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Stage Hypnosis Safety and the Insurance industry
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well this last weekend a secret meeting took place headed up by Susan Rosen she brought together a group of Hypnotists with promises of fame and fortune (OK that is a gross exaggeration). Actually she presented her case with a bit of a sales pitch that simply stated that for 3000.00 dollars a piece these hypnotists could become licensed trainers for her program for stage safety and could recoup their money by charging 295.00 a person for training them in stage safety, they would also be able to leverage to everyone that they were certified by Mrs Rosen (who to general knowledge does not hold any instructor certificates with any certifying body or operate a state certified school)
I was also made aware that as part of her pitch that these people could then use this designation to put them selves over other people in gaining jobs because for the 3000.00 they were now certified in stage safety training.
It was also put out that the high cost of certification was due to Mrs Rosen's need to recoup 14,000 of her own dollars... For what is unknown....
What is known is the meeting did not go the way it was planned and it left a very bad taste in the mouths of several top Hypnotists who felt that this was some sort of scam. Due to the nature of this I will not state any names and if people want to come forward of their own accord to express their opinion then that is in their bailiwick, not mine.
Also it has been repeated to me several times that Stephanie Weiss is prepared to drop all hypnotists from her policy completely...
With the feeling that we are being put over a barrel by essentially the sole provider of affordable insurance many people who have called me have said they are not only scared of losing their coverage, they are also scared that they will not be able to get insurance and will be forced out of business!
Personally I have done my best to assist in moderating this and play to both sides for a fair resolution. I have been told that Stephanie does not want to have any sort of conversation to come up with a solution that makes everyone happy. A sort of my way or the highway approach.. I have been a good customer of this firm for many years and nave never had a claim nor complaint. So to me this has been a terrible reproach.
Today I am working on a solution so that we have another choice in provider with competitive rates and A++ rating so that we are not stuck with one draconian choice. I am not a insurance agent nor am I going to be... Just a moderator that will work to find a quality solution for all of us that does not raise complaint nor put one in charge of all.
Thank you everyone for your support with this
Justin James
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! END UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So if you have seen my posts over time you will know that I have considerable issue with poorly trained stage performers.
Now I will apologize to Lee Darrow for possibly grandstanding him on this issue, however we have a problem folks..
Specialty Insurance Formerly Clowns of the US has put a policy in place that Stage Hypnotists must go through a safety course before they are granted insurance through their company.
In so doing they have contracted with a stage hypnotist by the Name of Susan Rosen To not only direct the program but administer the testing. Now this in its self is not the problem.
The Problem is that Susan Rosen is a direct competitor to every other stage hypnotist in the market. Also she holds the position of being Entertainment Chair for the WFA (Western Fairs Association) and on the board of directors for the AFA (Arizona Fairs Association.
She is in direct competition with other stage hypnotists for booking venues and holding this role will be put not only in a very powerful position however she will then be able to unfairly leverage herself due to insurance requirements needed to perform in many markets.....
I have gone directly to the company and suggested that the training program that is developed be certified by several schools and not just the ones that teach stage hypnosis.
I have also not only suggested that this program be taken out of the hands of any one individual but be presented so that the hypnotist could take the program online and take an exam..
To that effect I have offered my services for no charge to assist in developing the online portion.......................................
I need your help guys... We need several high standing schools and potentially other certifying bodies to edit this when it hits the streets and to put a mark of approval it it.....
I also believe that we need to stand strong as a community and not allow any one individual with no checks or balances attached to run something such as this..
This needs to be certified by the pros.. But out of our hands for the administration of it...
Lee I know you want to jump up and down but now is not the time... We need your help.
Specialty Insurance, is the primary insurer of stage hypnotist's in the USA and stage hypnotist's are their major source of claims... Due to the fact that many schools are teaching inadequate material or training people insufficiently to perform safely....
