Most of my hypnotherapy clients will get better, by which I mean they’ll overcome those difficulties that brought them to my office in the first place. It could be an end to depression or an eating disorder; it could be overcoming an anxiety disorder, or feeling more motivated and positive in life. I work with my my client’s needs in mind, and most people will benefit from my ability, insight, and skill.
And yet some professionals feel that ‘lay hypnotherapists’ are inadequately trained to deal with such matters. When talking with other therapists, the question of adequate hypnotherapy training often crops up. It’s an interesting topic, and it has consequences for our clients.
A UKCP registered psychotherapist might train for 4 years (followed by several more years on probation) before they can consider themselves ‘fully qualified’. Such training is usually based around a theoretical framework that offers both an explanation for the mental and emotional difficulties people face, as well as a framework for treatment of those difficulties, be that person-centred counselling, CBT, gestalt, or whichever….
In contrast, it is possible to call yourself a hypnotherapist within weeks of starting a training course! Usually there will be little theoretical explanation of why (or how) people do the things they do. Instead, hypnotherapy training often consists of a) learning how to hypnotise people and b) learning how to give hypnotic suggestions and guided imagery, carrying out hypnotic regression and possibly (hopefully!) working with parts integration..
(It has to be said that not all courses are like this, in the UK the LCCH and the NCHP both offer extensive courses that come highly recommended. However, typically, hypnotherapy training usually contains a minimal amount of theoretical information when compared to psychotherapy training.)
So the question is, does the relative lack of training make a difference? Most psychotherapists would say yes, of course. It might seem obvious even, however lets look at analytically. Although an academic, theoretical framework might help a therapist understand why their client has a problem with bulimia, or low self-esteem, or anxiety (or whatever), this is only useful if that therapist has the practical tools to help a person change… Theoretical understanding in itself helps nobody.
It is true that some hypnotherapists lack an understanding as to why people do the things they do. However, hypnotherapists are taught – first and foremost – tools that help people change. Hypnotic suggestion, hypnotic regression, NLP techniques such as the ‘fast phobia cure‘, using hypnosis to apply CBT techniques… These are all tools that help people.
Some critics might point to those cases where, via a lack of understanding, hypnotherapists have said things that haven’t helped their clients. However, the therapeutic faux-pas is not confined to hypnotherapists; I’ve worked with many clients over the years who have been told damaging or limiting things by highly-trained people…
At this point I have to be honest about my own experiences… Learning about different psychotherapeutic frameworks has definitely increased my skill as a therapist. By learning the classic ideas (Freud, Adler, Jung), more recent innovations (the work of LeDoux and Wolinsky), by learning about trauma and memory, I feel I am better equipped to tackle more complex cases – cases I would have been wary of in the past.
And yet – a theoretical education does not in itself make you a good therapist. My way isn’t the best way for all therapists. The only thing guaranteed to help a therapist improve is experience; experience in working with people and learning what makes people change? The best education is found in those hours ‘sat in the chair’ working with people, successfully helping people overcome their challenges in life.
So ultimately, I respect all therapists who take the time to get good at what they get good at, be that a classic hypnotherapist’s approach, or something like myself: more integrative and psychotherapeutic. Ultimately, it seems to me that these differences don’t matter providing people find the changes they are looking for.
Food for thought – if you’ve found this interesting, please leave a comment 
