FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About Clinical Hypnosis and ICBCH Hypnotherapy Training Programs

Does hypnosis work?

YES!  It is amazing how effective hypnosis is for medical and behavioral difficulties, and for self-improvement and lifestyle changes. In virtually every area of medicine and psychology where hypnosis is used as an adjunct treatment, success rates are dramatically improved.   Behavioral issues such as addiction, smoking cessation and weight loss are common uses for hypnosis, and it is used effectively in managing the physical discomforts of many functional illnesses such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and pain management.  Medical applications in anesthesia, child-birthing and dental work are clearly documented, and hypnosis is recognized by theAmerican Dental Association and American Psychological Association as a modality of treatment - because it is safe, effective and natural. 

Can a person really learn to use clinical hypnosis via homestudy or in 2 days of live training?

YES!  If you are already skilled in therapy/counseling or other allied health profession, you don't need a comprehensive class to teach you the foundations of the therapeutic relationship, empathy, or interviewing skills, as these are skills you already possess. In fact, you also already possess the skills needed to induce hypnosis - because hypnosis is a natural phenomena, not a mystical state of altered consciousness. It is entirely possible to complete a brief course on the technical aspects of hypnosis, and then begin using hypnosis with your clients. Our accelerated classes are based on the principles of effective learning and provide a great deal of knowledge in a short period of time. We regularly get calls from people who begin using hypnosis with clients upon completion of this course and report tremendous success. 

Is your multi-media homestudy course as good as a live seminar?

YES!  Our homestudy course presumes that you already understand how to provide counseling, and it teaches the techniques of hypnotherapy didactically and through demonstration. One benefit of a homestudy course is that the multi-media materials are there to review over and over, at your own pace. Of course, live trainings are unique and provide a forum for hands-on practice with fellow students, but both methods of learning are beneficial. One therapist we know in Texas completed our homestudy course and within a few months reported that she was now doing 75% hypnotherapy and building an all-cash practice with very positive feedback from her clients.  We provide the knowledge to actually do hypnosis with confidence, not just a theoretical framework.

Is Hypnosis Safe?

Sometimes people try to "sell" hypnosis training programs (usually very expensive or lengthy programs) by keeping hypnosis mystical and saying that only those who take "their" course are "safely" able to use hypnosis.  Because hypnosis is a natural state and all hypnotic phenomena occur in real life - even if we don't identify it as hypnosis, your biggest risk is a client falling out of the chair!   Solution: Buy a recliner for the office.  Revivification, regression, trance, abreaction, and other experiences in hypnosis occur in traditional therapy, and you are already trained to deal with many of these issues.  It is true that without experience or training a person may do ineffective hypnotherapy, or may even take it in a direction that has no scientific validity, but just as there are bad hypnotherapists there are bad professional counselors or social workers.   Fortunately, they are far and few between in our profession and this course is based on a naturalistic and realistic view of hypnosis.  There is absolutely nothing to fear in hypnosis, except those who try to "sell" programs based on fear.

What can I do as a clinical hypnotist?

Hypnosis is used in the fitness industry to improve performance, focus and concentration; by educators for alleviating test-anxiety, increasing comprehension and accelerating learning; and by therapists for changing faulty cognitive errors and helping clients develop healthy patterns of behavior.  Those who incorporate clinical hypnosis into professional practice report higher earnings, and satisfied clients.   You will be able to work with many new types of clients and even develop an all-cash practice where clients often pre-pay for services. At the conclusion of our courses, you will be able to:

• Integrate the practical uses of hypnotic language into traditional therapy.
• Conduct hypnosis sessions, from induction to post-hypnotic suggestions - using both metaphor and directive suggestion techniques.
• Understand methods for reconciling dissonance between conscious and unconscious motivations.
• Learn how to facilitate rapid inductions.
• Appreciate the therapeutic value of trance.
• Enhance success with drug and alcohol users, depressed clients, habit control, weight loss, smoking cessation, sexual dysfunction, learning disorders, medical conditions and behavioral disorders!

You will also be able to provide an additional modality of treatment that will benefit many of the clients you currently work with - and effectively offer solutions to clients you previously were unable to help.

Can I use the title "Clinical Hypnotherapist" after completing your courses?