For you Hypnotherapists out there who do not like stage hypnosis or could not care about this issue... Let me inform you that done wrong this will effect you and potentially your ability to get insured or to even work as a hypnotherapist.....
Stage Hypnosis not only is a great form of entertainment it is also one of the reasons that Hypnosis is alive and well today. We serve as the first experience that people have with hypnosis, and most all of although you do have to deal with fears brought on by performers you have people wanting to know more and inquiring for service many times due to the fact that they saw a show at some point in the past...
NOTE::::: Please do not Call the agency with questions or rants.....
Stephanie Weiss Owner of Specialty Insurance has made it clear that she is attempting this to help us straighten out a problem and if this program does not work she will not insure stage hypnotists again!
I want her program to work and I do not want her discontinuing Insurance for our profession ..
We Need to self police our industry and in doing so
I am looking for people who will come forward (Professional Schools and Instructors) who will assist in certifying this program at no personal gain to them self............................
If you want to find a way to make money off of this again it will cause a conflict of interest..
We will all make money by staying Insured!
I design web sites and content on the side however if you are a designer and can donate time and expertise that may be helpful
Lets make a list of Vital topics...
Lee you can be instrumental with that.. Again it has to be a donation...
The personal gain that we receive is the ability to stay insured and to assist a wonderful lady who is fighting for us in her own way to keep us in business..............
If we as a group jump down her throat and complain then we greatly risk her shutting down this program for good............
I am insured myself through this agency so have a direct interest in seeing this program successful....
I also have a direct interest in making certain that my competitors are performing safely. So do all of us....
So lets brainstorm this, lets not discuss problems or politic, lets come up with solutions so that we do not create something that could put us out of business or create precedent for restrictive legislation..
Again please respond with solutions... We do not need to rehash the stupidity of past events or the legal problems of other states..
With greatest respect to the community and my peers,
Justin James
CEO
The Hypnosis Company
PO BX 35980
Las Vegas NV 89133
www.thehypnosiscompany.com
Tags: insurance, james, stage, comedy, for, hypnosis, hypnotists, justin
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on -
Justin, as the guy who pioneered this field in 2004 with the first ebook on the topic and later, in 2006, with the first course on the subject, I have been continually saying that, with only 34 claims in 4 years, it should have been easier to simply do an outline of what happened and a "DO NOT DO THIS" and a "WATCH OUT FOR THIS" memo to the insured.
That would have kept this whole tempest in a teapot from happening.
Now, because of several missteps by several people, this whole thing has spun out of control. Everybody is looking to "get in on the action" and re-do a lot of basic work that has already been done, is in print and is available.
Yes, the three-day wonders" are a problem, but, in my opinion, the YouTube Wannabes are a far worse danger as they have had NO training and are simply mimicking what they see online. To be honest, there is probably no way to stop that, except by doing what we all have been doing - facing them down ON YouTube and in forums like this and pointing out what they are doing that's dangerous, why and how badly someone could get hurt. Some of them even get the message, like Matt did...
To be honest, yes, I would support an online program of some kind and would probably have a lot to say about what should go into it. But do we really need to expose our Achille's Heel to the legislators out there by going public with what CAN go wrong, instead of making it available for anyone who is insured through the Agency, is a student in someone's class or who is attending a convention, instead?
Putting it online, though, is hanging out virtual chin out there for the anti-stage-hypnosis crowd, like the ASCH, to take a big swing at - and handing them the baseball bat to do it with.
Respectfully,
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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So, based on this notice, are we all given to understand that the requirement for this course is no longer in place and that the higher premium rates will not apply?
If not, then nothing substantively has changed from the financial standpoint... and possibly the legal one, either, as the use of the course to give improved rates would still be an act of a non-insurer adding limitations and premium costs to an insurance policy outside of the insurance company's regulation.
And that is not allowed under Wisconsin, according to the Commissioner of Insurance's Office there, nor under general insurance laws as I understand them and was taught them when I got my licenses in Illinois.
