This is why hypnotherapists should be concerned.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brochu on October 31, 2011 at 11:16am

 

 

http://www.hypnothoughts.com/forum/topics/regulation-of-hypnotherapy

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fable Goodman on October 31, 2011 at 11:47am

I have any number of such certificates, which i will sell for $1 each.

 

send me a private message, if you want a phoney certificate.

 

Love and hugs,

 

Lawrie

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Einert on October 31, 2011 at 12:16pm

Most times regulations are used to keep people who have an interest in hypnosis from practicing. Luckly the NGH and others have fought to keep hypnosis free from regulations.

The article posted by Brochu states that the legistlature should get involved in regulating hypnosis, but they would not unless there was someone hurt by the use of hypnosis. But the truth is hypnosis is mostly harmless no matter who uses it.

If a person is not trained in hypnosis he might still get someone into hypnosis, but his suggestions probably wouldn't "stick", he might not could bring the person out of hypnosis, but they would still come out on their on.

So we regulate prescription drugs and medical doctors, which are the leading cause of death in the US any way, but some people are worried that hypnosis may do damage in the hands of an unskilled practitioner. I doubt it!!!

My 2 cents.

 

Jim

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James Szeles on October 31, 2011 at 1:12pm

Fable,

I'll bet you've seen a few over the years. I went to a hypnotherapy school in San Francisco about six months into my stage show thinking it would help me with the shows. But I'd be will to bet that less then 50% of the stage hypnotist out there have no training beyond the three or five days of training.

James

Fable Goodman said:

I have any number of such certificates, which i will sell for $1 each.

 

send me a private message, if you want a phoney certificate.

 

Love and hugs,

 

Lawrie

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James Szeles on October 31, 2011 at 1:19pm

Jim,

In the State of California where I live you do not need any training to start a  hypnotherapist or marriage counseling practice. Sad I know.

James


Jim Einert said:

Most times regulations are used to keep people who have an interest in hypnosis from practicing. Luckly the NGH and others have fought to keep hypnosis free from regulations.

The article posted by Brochu states that the legistlature should get involved in regulating hypnosis, but they would not unless there was someone hurt by the use of hypnosis. But the truth is hypnosis is mostly harmless no matter who uses it.

If a person is not trained in hypnosis he might still get someone into hypnosis, but his suggestions probably wouldn't "stick", he might not could bring the person out of hypnosis, but they would still come out on their on.

So we regulate prescription drugs and medical doctors, which are the leading cause of death in the US any way, but some people are worried that hypnosis may do damage in the hands of an unskilled practitioner. I doubt it!!!

My 2 cents.

 

Jim

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Graham Old on October 31, 2011 at 1:42pm

I guess the issue I have with this, James, is that it's no different to the "legit" schools.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott Sandland on October 31, 2011 at 2:32pm

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes people not take us seriously as a profession.  We don't take ourselves seriously as a profession. 

 

Jim-  We don't just regulate things that are dangerous, we regulate things in America so that people can know they aren't wasting their money.  We regulate mechanics, accountants, refrigerator repairmen, people who cut hair, plumbers, massage therapists and much more.  We do this so that the customer understands this person has proven to have at least some standard of quality within the profession.  It creates trust.

 

Hypnosis, as an industry, has chosen not to do what most other groups looking for public legitimacy have done.  We have spent a ton of resources fighting people who want us to have a set of enforceable standards instead of investing them in solving what is a problem for our modality.

 

What's the difference between cutting hair and practicing hypnosis?  See below:

 

How to Become a Licensed Barber in America:

 

Step 1

Find a barber school in your state by looking up a nearby location on the Ed-resource website. Contact the barber school and set up an appointment to go in and meet with the Admissions Representative.

 

Step 2

Attend the appointment with an Admissions Representative at the barber school of your choice and complete the application process.

 

Step 3

Fill out a financial aid application and apply for financial aid through a grant or obtain a federally funded student loan through Sallie Mae to pay for your schooling.

 

Step 4

Enroll for classes at the barber school and begin your schooling to obtain your barber license. Complete the minimum of 1500 hours of study to become a barber plus the additional required amount of hours per your state's requirements.

 

Step 5

Prepare to take your state barber exam after you have graduated from barber school. Study your books and refresh yourself by summarizing your old tests. This will give you a good predictor as to what questions you will be asked to answer on your state barber exam.

 

Step 6

Contact the barber review board in your state; your barber school instructor will give you the exact information as to what number to call. Attend on the specified date time and take your state barber exam. Be sure to bring the required fee for taking the barber exam with you on the day of the exam, there are no refunds on the exam fee if you do not complete the test or if you fail the test.

 

Step 7

Receive a decision in the mail within two to four weeks from the barber review board informing you if you have passed the state barber exam. If you have passed you will also receive your barber's license at the same time. If you failed the test, you will have to reschedule a time to retake the test at a future date.

