to get her mother (who, btw, was a schizophrenic who had been released from hospital care when mental health patients were thrown out of the mental hospitals) to hear her. Her mother was very annoyingly mentally ill and could easily take anyone around her down into her madness.

Then, the great medical institution Kaiser Permanente, who have a long-standing record of medical mistakes, even though their premiums go up and up and up), gave her medication that she shouldn't have been given...sedation. Then she died. Right there in the 'hospital'.

Truthfully, I've had periods of suicidal ideation in my younger life. How serious? Who knows. But in each case, I had enough rationality to reach out and people have helped me to relieve the pain and pass the danger point.

Suicidal ideation and homicidal ideation are not subjects to be dismissed as being so black and white.

Respectfully,

Susan
http://www.hypno4success.com
ps: I've also known a number of licensed psychotherapists who committed all kinds of offenses that set off suicidal and/or homicidal ideation in many clients and friends other than myself. Now we learn that child abuse in Pediatrics is as rampant and covered up was the sexual abuse in the Catholic (and other) Churches. Ditto: gynecology. Reprehensible. But, we must remember that we are definitely extremely vulnerable as nonlicensed professionals.

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Permalink Reply by Raymond LeBleu on February 26, 2010 at 8:40pm

Regarding the hypnotic treatment with clients who have suicidal issues..... you'd better believe that whether you call yourself a consulting hypnotist or hypnotherapist etc. if you have a client who commits suicide after seeing you, whether they have a serious mental disorder such as schizophrenia etc. or not, in a court of law you are going to be held responsible to the same extent as that of a practicing psychologist, psychiatrist etc...... and you had better be able to prove, beyond a shadow of doubt that you took some kind of preventative action with that client, such as referral or other suicide prevention action such as hypnosis to give that client a reason to live, in the form of direct suggestions under hypnosis etc..... and a copy of the suicide prevention hypnosis you administered might just save you from being prosecuted or sued for being negligent etc....

It should be standard procedure that "consulting hypnotists" routinely screen their clients for suicidal issues and then take some precautionary action when needed ......This is the reason that it is so important to do a diagnostic consultation with a client before you do a hypnotic induction...... you are supposed to be a professional in helping and that includes people with suicidal issues!

I can't believe that anyone in the field of hypnosis would think for a moment that clients with suicidal issues can't be helped!

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Permalink Reply by GIL BOYNE on April 2, 2010 at 6:10am

Under hypnosis, daughter claims abuse
By Gerald Nissenbaum / Divorce 411
Sunday, March 21, 2010 -


. Our oldest daughter, age 20, was having problems, so she started to see a therapist.

The therapist hypnotized her, saying her subconscious had to let out her past as the only way for her to figure out why she was now having problems. She came home accusing me of having sexually abused her when she was 2 or 3 years old.

My wife then ran to court to have me ordered out of the house, claiming I was a danger to our two younger children, ages 12 and 16.

. I’ve never harmed my kids. Help! Please.

- L.A. Medfield

A. You’re facing three problems: possible criminal charges, convincing the probate court judge to disregard your daughter’s claims, and getting your wife and kids to accept that no such thing happened.

You need to hire a great divorce lawyer who is also experienced in criminal law. That combination, while rare, is available. I’ve sent you the names of two such lawyers.

A good lawyer should be able to keep your daughter’s claims out of evidence. That’s because testimony by someone hypnotized in a therapist’s office is, in a word, unreliable.

Anyone under deep hypnosis can easily be led to do and say all kinds of things, including leading her to say she was sexually abused as a child. What is done or said can have more to do with the hypnotist than with the subject under hypnosis.

The hypnosis session should have been videotaped and conducted under strict standards, which the session with your daughter doesn’t meet.

Your daughter’s claim should be tossed out of court. But getting your wife and kids to accept that they’ve all been duped by an unethical therapist is another kettle of fish. That’ll take time.

Finally, meet with a good tort lawyer to talk about suing that therapist.

All this is assuming you’re on the level. God help you if you’re not.

Gerald L. Nissenbaum has been a trial lawyer in Boston since 1967 and concentrates his practice on family law.

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