What makes a good hypnotherapist?

If a client has gone in vain through most of the traditional medical treatments and decides to give hypnotherapy a try, they look for a good hypnotherapist. GOOD, this means that s/he should possess a number of qualities like for example have a solid background knowledge about the history of hypnosis and the theory of hypnotherapy. Their main interest must not be money, but a real desire to help the clients. Therefore it is often said that hypnotherapy is not simply a job, but a vocation. This also means to be aware that people come with the weirdest problems and it is important to take the client serious and believe that no matter how trivial the problem sounds, it influences the quality of the client's life. It is important to establish quickly rapport with the client to gain the client's confidence. They have to feel that they are taken seriously and are understood and that everything they say is treated strictly confidentially. A good therapist is at all times well aware of the fact that they have no control or power over the client.

If the client suffers from physical conditions, it is important to assure that they consulted a doctor first. A good hypnotherapist will never diagnose, because we are not doctors. It is also important to be open-minded. Problems can have very different causes and two similar problems might go back to two very different roots. Therefore we must never put a pattern on a client but deal with what comes up. This demands a great deal of spontaneity and flexibility. Sometimes there is need for the use of different tools to the ones we would normally consider. A good intuition is helpful. If a therapist does not believe in re-incarnation, for example, and therefore strictly rejects to do past-life therapy, s/he might not be able a person whose problems raise in a past life.

Finally, a good hypnotherapist is aware that learning never ends and should be interested in learning new techniques etc. and exchange experiences with colleagues to learn from each other, too.

There are places offering home study programmes or weekend workshops and afterwards the person can call themselves hypnotherapist and practise. It is therefore always important to check.

I have trained at the Atkinson-Ball College for Advanced Hypnotherapy and Hypnohealing. They offer foundation courses followed by several months of classroom training and practise. There is an exam at the end and even afterwards the college offers regularly seminars and workshops. I have also been a member of the Corporation of Advanced Hypnotherapy since 2002.