 

 

How to Become a Professional Hypnotist in most US states:

 

Step 1

get out of jail

 

Step 2

fail your G.E.D.

 

Step 3

register a domain name "BestHypnotistIn(your state).com

 

Step 4

Start seeing clients, who probably won't get "harmed" by the hypnosis, as long as you don't count wasting time and money that could have been invested in an effective solution.

 

Step 5

Have every hypnosis organization in america publicly say you aren't any good

 

Step 6

Keep seeing clients as long as you want

 

 

I'm not saying we should or shouldn't regulate, I'm just saying that this is the consequence of not having some sort of gate keeper.  We keep looking like a silly industry with no real standards because, well, that's exactly what we are.

 

I love practicing hypnosis.  It's the only real job I've ever had.  I'm proud of the friends and colleagues I've made over the years in the industry, but see a very obvious flaw in how seriously people take the work we do until they experience it for themselves.  People are often shocked when they hear what I do for a living, and that's really sad.  I think we should get the same response as acupuncturists or chiropractors.  But we don't, because we haven't earned it.

 

Here's my point:  This guy selling doctorate certifications on ebay?  There isn't anything anyone can do about it, because that's the way we want it. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Kennedy on October 31, 2011 at 2:49pm

I'm with Scott on this.  The NGH lobbied to keep hypnotherapy OUT of the college being set up as a regulatory body in my province.  The NGH redefined hypnotherapy as coaching in order to do so.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Hanover on October 31, 2011 at 2:52pm

Jim, when you said, "But the truth is hypnosis is mostly harmless no matter who uses it" I threw up in my mouth a little.

 

I find it interesting how on the one hand, hypnosis is so incredibly powerful that it can lower your blood pressure, boost your immune response, reduce bleeding during surgery, relieve IBS, cure you of phobias, relieve horrible pain, relieve insomnia, depression, and even make your breasts larger, yet is simultaneously so weak and ineffectual that literally anyone can do it, and no matter how unskilled, untrained, ignorant and/or abusive the practitioner is, he or she is "mostly harmless."

 

How do people say these things with a straight face?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com on October 31, 2011 at 2:58pm

This whole thing is stupid.   Normally Tom and I see many issues eye to eye, but I think there is paranoia here.   It is sold as a "gag" gift.   The seller offers many "fake" diplomas: http://www.ebay.com/sch/gagdiploma/m.html?hash=item20be04b1d0&i...

 The seller lables it a GAG!

 

They all have one thing in common:   NONE of them would ever be taken seriously by anyone or mistaken for reality.

All of his diplomas are printed on office depot paper, all of them have silly names like "Hypnosis State University". (Personally, I like the Gargoyle State University Diploma)

 

and "Doctorate of Hypnosis" which of course, isn't even a title on the real fake diplomas....

Everyone knows if you are going to buy a doctorate, buy the Ph.D.

 

My points:

1.)   It clearly is a gag gift.   It is humor.   It is not serious.  Maybe not your sense of humor, but that is what this is aboout.

2.)   Only the world's biggest dolt (bet he will sell you a diploma for that) would mistake it as real or serious.   Seriously, just look at it, how stupid do you have to be to mistake it for real?  I have to believe anyone who saw that on anyones wall would instantly know it was fake.

3.)  No hypnotist is seriously going to be that stupid to purchase this and try to pass it off as legitimate.   None.  I can bet of the 7000 members on hypnothoughts (and, although I hate to admit it, a few are kind of stupid) nobody would ever consider buying it and trying to claim a credential.  especially since our field already has some high quality very well recognized fake degrees.

4.)  Even if someone somewhere did buy it, it would not instill them with knowledge.   They couldn't do the job of a hypntotist, even if they bought one.

 

Seriously, this is nothing more than an over-reaction by a community sensative to criticsm and dealing with interal issues of credibility.   But this example, is merely a gag gift people are getting bent out of shape over.  There are real ethical issues for our profession to deal with.  Not gag gifts on ebay.

 

Getting bent out of shape with this stupid gag diploma (I would bet the seller has sold few if any), is like a minister getting bent out of shape that people actually use this toy to find the answer to prayer:   http://answermejesus.com/

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tom Silver on October 31, 2011 at 3:03pm

