- Find a Hypnotist
- Select a Hypnotist
- Deciding on a Hypnotist
- Choosing the right Hypnotist
These are among the search phrases that people may use to help them in locating a hypnotist who can help them to make positive changes in their lives. This is not something you do every day and most people who contact me will say they have never been hypnotized, so most people have no experience in this process, and usually have no idea what questions to ask.
There are several things that are important to take into consideration, the primary one being a good feeling about the person and the process. Like many things we do, people spend time making decisions, and in the case of hypnosis or hypnotherapy, it is critical that there’s a bond and a feeling of trust between the client and the therapist. Of course you would like to feel confident that the primary concern for the hypnotist is helping you with your presenting issue, whether it be stop smoking hypnosis, stress and anxiety relief, weight loss, or any of the many other challenges that prompt people to contact a hypnotist day in and day out.
There are a variety of different ways to learn about hypnosis, a variety of training programs, different levels of certification available and many instructors across the country. For example, it is possible to take a 3 day class and become a Master Hypnotist. At first the title ‘Master Hypnosis’ sounds impressive, wow, I want a Master Hypnotist to help me stop smoking. Once you understand that the required training might be minimal, you might have second thoughts. Now do get the wrong impression, I know some excellent hypnotists who hold this certification, in fact one of my hypnosis instructors is a Master Hypnotist. In his case he has 30 years of experience, and works in New York City, so he has a wealth of knowledge obtained through years of experience, and I am sure he had more than 3 days of training. In addition, he not only teaches hypnosis he also trains people to teach hypnosis, and offers additional specialized training in hypnosis. So it seems we may have to dig a little deeper here.
Before moving on to another topic, I’d like to mention a few other things about hypnosis certification. Training to become certified in hypnosis varies, when I decided to learn hypnosis, I researched all the different hypnosis training available in Dallas and around the country. I found several schools in other states, however the cost of travel and lodging, combined with the tuition meant that was not going to work for me. What I did find was that the most thorough training available across the country was through the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners (ACHE), and I found an ACHE school right here in Dallas, Heartsong Hypnotherapy.
There were several other ACHE schools in the area, but this one felt right with me, I had a good feeling about the school and the instructor, Bette Epstein. Sure I found a few weekend classes, and other options, but this was the school and the instructor I was drawn to work with for my hypnosis training. I knew this was where I was supposed to train to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. While I am not suggesting you learn hypnosis, I would not discourage this either, I am just sharing my experience in terms of selecting an instructor, and perhaps that will be of assistance to you in selecting a hypnotist or hypnotherapist to assist you.
Another areas to consider is the process involved in your session(s). Will you be working with someone who is going to work with your specific situation, or are they going to attempt to plug you into a systematic, one-size-fits-all, cookie cutter approach? Unfortunately, there are some hypnotists who offer a rigid system, with a predetermined number of sessions and require payment in full at the first session. The truth is that everyone is different, and there is not way to know exactly what someone is going to need in terms of the types of hypnotherapy, the number of sessions or how they will respond to the hypnotic process until they come in for the initial session. It is possible that during the first session, you may find that you feel uncomfortable with your therapist, and not want to return, in fact I have had clients who have told me they had this very experience, yet felt locked into going back since they were required to make a commitment for multiple sessions during their initial visit.
For example, some clients may need 1 or 2 sessions to resolve problems with Insomnia, while others may require 5 or 6. In some cases I have worked with a client one time and taught them self hypnosis to help them learn how to get to sleep and sleep throughout the night, and they just did not need to return. Of course this is a business and those of us who earn our living as a hypnotherapist need to be able to pay our bills and keep our doors open, however I feel that the best approach in terms of my clients is to put them first, and work to assist them to achieve the results they desire in the most effective way possible. When I do that, the finances take care of themselves.
Here are some questions you may want to ask, such as:
- How long have you been practicing hypnosis?
- What kind of training do you have?
- Do you continue to learn more about hypnosis?
- Do you have an office or do you work out of your home?
- Is this your full time profession?
- How long are the sessions?
- Do you design a program specifically for me?
- Will I be required to purchase multiple sessions on my initial visit?
The bottom line is that you need to feel comfortable with the hypnotherapist you select. Many offer an initial consultation either by phone or in person, quite often there is no charge for this, and it can provide an opportunity for you to determine how you feel about the hypnotherapist. Are they pushy and all they want to do is schedule an appointment or do you feel they are genuinely interested in getting to know how they can assist you? Many people start by shopping price, quite often they will email several hypnotists in their area to find out about the fees involved. While this is important, it is equally important to have an understanding about the right questions to ask and actually speak with the hypnotherapist who will be working with you to make sure you are comfortable with them on the phone before you decide to schedule an appointment.