Anybody had any success with hypnotherapy?

[focusedhypno]

I have tried a session but am debating whether to continue. At the moment I am not impressed. It is as I feared. There don't seem to be any formal qualifications. See this article about a cat that was registered as a hypnotherapist!

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8303126.stm

 

The profession seems to attract all manner of wide boys. No wonder, they charge £70/£80+ a session. Why so expensive? Is it because the customer is unlikely to return after the first session? My accountant doesn't even charge that much. I looked at some of these hypnotherapy courses and it takes only 11 weekends to get "qualified".

 

So, the point is this, I am not trying to slag off any person's career or job but has anybody actually had good results from hypnotherapy? What was it for? Or do you feel like you were just getting fleeced for a whole lotta cash?

 

Do any hypnotherapists have a record of being employed by the NHS? This would give me slightly more faith in their credentials.

 

So, any hypnotherapists, don't take a load of offence, but I think my scepticism is justified.

 

Great questions Scooby. This reply may be a little late to help you personally but the questions you ask are similar to the ones I get asked by my clients.

 

OK, the cost first... £70 is about average for the profession. The price charged for anything is often what the market can stand. People won't pay £3 for a litre of milk (yet!) because the market says it should be a lot less than that so that is what everyone pays. In the same way there are a small number of hypnotherapists with skills that the vast majority don't. Many people could benefit from hypnosis for all sorts of issues so the demand is relatively high. Added on to this is the cost of training and continuing practise like supervision, insurance, room hire, professional body membership, continuing professional development etc.

 

That leads on to the training. Some people might do a 2 day training course and call themselves a hypnotherapist at the end of it. Someone might study for a few years and they call themselves a hypnotherapist. This is because the industry is under voluntary self regulation through the CNHC and there is no official industry standard. I would recommend that you see someone who has a HPD (hypnotherapy practitioner diploma) as a minimum.

 

Your accountant might not charge £70 a session Scooby but you will pay them hundreds in a year for doing the books on a small business and you have to pay that EVERY year. Hypnosis has the potential to last for the rest of your life.

 

I have been helping people through hypnosis since 2008 and have had some amazing results. Have a look at my hypnotherapy reviews for proof of this. I see people for a HUGE number of different issues from weight management, stopping smoking, depression, anger, stress, confidence, relationship issues, guilt etc etc.

 

If you had no confidence in your therapist that is in part to them not communicating effectively with you and partly down to you for not letting them know you weren't feeling great about the process (assuming you said nothing to them, never went back and then posted here to register your dissatisfaction). Hypnosis is about working together. The idea is not to MAKE someone be different but more to HELP someone be the way they would like to be.

 

The cat that was registered was registered with a smaller governing body that has very few nationally compared to the big two (GHR & NCH). These two represent the vast majority of all hypnotherapists in the UK and they do have strict standards and do check their members qualifications etc.

 

There are hypnotherapists that are employed by the NHS and some private health schemes do also cover hypnotherapy but both these organisations have a scepticism about hypnosis based on a lack of accurate and up to date knowledge of the discipline (which incidentally has been recognised as an accepted branch of medicine since the 1950's). The clinical evidence base for the effectiveness of hypnosis is already substantial and thanks to a shifting attitude towards the industry there is more evidence all the time being published. This research generally says hypnosis IS real, DOES have the potential to make a difference and IS effective for some people.

 

Hope that helps. If you have any further questions please ask away.

[Arrr Sez I]

The cat that was registered was registered with a smaller governing body that has very few nationally compared to the big two (GHR & NCH). These two represent the vast majority of all hypnotherapists in the UK and they do have strict standards and do check their members qualifications etc.

 

Hands down my favourite excuse of all time.

 

As for the stricter standards, what if the cat had indeed produced a certificate of qualification?

[focusedhypno]

Hands down my favourite excuse of all time.

 

As for the stricter standards, what if the cat had indeed produced a certificate of qualification?