Thanks Scott Sandland for posting this Doctor of Hypnosis Degree on your site. We all need to be aware that this type of stuff can really hurt the Credibility of hypnosis. Hypnotherapy training is so unregulated these days that some hypnotherapists really don't even understand what hypnosis is. I have heard horror stories from my clients who have had sessions with vodoo hypnotists in the past and this is a big red flag that we need to be more concerned about the educational aspects of qualified hypnotherapy training courses.  Also with so many untrained stage hypnotists these days, there have been more accidents in stage shows then ever before. Last year I was a consultant for two such cases with law firms where a audience participant was hurt during a stage show. One was in Las Vegas with Tom Kaz and the other was with at Knott's Berry Farm with De'Anna. The cases were settled in favor of the victims. We all love this science and it would be sad to see ihypnotherapy becoming an illegal practice in America by unlicensed therapists. Many psychologists and even doctors are pushing to get hypnosis out of the hands of lay hypnotists and unlicensed medical or mental practitioners. We need to become more better organized and stop the deceptive actions that are happening before things get even worse.  Thanks again Scott Sandland and please keep up your fine work and all the wonderful things you are doing for us all.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Einert on October 31, 2011 at 3:04pm

Well, Scott, I don't totally disagree with you, but I have had a lot of bad haircuts, and every one of them was from someone who was licensed. I have also had bad jobs of fixing my car, done by licensed mechanics and I have been to some sorry doctors who just had no idea what was wrong. So the point I am trying to make is that a license does not make a person better at what they do. I agree that a license does project the idea that you know what you are doing, and usually requires that you finish a certain amount of schooling, but that does not really qualify you for the job. The main reason I am saying this, is that I have no college degree (High School Diploma, not a GED), but I have taken the NGH certified course, plus I have done many more hours of study to learn a higher level of hypnosis than what I learn in that course. And in most cases if hypnotist were required to have a license in my state, I would not qualify for the license, so I would be out. I really like hypnosis, and I look forward to learning more and more about it in the future, I hope I will not be shut off by regulations.

Thanks!

Jim

Scott Sandland said:

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes people not take us seriously as a profession.  We don't take ourselves seriously as a profession. 

 

Jim-  We don't just regulate things that are dangerous, we regulate things in America so that people can know they aren't wasting their money.  We regulate mechanics, accountants, refrigerator repairmen, people who cut hair, plumbers, massage therapists and much more.  We do this so that the customer understands this person has proven to have at least some standard of quality within the profession.  It creates trust.

 

Hypnosis, as an industry, has chosen not to do what most other groups looking for public legitimacy have done.  We have spent a ton of resources fighting people who want us to have a set of enforceable standards instead of investing them in solving what is a problem for our modality.

 

What's the difference between cutting hair and practicing hypnosis?  See below:

 

How to Become a Licensed Barber in America:

 

 

Step 1

Find a barber school in your state by looking up a nearby location on the Ed-resource website. Contact the barber school and set up an appointment to go in and meet with the Admissions Representative.

 

Step 2

Attend the appointment with an Admissions Representative at the barber school of your choice and complete the application process.

 

Step 3

Fill out a financial aid application and apply for financial aid through a grant or obtain a federally funded student loan through Sallie Mae to pay for your schooling.

 

Step 4

Enroll for classes at the barber school and begin your schooling to obtain your barber license. Complete the minimum of 1500 hours of study to become a barber plus the additional required amount of hours per your state's requirements.

 

Step 5

Prepare to take your state barber exam after you have graduated from barber school. Study your books and refresh yourself by summarizing your old tests. This will give you a good predictor as to what questions you will be asked to answer on your state barber exam.

 

Step 6

Contact the barber review board in your state; your barber school instructor will give you the exact information as to what number to call. Attend on the specified date time and take your state barber exam. Be sure to bring the required fee for taking the barber exam with you on the day of the exam, there are no refunds on the exam fee if you do not complete the test or if you fail the test.

 

Step 7

Receive a decision in the mail within two to four weeks from the barber review board informing you if you have passed the state barber exam. If you have passed you will also receive your barber's license at the same time. If you failed the test, you will have to reschedule a time to retake the test at a future date.

 

 

 

How to Become a Professional Hypnotist in most US states:

 

Step 1

get out of jail

 

Step 2

fail your G.E.D.

 

Step 3

register a domain name "BestHypnotistIn(your state).com

 

Step 4

Start seeing clients, who probably won't get "harmed" by the hypnosis, as long as you don't count wasting time and money that could have been invested in an effective solution.

 

Step 5

Have every hypnosis organization in america publicly say you aren't any good

 

Step 6

Keep seeing clients as long as you want

 

 

I'm not saying we should or shouldn't regulate, I'm just saying that this is the consequence of not having some sort of gate keeper.  We keep looking like a silly industry with no real standards because, well, that's exactly what we are.

 

I love practicing hypnosis.  It's the only real job I've ever had.  I'm proud of the friends and colleagues I've made over the years in the industry, but see a very obvious flaw in how seriously people take the work we do until they experience it for themselves.  People are often shocked when they hear what I do for a living, and that's really sad.  I think we should get the same response as acupuncturists or chiropractors.  But we don't, because we haven't earned it.

 

Here's my point:  This guy selling doctorate certifications on ebay?  There isn't anything anyone can do about it, because that's the way we want it. 

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 7
• Next ›
• Page