Five guidelines for choosing a good hypnotherapist

Five guidelines for choosing a good hypnotherapist

What criteria should you look for when choosing a hypnotherapist?

First, determine whether the hypnotherapist is certified by a professional hypnotherapy association, regardless of where they learned hypnosis. This means that if there are unresolved complaints about their practice, they can be held accountable and not recertified. You can also contact the club to see if the hypnotherapist has had any complaints in the past. Beware of bait and switch! If the hypnotherapist practices other modalities such as Reiki, Tarot, massage, or performs psychic readings or psychotherapy, you are likely to receive a “watered down” version of hypnosis and not what you would receive with a doctor who specializes exclusively in hypnotherapy.

Secondly, only choose a hypnotherapist who offers a free personal consultation to ensure that you are satisfied not only with their voice that you may have heard over the phone, but also with their office, demeanor and professionalism. Since all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, the way you feel in your presence and in your office has a significant impact on your outcome. Is the chair comfortable? Is the office quiet and private? You probably won't be able to determine this with just 10 minutes of telephone consultation.

Third, find out if they do hypnotic testing. Describing hypnosis over the phone is like describing an apple. Sure, you might get an idea of ​​what an apple is by association, but you'll only know what an apple really is if you experience it firsthand. With hypnotic testing you will have a better understanding of hypnosis and how it can work for you.

Fourth, ask whether their hypnotherapy practice is set up as an ongoing, open process or whether they provide a set number of sessions per issue. Often the price will reflect this. A low session-to-session price may indicate that they are set up for a long-term process like psychotherapy, which is beneficial for the hypnotherapist but may be unnecessary for you.

Fifth, and most importantly, find out if self-hypnosis instructions and techniques are included. Do they record the session, provide reinforcement recordings, or incur additional costs? Reinforcing your desired behavior change is paramount and is best done at home, where you want to achieve the results, not in your office. Otherwise, you will pay full price for a reinforcement session that allows you to learn on your own.

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