Our Clinical Hypnosis Certification programs meet the criteria for basic Certification by the ICBCH. Participants who successfully complete our program will receive a certification designation, as follows:

Certified Hypnotist (C.Ht.)
This title is reserved for associate members of the ICBCH and is the most basic level of recognition. The requirements for associate membership and certification include completion of our live or homestudy 20-hour certification program. This level of certification is designed for those who practice hypnosis apart from any clinical setting, but have learned the 5-stages of the hypnotic process and use hypnosis primarily to enhance personal life goals and to help people achieve the physical and mental benefits of hypnosis.

Certified Professional Hypnotist (C.P.H.)
This title is for those who intend to or are practicing hypnosis professionally and are already an ICBCH Certified Hypnotist. Requirements for this level of certification include completion of our basic 20-hour certification program, plus an additional 30 hours of ICBCH approved training.  Members of the ICBCH who are certified by another professional organization with substantially similar training requirements may apply for CPH status through reciprocity.

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (C.C.H.)
In most states the practice of "therapy" or use of the word "therapy" is legally reserved for those with licensure or certification in a mental health or medical related discipline. The ICBCH will award status as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist only to those who are certified or licensed by a state or recognized national board in healthcare, medical or mental health professions. ICBCH members who complete our 20-hour homestudy or live certification and are licensed or certified by an acceptable organization or state licensing board will be designated as Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists.

ICBCH Diplomate Status
Diplomate status is reserved for those who are ICBCH certified as Clinical Hypnotherapists (CCH) or Professional Hypnotists (CPH) and complete 100 hours of hypnosis instruction through the ICBCH or another recognized provider.    

Will earning hypnosis certification help me build my practice?

Professionals who offer hypnosis as a modality of treatment find an increase in referrals, a larger base of clients, and many more clients wiling to self-pay than in other forms of therapy. Fees can be established based on problem-solving rather than trading "dollars-for-hours" as with traditional models of therapy. Group hypnosis for habit control can draw large numbers of clients, and instead of limiting yourself to "depressed people" or "mentally ill" people, you can offer services that focus on wellness and enhancement of all aspects of life.  

Here is an interesting statistic:  There are about 50 million people in the USA with mental illnesses, but about 120 million obese people. From this single example limited only to weight-loss, you can see that the business potential is incredible. Here is a shocking financial statistic:   10 weightloss or smoking cessation clients a week @ $249 each will yield about $10,000 a month in revenue.  

Does one need a special license or certification to do hypnosis?

In most states the answer is no.  If you are a state or nationally licensed or certified mental health professional, you are already licensed to use hypnotic modalities for health and wellness in most states. And while it is true that in most states individuals without licensure can practice hypnosis, our courses are primarily designed for those with a counseling, social work, medical or professional helping-industry background.  

You are ultimately responsible for determining any restrictions in your particular geographical area, such as state registries or state licensure.  Connecticut has a state registry for hypnotists that are not licensed as a medical or mental health professional.  Indiana does not permit group hypnosis (that makes no sense to us), and Florida requires 50 hours of training when using hypnosis as "therapy", but for non-therapeutic purposes it has no restrictions. 

Why certify those who are not mental health professionals at all?

The reason is simple:  Many unlicensed professionals use hypnosis for non-medical purposes and some hold unique expertise in their field that makes them more qualified to use hypnosis for certain applications than a therapist.   One example comes from the fitness field: Personal fitness trainers and coaches know their clients and utilize strategies to assist them with personal health-related goals or in competitive situations. They are not doing therapy, but they are helping people, and they should have access to clinically solid training. Another example: Golf pros use the skills of hypnosis to assist players in developing focus and concentration; licensed massage therapists promote relaxation and physical healing, and we recognize that when people interested in hypnosis aren't allowed access to quality programs, they will find programs that are less than quality to teach them what they want to know.

Why is hypnosis not regulated?

Hypnosis is a natural phenomena; a resource already existing within clients. Helping people relax, feel good, take physical control over emotions and use the decision making power of the mind to resolve difficulties is not the domain of any single entity or discipline; it is praxeological in nature, encompassing all areas of human life and problem solving. 

Religion uses trance, education uses concentration, sports uses focus, medicine uses analgesia, psychology uses the unconscious mind, social work uses internal resources, and business draws on human potential. In other words, many disciplines utilize the principles of hypnosis, and no single therapeutic discipline can claim hypnosis to be its own.

What is "Advanced Parallel Programming"?

APP is a method of using hypnosis that draws from both directive and Ericksonian methods and has as its core function three goals:

1. Teaching clients new skills (like physical relaxation)
2. Helping clients re-learn new healthy behavioral patterns (how to stop smoking)
3. Using suggestive therapy to reconcile subconscious motivations with contradictory conscious actions.