 

Hi Arr Sez. Not sure what you mean by "excuse" as I'm not here to make excuses for anyone. I was just pointing out that the cat was accepted to very small governing bodies (that I have never even heard of incidentally!).

My governing body (GHR) and the NCH (which I am not a member of) are very through and serious about vetting applications. They require referees, proof of professional indemnity insurance, qualifications from known and accredited schools and commitments to further study and on going supervision.

All qualifications are checked when you apply to the bigger organisations. The rules for the bigger bodies were always pretty strict but since the cat incident (in 2009) they have got even more strict.

 

Anyone looking to work with a hypnotherapist would do well to ensure their therapist has a HPD certificate (the unofficial industry standard) and is also a member of a large professional body (like the GHR or NCH). Hope that helps.

[Arrr Sez I]

Hi Arr Sez. Not sure what you mean by "excuse" as I'm not here to make excuses for anyone. I was just pointing out that the cat was accepted to very small governing bodies (that I have never even heard of incidentally!).

My governing body (GHR) and the NCH (which I am not a member of) are very through and serious about vetting applications. They require referees, proof of professional indemnity insurance, qualifications from known and accredited schools and commitments to further study and on going supervision.

All qualifications are checked when you apply to the bigger organisations. The rules for the bigger bodies were always pretty strict but since the cat incident (in 2009) they have got even more strict.

 

Anyone looking to work with a hypnotherapist would do well to ensure their therapist has a HPD certificate (the unofficial industry standard) and is also a member of a large professional body (like the GHR or NCH). Hope that helps.

 

Look I hear what you're saying, I really do, but my cat has been lording it up around my house for years without contributing a single penny to the household. But now I find out that it's possible for a cat to become a qualified hypnotherapist. If my cat can get the right training and produce the required certificate, all I'm hearing is that he could potentially start bringing in a wage. I mean times are tough right now, another wage coming in would really help. Mr Snuggles would be the first member of our family to go to University, I'd be so proud.

[focusedhypno]

Look I hear what you're saying, I really do, but my cat has been lording it up around my house for years without contributing a single penny to the household. But now I find out that it's possible for a cat to become a qualified hypnotherapist. If my cat can get the right training and produce the required certificate, all I'm hearing is that he could potentially start bringing in a wage. I mean times are tough right now, another wage coming in would really help. Mr Snuggles would be the first member of our family to go to University, I'd be so proud.

 

Hahaha! I like you Arr Sez I, you're funny. We need more people like you on SF, far too many trolls and nutters these days! ;-)

[Miss_60]

Hi,

 

I was looking to find a decent Hypnotherapist (if one exists) to try and sort out my anxiety. I must say I feel like I don't want to pursue this avenue since reading the comments as I don't want to be ripped off.

[focusedhypno]

Hi,

 

I was looking to find a decent Hypnotherapist (if one exists) to try and sort out my anxiety. I must say I feel like I don't want to pursue this avenue since reading the comments as I don't want to be ripped off.

 

Hi Miss 60. I get where you are coming from, I really do. There are lots of people on this thread (and others) saying hypnosis has worked for them. The ones who have reported that it didn't work for them could be due to a number of reasons. The first is that their hypnotherapist could have been pulling a fast one. By which I mean that they spend a lot of time and money claiming to have qualifications & governing body membership and have fake reviews on their website. The 'hypnotherapists' who do this are in a VERY small minority.

 

Then there are the people who work as a hypnotherapist but aren't highly trained, don't have professional memberships, insurance etc but who do have a website and people find it and they go along anyway. I'm not blaming the people who see these hypnotherapists because they don't know any better. The hypnotherapists do though and should be doing more to raise their game.

 

Then there are the full time hypnotherapists who DO have professional body memberships, insurance, genuine reviews from happy clients, a good looking website, somewhere to work from that isn't a back bedroom at home and who are willing to give time and information to help you make an informed and educated decision about how you want to look after your health.

