From news.npiec.on.ca!torn!newsfeed.internetmci.com!hunter.premier.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!uunet!in2.uu.net!nwnews.wa.com!news.halcyon.com!halcyon.com!rhunter Wed Jul 3 20:30:56 1996 Path: news.npiec.on.ca!torn!newsfeed.internetmci.com!hunter.premier.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!uunet!in2.uu.net!nwnews.wa.com!news.halcyon.com!halcyon.com!rhunter From: rhunter@halcyon.com (Roy Hunter) Newsgroups: alt.hypnosis Subject: FAQ 3 of 5 (Rev. 6/96) Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 07:27:00 UNDEFINED Organization: Alliance Lines: 142 Distribution: world Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: blv-pm10-ip18.halcyon.com X-Newsreader: Trumpet for Windows [Version 1.0 Rev B final beta #1] This is my third FAQ posting, containing Questions 10-13. You may wish to read the ones entitled "FAQ 1 of 5" and "FAQ 2 of 5" first if you have not already done so, as they contain Questions 1-9. 10. If I have a natural gift, why should I seek training? Some people seem gifted in the art of hypnosis right from the very first class, so it is possible that you could be good at non-therapeutic aspects of hypnosis. But if you EVER plan on using hypnosis in a therapeutic way to help people be motivated, or to overcome bad habits, etc., you run two risks if you fail to obtain "hands-on" training: (a) First of all, and of VITAL importance, you run a risk of someone being left with a negative impression of hypnosis if he/she fails to respond to your attempts to help. Even the best of us cannot help all the people all the time. But the probability of helping a client is far greater if you have a good understanding of a variety of techniques and disciplines, so that you may fit the technique to the client rather than the other way around. Even if you understand the importance of suggestion structure, some people may have subconscious resistance to change. Frequently the failure is not theirs; but rather, that of an inadequately trained hypnotherapist who tried to make the client fit his/her technique or style. Believe it or not, this sometimes happens with counselors or psychologists with little or no training in hypnotherapy who use hypnosis because it is legal for them to do so. For example, improper wording itself often cancels hypnotic suggestion. (b) Second, you will simply not have the respect of hypnotherapists who have respected hypnosis enough to invest in their own training. If you ARE one of those who learned in only 3 to 5 days, do yourself a favor and seek additional training, even if through a home study course. This is important to both you and your clients. Additionally, our legal survival as a profession is in danger because of the very fact that there are self-taught people using hypnosis therapeutically, as well as "certified" hypnotherapists who only completed "certification" courses lasting a week or less. We as a profession simply must increase our own standards if we are to prevent the A.M.A. and A.P.A. from dictating who may or may not use hypnosis. Some with doctorate degrees have been ACTIVELY trying to legislate us out of legality in a number of states. We must start insisting that hypnotherapists seek adequate training before calling themselves "Certified Hypnotherapists," or we must create a new name for those trained in advanced techniques! If we do not do so, there is a risk that hypnosis could once again be controlled by an elite few. 11. What makes hypnotherapy different than cognitive therapy? Cognitive counseling deals with issues at a cognitive level; and many of life's problems require just that. When someone has to make difficult cognitive decisions, competent professional help is absolutely essential! For example, hypnotherapy is not a substitute for marriage counseling. But when it comes to changing habits or behaviors regulated by the subconscious, there is nothing faster than competent hypnotherapy to facilitate subconscious change. However, hypnosis is NOT A PANACEA for all life's problems, and it should not be advertised as such. It's also important to realize that a competent hypnotherapist recognizes that he or she is NOT licensed to diagnose (unless trained and licensed to do so). While a physician, psychologist, or licensed mental health practitioner may be qualified to diagnose or "label" the cause of someone's problem, it is advisable for the hypnotherapist to avoid doing so. Additionally, in my opinion, even when a licensed mental health practitioner uses hypnosis, it is VITALLY important to avoid projecting the preconceived opinion into the hypnotherapy session. If that opinion is incorrect, it may taint the trance--making it difficult to differentiate between repressed memories and false memories. This is one of numerous reasons why you need specialized training in hypnosis even if you are already a mental health practitioner. A diagnostician formulates a professional opinion on the cause of a problem. A competent hypnotherapist asks the client's subconscious mind to disclose the cause, and then either proceeds or refers accordingly, based on the information disclosed -- as well as his/her qualifications. Here's a good analogy: psychologists and mental health counselors could be compared to the "hardware" experts, whereas hypnotherapists are only trained to improve the software. But even the "hardware" experts need competent training in hypnosis if they plan on employing it. 12. How can hypnosis be used to quit smoking or manage weight? There are many roads leading from San Francisco to New York; likewise there are many ways to successfully help someone quit smoking. But the KEY is simple: THE CLIENT MUST CHOOSE TO CHANGE. If this is not so, long-term success is very unlikely. I use a positive approach, based on the client identifying the benefits of change. Hypnosis is used to sell the benefits to the subconscious before any suggestions are given to quit smoking or reduce. Some people use substitutes for old smoking triggers, and some do not. I recommend one deep breath, as it has no calories and no side effects. It is far better for the CONSCIOUS mind to choose the substitute than for the subconscious, as one addiction might be traded for another. Furthermore, if there is still pleasure associated with smoking, the client needs to make a conscious decision to choose another way of having some pleasure in a healthy manner, or there is greater risk of backsliding. Some hypnotherapists unnecessarily use regression back to the first smoke, based on the premise that the original cause must be removed. But with smoking, more recent causes usually far overshadow the original cause, which has often faded with time. This can also be the case with overeating. With weight reduction, I also start with the benefits approach. Often there is more work to be done, however, as people may overeat as an adjunctive response to another unresolved issue. Depending on the cause disclosed by the subconscious mind, I may or may not be qualified to help the client resolve the issue. If there is subconscious resistance to the more positive approach for ANY type of goal, a client-centered approach would be to ask the subconscious to reveal what the cause is so that it may be released. (Without release from the cause, the problem may return.) And before you do this, you are well-advised to have received competent supervised training in such techniques! 13. Can hypnosis be used to reduce pain and/or suffering from illness? Pain is a warning that something is wrong with the body, and it needs to be diagnosed by someone qualified to do so. Any competent hypnotherapy instructor emphasizes to his or her students the importance of requiring a written referral from an examining physician before ever using hypnosis to reduce pain or other physical symptoms. The exception (for those who are not licensed to practice medicine) is if the examining physician is physically present and/or is supervising the hypnotic process. Since the time of a hypnotherapist is not nearly as expensive as the time of a physician, hopefully there will be greater cooperation between the medical profession and the hypnotherapy profession in the future. A competently trained hypnotherapist should know, even with a medical referral, when to simply use hypnosis for symptom removal, and when and how to use hypnosis to search for subconscious causes of the symptom(s). Hypnosis can make a difference even with major disease! You might be interested in reading LOVE, MEDICINE & MIRACLES by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. (Publisher: Harper & Row), and/or ANSWER CANCER by Steve Parkhill. FAQ 3 of 5 (revised 6/96) submitted by: Roy Hunter, MS,CHt, Certified Hypnotherapy Instructor Published Author and Professional Speaker/Trainer