Hypnosis. Clinical Hypnosis. Hypnotherapy. Clinical Hypnotherapy. Hypnotist. Clinical Hypnotherapist. Master Hypnotist. Hypnotic Coach. What exactly do all of these definitions mean? And more importantly, how would these therapists and applications benefit me? Let’s decipher the terminology specifics and processes.
I would be remiss to define Hypnosis titles without a brief history and definition of Hypnosis itself. The term “Hypnosis” was coined by the English physician James Braid in the middle of the 19th Century after ‘Hypno”, the Greek God of sleep. Practiced by physicians since the 1800’s, including the ‘Godfather’ Franz Mesmer, Hypnotism was advanced by heavyweights of Modern Psychology such as Freud and Binet, and later Milton H. Erickson. Even though Hypnosis has often been mistakenly associated with the ‘New Age’ movement of the past 50 years, on record, hypnosis has been practiced for hundreds of years, with evidence going back even thousands of years.
The practice of Hypnosis is widely used throughout all kinds of medical mediums and therapy modalities in our current day. Hypnosis is the process of relaxing into the Theta brain wave state; the place of deep meditation or light sleep where creativity and visualization take place. Hypnotists call this state the somnambulistic trance. Your subconscious mind does not recognize the difference between reality or what is being visualized, so suggestions made at this level by the hypnotist can disrupt entrenched and learned patterns of thought, beliefs and behavior that require change. Going into this deep state of brain wave allows the critical faculty (the filter mechanism between your conscious and subconscious mind) to fade away or step aside, so your subconscious can absorb thoughts and ideas that it may otherwise reject if you were not in trance.
If you are wanting to make lasting changes in habits, beliefs, actions or thought patterns, choosing Therapeutic Hypnosis is one of the easiest and fasted ways to create powerful results. Once the decision is made to seek a Professional Hypnotist, the task of deciding on a competent and qualified practitioner can be daunting Let’s clarify the official titles associated with those qualified to apply hypnosis, and then decipher how you should choose your practitioner.
Studying Hypnosis and subsequently becoming Certified gives you the title of Hypnotist. The title of ‘Hypnotic Coach’ usually falls into this same category when the Coach is a certified Hypnotist. Being a Certified Hypnotist means you are able to put people into trance and give them direct suggestion. This process is very effective for changing unwanted or relenting thoughts, feelings or behavior, Hypnotists can also go on to specialize in stage or street hypnosis for entertainment purposes. More in-depth study and testing is required to become a Certified Master Hypnotist. Master CHT’s also work with direct suggestion, but have much more training in different protocols and methods of inducing trance, reading others’ suggestibility, working with different personality types, script-application and hypnotic techniques such as patter and word choice.
A Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist is a specialized discipline, and CHTs (as we are known) are approved to work with clients in hypnosis interactively, within the framework of therapy. This includes various regression techniques, as well as Parts therapy. A Clinical Hypnotherapist works to address issues, problems, behaviors, habits or anything else a client may have as a concern, and the client will be an active participant in terms of answering questions, describing a memory or situation, and activating imagination and visualization. Clinical Hypnotherapy is a more comprehensive discipline than merely applying direct suggestion, requires more education, and treats a wider variety of concerns. Being a Master Hypnotist is a pre-requisite for becoming a CHT.
Once you have chosen the type of practitioner you would like to see based on their credentials, it is important to move beyond these titles and ensure your practitioner is not only learned in theory, but also experienced in practice. Being a member of an International Association will guarantee they have met specific requirements for entry, including graduating from an approved academy, passing the Board’s own administered exams, and having hundreds of hours of theoretical study. We are also bound to a specified Code of Conduct. Most importantly, members are already experienced in working directly with clients.
Lastly, consider working with someone who specializes in Hypnosis, instead of offering it in an auxiliary capacity. As the International Hypnosis Federation says, “To select a qualified hypnosis practitioner take heed: A professional hypnotist, hypnotherapist, hypno-coach, hypno-counselor and wellness provider has training and experience in hypnosis to help you achieve your specific goals and interests.
Just because someone is licensed or credentialed in another discipline (I.e. medicine, therapy, dentistry, psychology, mindfulness, social work, or nursing) does not mean they have studied hypnosis or are capable of using it as an adjunct to their other work. Only a small percentage of licensed helpers take time to be certified in hypnosis”. In other words, experience in a focused area equals better results for the client.
Once you have completed the selection process, approach your experience with the knowledge that you have made a choice that will have powerful and lasting effects in your life. This is the power of Hypnosis administered by a qualified Professional.