Thanks Lindsay, I appreciate your comments… I had not seen this particular entry for a while as it was written a few years ago… I am not sure who you are addressing or what you are referring to in your comments, perhaps you could be more specific and I’ll happily respond.

I am not sure that anyone here is suggesting that “one poor hypnotherapist is representative of the entire field” and my school is an NCH accredited one so I am aware of their virtues.

Not sure what else to say as I am not sure of your reference or inference.

Great hearing from you and delighted that you are reading through the archives of the blog here, I send you my very best and warmest wishes, Adam.

NCH seems to be doing good work in trying to professionalise hypno.

I had one experience as a hypnotherapy client that was pretty poor and one that changed my life and inspired me to train.

The thing I notice in my own journey and in my clients is readiness for change is all.

Thank you for that Andy.

Sadly, many people choose cheap options, tootle along to see a hypnotherapist that is perhaps underqualified or not had a depth and breadth of training, the client has not been fully educated or had the correct expectation created, maybe even not developed enough trust, demonstrated enough congruence… And it all adds up to a less than successful episode for the client who then bemoans the entire field, makes a sweeping generalisation about hypnotherapy and hypnosis in general and we end up fighting the kinds of things you have encountered.

The field of hypnotherapy is looking to set a minimum standard of qualification as you are going to be finding out, as such I hope to see a recognised qualification being a minimum requirement for practice and ensuring that these situations you have encountered happen less.

You can simply attempt to re-educate against the previous experience and be an ambassador.

ps. The blogs coming along nicely Andy, good work 🙂

Really like this post and would have left a reply yesterday hadn’t it been for our broadband being cutoff – so was sorting it yesterday (5 days before I’m online again)…

I was speaking to a friend regarding my hypnotherapy course (your diploma) and received really negative feedback off him saying how he thought hypnosis was a load of sh*t and doesn’t do anything.

My friend had gone to a stop smoking hypnotherapist who’d given him a cd to listen to ‘if the problem ever returned’. My friend mentioned he left the session and lit up a cigerette and chucked the cd in the bin – he wasn’t offered any sort of tasking etc (again I pressume his ‘unconscious mind’ was to take care of all the stuff, hmmm ok).

A few people I’ve been in touch with said hypnosis didn’t work for them for issues like stop smoking, weightloss etc also mentioned no tasking was set and that “hypnosis didn’t work for me” was the general sort of attitude.

Reading your article made me think a bit – it’s not hypnosis didn’t work, but maybe the way they were expecting it to do something to them and without effort; ie they suddenly become someone else – a none smoker or a slim person overnight. the client hasn’t been educated properly about what to expect, don’t you think?

It also seems that there’s a lack of good training such as your diploma which offers both sides of argument / overview and a thorough understanding of the subject.

My belief is that both sides need paying attention to in order for long term change to occur; be that termed unconscious and conscious or another choice of words that to me mean the same (subconscious, pre conscious, id, ego and other unecessary definations in my opinion).

I’m a firm believer in coaching and tasking between sessions – I’ve been coached myself and found it helpful – the one thing missing for me was the hypnosis (which I did myself).

Thanks for this article – great addition to a persuasive argument when others say hypnosis doesn’t work.

Andy