 

Do your due diligence and you can find a good hypnotherapist that you feel happy working with and who has a great chance of helping you improve your situation. There are LOTS of us out there ;-)

 

If you have any questions about hypnosis please don't hesitate to drop me a line.

[sheffjo]

I have been to see a couple of therapists for my anxiety. The first was less than useless, proclaiming to me that he could 'cure me' in one session. That one session cost £90.

 

Then I visited a lady who did help me a lot. I am now studying hypnotherapy myself in order to help others with problems like mine (on an accredited course and will be practicing in 2014 ). It is really not pleasant having anxiety, it used to stop me from doing so much but it has been improved no end.

 

I think the key is to find someone that you are comfortable with. If you don't like the person or can't relax in their office/working environment then forget it and go to someone else.

 

I think that hypnotherapists charge so much as they need your commitment. I know some of you will scoff at that but if you have a book full of clients at £20 a piece then some may not turn up for appointments, they may expect you to be a miracle cure and put no effort in themselves and it's just a complete waste of time. If you are charging £60, then the person has carefully considered taking this step and because of that financial investment is more likely to turn up and put the effort into helping you to help them.

 

A good hypnotherapist will tailor the sessions to your specific needs rather than the general problems on a cd. I am not saying don't try them first as it is quite expensive getting treatment for a problem but a hypnotherapist will take your history and monitor you whilst in trance to make sure that you are under sufficiently to take suggestion/help and try everything that they can to combat your problem. They will usually give you a cd tailored to your needs and problem/s to practice in between sessions and you will need to do that as your input is as important as the therapists.

 

Also, on the subject of cost, if it does work for you and you have had 4/5 sessions at £60, then is £240/£300 not a worthy investment in yourself, especially with something like smoking? I suffered for years with anxiety and if I had a million pound to improve it then believe me I would have paid it, but luckily I didn't need to.

[Miss_60]

After looking into Hypnotherapy, I'd rather help myself. Though they can be relaxing at the time, there is no good evidence to show that hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy or homeopathy are of much use in the long run. YOU must learn to control the problems yourself. These treatments don't teach you how to do this, whereas stress control does. I've found this great site if anyone's interested : http://glasgowsteps.com/home.php

[focusedhypno]

After looking into Hypnotherapy, I'd rather help myself. Though they can be relaxing at the time, there is no good evidence to show that hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy or homeopathy are of much use in the long run. YOU must learn to control the problems yourself. These treatments don't teach you how to do this, whereas stress control does. I've found this great site if anyone's interested : http://glasgowsteps.com/home.php

 

I think you may have a limited or biased understanding of what hypnosis is (and is not) Miss 60 and to make a sweeping generalisation about the effectiveness of what thousands of people have found effective is a bit unfair though. You aren't MADE to do anything in hypnosis. It isn't down to the hypnotherapist to command you to be a different way.

 

A good hypnotherapist helps you to be more how you have decided to be. A good hypnotherapist will not only help you unconsciously but also give you tools and techniques that you can take away and use consciously to help you to help yourself. Through these techniques and approaches you CAN learn to help yourself. At the end of the day all hypnosis is self hypnosis anyway.

 

There IS an evidence base for hypnosis and it is growing all the time. There is a good list of empirically supported studies that have proven to have an impact on several issues http://www.hypnotherapists.org.uk/1349/review-of-evidence-based-hypnotherapy-may-2010-mega-research-snippet/. The Royal Society of Medicine said a year or two ago that hypnosis should be extensively used by the NHS for some issues http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13664587

I can't comment on the other areas you mentioned I am afraid as they aren't my area of expertise.

 

I am glad you have found the site you mentioned useful, CBT can be a great tool for some people. It didn't help me much when I had it a number of years ago but I do know some people who have had a huge change as a result of it. That said it is great that you feel you are getting the right kind of help and support that suits you, which is all that matters at the end of the day. What might be right for you may not be right for someone else with the same issue though.