A typical APP hypnosis session will draw on cognitive-behavioral modalities of treatment and incorporate assessment, interviewing strategies, and a holistic approach that meets the clients at their point of need. One-size-fits-all approaches to hypnosis that only use directive or only metaphorical approaches are limiting. APP is a metatheoretical model of hypnosis that compliments rather than replaces other modalities of treatment.

What will I learn in your courses?

All of our hypnosis courses focus on clinical aspects of hypnotherapy. We do not teach past-life regression or speculative approaches to hypnosis, and we do not teach forensic hypnosis or recovered memory therapy. 

You will learn how to do inductions, how to create effective suggestive scripts and how to use naturally occurring hypnotic phenomena to make therapy more effective.  You will also learn the components of hypnotic language, how to safely de-hypnotize a person, and how to use hypnosis responsibly to help people make the changes that to this point they have been unable to make through other more limited modalities of treatment.

Are your instructors qualified?

YES!  Our coursework and instructors' qualifications are highly regulated by numerous social work, nursing, psychology, counseling, and marriage and family therapy boards. All instructors hold advanced degrees, state licensure in mental health related disciplines, experience in the subject matter being taught, and/or meet any other regulation to provide advanced training and certification and to award CE credit.  

We are an approved continuing education provider of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).  In addition, we are authorized to award CE credit by the state boards of Florida, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and many other states (see complete CE provider approval list here). Instructors meet the specific Florida state requirements for providing hypnosis training of Rule 64B4-7.002 F.A.C.  

What about Past-Life Regression or other "Oprah-fications" of hypnosis?

Our coursework is based on clinical modalities of treatment with demonstrated benefit to clients.   We do not teach PLR or other modalities of religious applications of hypnosis.  We do not teach forensic hypnosis except to qualified law enforcement professionals, and we do not teach methods of "memory recollection," due to the inaccuracy of hypnotically retrieved memories and the potential for "false-memory syndrome".   You will learn techniques sanctioned by psychological and medical associations around the world, and to use hypnotic methods to create effective change in clients seeking such changes.

What is the ICBCH?

ICBCH Inc. is an organization formed for educational purposes. The International Certification Board of Clinical Hypnotherapy is a professional association that recognizes and hypnosis certification programs and educates the public about the benefits of clinical hypnotherapy. It was created to set standards of excellence, and to promote clinical hypnotherapy and related fields of social science. Its broadest goals are to insure quality training opportunities and help enhance the standing of clinical hypnotherapy. Its narrower focus is to assist individuals and organizations in being recognized for achieving a level of quality within the field of hypnotherapy. The ICBCH certified professional is governed by a professional code of ethics.

Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive both the certification designation and a complementary 1-year Membership with the ICBCH.  www.HypnotherapyBoard.org

More Questions?
Feel free to call or email us.

INFORMATION
About Mindfulness Meditation and the Medical Meditation and Stress Management Consultant Training Program

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), is a proven method of strategic intervention with both medical and psychiatric clients, based on principles that have been effectively used for thousands of years. Recent clinical research indicates MBSR improves outcomes in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and can be integrated into a variety of other treatment approaches.

As insurance companies, benefit providers and corporate medicine specialists seek proven techniques of intervention, those who learn and practice MBSR will have the edge. This course is designed to teach you the skills of medical meditation and to integrate methods of stress reduction into the lives of a variety of clients.

Even the most difficult to treat clients have benefited from MBSR methods. Borderline personality disordered individuals, clients with eating disorders and even self-mutilators and addicts have realized change by using MBSR.

Stress reduction methods can help with pre-surgical preparation and promoting wellness among medical patients. Counselors and therapists working with adult and adolescent behavioral and psychological problems will find these tools a valuable resource for making therapy more effective. MBSR is the leading therapeutic approach in an era of managed care seeking outcome based treatment with proven efficacy. Those who complete this course will posses the foundational and advanced skills required to effectively implement evidenced based therapies in today's competitive environment.

The methods of stress reduction taught in this course are well researched and accepted by the clinical and medical community. Many of these methods have historical origins in a variety of religious experiences and the materials for this course reflect the historical origins of meditation practice. Practitioners and clients of medical meditation techniques and MBSR in particular will learn the foundational exercises that come from these religious traditions and how to apply them in any context, religious or secular. Purchases of this course should be open minded and prepared to learn from new perspectives and ancient wisdom, to fully benefit from these course materials.