The business of hypnotherapy is quite curious. Part 6
Part 6 in an 8-part series of the Curious Phenomena of Hypnosis.
Is it Hypnotist, or Hypnotherapist? Are hypnotists board certified, are hypnotherapists licensed?
Speaking from my personal knowledge of the state of Texas and its regulations in the area of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, there is no licensing or board certification or doctorate in hypnotherapy. Hypnotists receive a certification of their training from the governing industry association and / or school attended. Usually 200 to 300 hours and more depending on specializations.
Each state adopts their own guidelines for the practice of hypnotism. And in Texas unless you are a MD or PhD, you can not practice “hypnotherapy.”
This is the disclosure I am required to make to each client according the the association I certified under:
NOTICE— THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS NOT ADOPTED ANY EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING STANDARDS FOR THE PRACTICE OF HYPNOTISM. THIS STATEMENT OF CREDENTIALS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Under Texas State law a hypnotist may not provide therapy, medical diagnosis or recommend discontinuance of medically prescribed treatments. If a client desires a diagnosis or any other type of services from a different practitioner, the client may seek such services at any time.
My training consisted of 300 classroom and clinic hours. That was the maximum offered by the school at the time for the level of Certified Clinical Hypnotist, In the school I attended, Dallas Hypnosis Training Institute (no longer functioning) 200 hours certifies one to be a Master Hypnotist and 300 hours for Clinical Hypnotist. If you take the test from the association, that earns you the certification.
The other curious thing about this business is that depending on the association you are certified with, the titles are different. I earned my certification from the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners and so my title is Certified Clinical Hypnotist or CCHt, some in the Dallas area are Master Hypnotist and all kinds of other titles. It’s confusing.
This makes it difficult for clients looking for the best hypnotist. I saw one in the Dallas area state that they were Board Certified and I an assure you, the State of Texas recognizes no such board for the practice of hypnotism.
I believe it would be in the best interest of the practice of hypnotism if the state adopted licensing. It is also disconcerting to me to see so many “so called hypnosis professionals” doing and saying things that are just not true.
For example, Hypnotists can not make someone forget another person or an event or memory…we can change the emotion around the event, but not erase the event from one’s memory. This year, I have gotten more calls about this than ever before. Calls asking us to do things that are out of your scope come in weekly…the caller will say “I saw it on You Tube or TicTok.” And we also get calls from people who want us to undo some hypnotic suggestions from an online source. One woman said she wasn’t eating because of a weight loss recording (I honestly think there was more going on with that case). She was actually angry with me over my fees to fix the problem the free recording created.
The internet is too big for a governing agency to check, but if we did have licensing for hypnosis I believe it would deter a lot of fakes looking for “likes” and subscribers to their channel.
The views of Valerie Grimes in no way reflect the views of the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners or other hypnotists practicing in the Dallas area.
The business of hypnosis is curious and hypnosis is a curious phenomena. If you are interested in becoming a hypnotist, I recommend the Hypnosis Motivational Institute in California. I perform continuing education through that organization.
Hypnosis is a form of cooperative therapy that targets specific problems and attitudes. Hypnosis is based on the idea that each client is willing to work toward a goal with a qualified specialist, and break out of bad patterns. If certain behaviors are threatening personal relationships, physical and emotional health, or success at work, it could be helpful to examine the root of these problems in a controlled environment with a certified hypnotist. Hypnosis provides clarity to clients who may not understand their inability to change or improve chronic situations in their lives.
READ THE NEXT ARTICLE IN THE SERIES.
About Valerie
Valerie Grimes is a clinical hypnotist (CHt). She is a recognized master at helping people overcome the negative belief systems, false opinions and self-defeating habits that reside in their sub-conscious minds. She has worked to eliminate negative patterns which consistently sabotage client relationships, health and opportunities for success in business and life. In 2002, she graduated from the Dallas Hypnosis Training Institute in Irving with 300 classroom and clinical hours. She is the owner of The Flow Center in Dallas. She became a BARS practitioner in January 2022.
Valerie Grimes, CHt
THE FLOW CENTER
5310 Harvest Hill #266
Dallas TX 75230