How To Choose A Hypnotherapist

In writing this page, we are well aware that many schools and individuals teaching and practicing hypnotherapy in the UK today will be less than happy. All that is written here is factual, however, and we write with the singular intention of providing information so that potential clients may be in the very best position to choose a fully qualified and professional practitioner on whom they may reasonably depend for expert service.

The Current Situation

In the UK today there is no legal requirement regarding the training or certification of any hypnotherapist.  The result of this is, quite frankly, something of a mess. Indeed, sorting through the list of therapists all claiming one form of accreditation or another can be really confusing.

At the moment, anyone can set him or herself up in business as a hypnotherapist -- even opening a school and awarding certification and diplomas whose only accreditation comes from the ‘association’ set up by that ‘school’ for the sole purpose of lending authenticity to their own ‘graduates’.

Indeed, many ‘schools’ require no more than the mere completion of a few brief correspondence lessons.  

Both here in the UK and in the US, respected providers of good hypnotherapy training require at least 100+ hours of classroom study in order to graduate from their courses.

Given this disparity in training, we leave it to you to decide who is really in the best position to deal professionally with the complexities of the human psyche.

So How Do You Choose?

Here are some tips on how to choose a good, fully qualified, certified and competent professional hypnotherapist

Major sources for finding a competently trained hypnotherapist are: doctors, family and friends, ex-clients, and recognised hypnosis and hypnotherapy organisations which operate independently of any particular school or group of schools. This independence may be checked by ascertaining from the particular association’s website whether it is open to all suitably qualified therapists or only to graduates of that association’s school and affiliates – in other words, to those with obvious business interests in the association.

The situation, as it stands however, is that there is no 100% fool-proof method of selecting the right hypnotherapist, any more than there is a guaranteed way to select the right lawyer, physician, accountant, or plumber.

Trust your reaction when talking with a hypnotherapist. Shop around. Spend at least as much time to select a hypnotherapist as you would in choosing a car.

Above all, be sure you feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist. If you feel uneasy, it may be a sign that he or she is not good for you.

Key Questions To Ask Your Therapist Are:

• Could you treat my problem without hypnosis? If so, how?
  
• What experience do you have with my kind of problem?
• What are your professional qualifications?
• How long have you been in practice?
• What hypnotherapy associations do you belong to?
• How soon can I make an appointment?
• What are your fees?
• Will you teach me self-hypnosis?

Key Questions To Ask Yourself Are:

• Does he or she seem interested in my problems?
• Does he or she seem truly knowledgeable and professional?
• Do I feel welcome?
• Do I feel accepted?
• Does he or she treat me with respect?
• Does he or she appear hopeful?
• Does he or she ask a lot about me?
• Is he or she genuinely interested in me?
• Does his or her office feel like a professional haven?
• Does the hypnotherapist really listen?
• Is the hypnotherapist on time?

More Tips on how to choose a good, fully qualified, certified and competent professional hypnotherapist

Modern Techniques

Does the therapist use several different inductions -- in particular, modern rapid and instant inductions -- or does he or she usually stick to a single induction. Beware of therapists using only lengthy (usually 'systematic-relaxation') inductions, since these are enormously time-consuming and are often the hallmark of the inadequately trained hypnotherapist

In a truly therapeutic relationship you are heard, accepted, understood and guided to strengthen your inner resources. The hypnotherapist is your ally. Not your friend. Not your business partner. Not your guru. And certainly not your lover.

Any competent hypnotherapist with your interests at heart will automatically teach you self-hypnosis. It is part of your becoming self-reliant.

Is The Cheapest Really A Bargain?

Don’t be overly concerned with the per session fee. A very low fee per session may sound attractive, but in monetary terms, it’s the total number of sessions which will count in the end. Think of how much you’d be prepared to invest in your teeth, your eyesight, your recreation. In human terms, becoming well makes even a relatively high fee seem like a bargain.

Beware of any therapist who has a one-track mind. Some therapists continually find that the origin of all their clients' problems lies in childhood sexual abuse; others find that all their clients' problems arise from past lives; others find that all their clients' problems arise from birth trauma; still others find that the Freudian Oedipus Complex is responsible (incidentally, few concepts in psychology have been so thoroughly discredited as this one!) etc., etc. The simple fact is that not all of life's distresses arise from one trauma, or indeed, from any trauma. Human beings are far too complex and life, fortunately, is far too rich, for there to be one single cause of everyone's troubles.

Sessions & Success

Two questions that concern most people are: How many sessions will it take? and What is your success rate?

The truth is that no one can know in advance exactly how many sessions your problem will take to resolve. There are far too many variables, including: the personalities of you and the hypnotherapist, your talent for hypnosis, whether you really want to shed the problem, what other issues may surface, etc. Be aware, however, that the truly professional and reputable hypnotherapist will give you a fair indication of the approximate number of sessions that might be required to resolve your presenting issue at the very beginning of the therapy.

Be assured that hypnosis, when employed by a suitably trained and experienced practitioner usually speeds up the therapeutic process considerably. Even highly complex issues that might take months or years of regular psychotherapy can usually be dealt with in a matter of weeks with appropriate hypnotherapy.

To ask a hypnotherapist his or her success rate is a meaningless question. Who would tell you his or her success rate is 3%? And how and when is the success rate to be verified? In any case, should the hypnotherapist's rate be 95%, this says nothing about your chances of success. For many different reasons you may fall into the 5%.

In Summation

You owe it to yourself to work only with a truly competent, properly trained and fully qualified professional therapist.

In the right hands, hypnotherapy is a wonderful and powerful means of bringing about real and lasting change. Though it is by no means a miracle, results can often appear and feel almost 'miraculous'.

Be assured that if you truly want and are ready to change, in all probability a good hypnotherapist can indeed guide you to the success you deserve.

Remember, to find the right hypnotherapist for yourself, first do your homework about credentials and experience and then -- trust your instincts.

This article is provided as a public service by Peter Field Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy with fully qualified and experienced hypnotherapist in Birmingham and London