So, Stephanie, could you please clarify that point?
Respectfully,
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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How does this post square with what happened at the meeting a week ago Saturday?
According to Justin, the course is still mandatory from what Stephanie said and the letter that states that the class is required was still up on their site on Friday evening.
One has to wonder at this turnabout in attitude and why she has changed her mind, if she has, on getting "jurisdictional authority" for the course...
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Don Rice on -
Hi Justin,
Thanks for your interest in this situation as it will help us all. I will support any solution that makes sense.
Justin I think Jerry Valley and Susan are offering a safety hypnosis seminar in Vegas at the time of the SHOW stage hypnosis training.
Good Luck and let me know what I can do to help.
Don
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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It will be very interesting to see how much of their material comes from MY ebooks.
I know that my attorneys are VERY interested.
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Justin James on -
Grrrr Lee I know you are going to look into that very seriously and none of us like to be plagiarized. However lets be calm, cool and collected about this. And concentrate on a fix not threats..
You can and should be very instrumental in all of this....
Justin
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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See my other post, Justin.
Given Stephanie's post, earlier, this whole thing may be over and done with, anyway. If Performers of the US are not requiring this course for reduced premiums, then this whole thing is, essentially, over and done with until such time as there is a requirement that they do attempt to put into place that will effect premium levels.
At that point, this whole process will probably start over again unless we put together something to fill the gap in safety education, I agree.
Until then, it's just a couple of people trying to take credit for my pioneering work in this field and trying to cash in on my original idea. I can deal with that on my own, which was the point of that post. My apologies for not making that clearer.
Thanks for your belief that I should be instrumental in this process, too. I appreciate it and I do want to be involved, of course, as we have discussed. If the other people involved with this had bothered to discuss this matter with me, as you have, this whole mess might never have happened in the first place. Unfortunately, they didn't.
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Ray Thompson on -
I am a new member of this forum, thanks to a heads up from Lee Darrow. You can see from Stephanie's post she really is a class act. Thank you Stephanie for taking the high road.
I have read nothing but well thought out and expressed concerns regarding this issue. So, I cannot help but believe we have people of reputation and knowledge to address how best to build a safety program that will benefit all of us. The easier something is to comply with, the more like it will be complied with by the majority of people in any profession.
Ray Thompson, MS ED, ACH
Executive Director
National Assn of Stage Hypnotists
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Permalink Reply by Justin James on
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Thanks for Joining us Ray good to have you here.
I hope we can have you and your organizations support in this matter.
Justin James
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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Welcome aboard, Ray and thanks for adding your support to this issue. I appreciate the fact that you and your organization are taking an interest in this matter and are willing to lend whatever input you may think applicable to the situation as may help.
This whole thing has been quite ... interesting ... from the get-go.
Hopefully, now that it seems that the requirement for the course has been dropped (I'm hoping that Stephanie will clarify her posting on that point so that there is no misunderstanding, whatsoever), we can all get back to doing what we all love doing instead of worrying about whether we will be able to do so or not.
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Darrow on
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By the way, as of this morning, the renewal letter that states that the safety class is required for the purchase of insurance is still on the web site for Performers of the US/Specialty Insurance.
Someone might want to give Stephanie a little nudge to remove that letter, given her posting of the other day...
Lee Darrow, C.H.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Miller on -
Good morning,
I am also new to the forum, and agree with Ray. I have to voice my issue. If there is a saftey class to take, fine, so be it. We don't regulatory CEU's for being a stage hypnotist, so I don't hve a problem with the class, this is a one time thing. However, I think it should be available on-line, DVD or some other format so we don't have to travel to "show up in person."
But, I have to have the insurance, that is the bottom line, and since I recieved an email yesterday stating that May 12th, that Stephanie Wiess will make a descision on us even having insurance. ( I think a wise move is to have some options just in case we aren't able to have insurance with her.. I believe this to be a bigger issue, I am unaware of other places to go)
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