The following is the first definition of the profession of Hypnotherapy as defined in The Dictionary of Occupational Titles, published by the United States Department of Labor, authored by Dr. John Kappas in 1977.
079.157.010 | Hypnotherapist – “Hypnotherapist induces hypnotic state in client to increase motivation or alter behavior pattern through hypnosis. Consults with client to determine the nature of problem. Prepares client to enter hypnotic state by explaining how hypnosis works and what client will experience. Tests subjects to determine degrees of physical and emotional suggestibility. Induces hypnotic techniques of hypnosis based on interpretation of test results and an analysis of client’s problem. May train client in self-hypnosis conditioning.”
How would you feel if you went to a Hypnotherapist and later discovered they only completed one week of training? How about two weeks? How about 60 days? Here is an even tougher question; what if you found your hypnotherapy practice a defendant in a civil lawsuit? How would you feel defending your credentials to a jury? How do you think they would judge someone representing themselves as a counseling professional after 10 days of training in a hotel room or a two-month crash course? How would they judge your professionalism or ethics if your credential came from an unaccredited school or if you earned your “Diploma” in just 60 days?
There is no other helping profession including Nurse, Massage Therapist, Doctor, Dentist, Dental Assistant, etc., that allows you to graduate from an unaccredited school or be trained in a two-month crash course. None of those professions would allow you to offer your services to the public after attending a school that only had one or two instructors in the whole school, or a school that traveled state-to-state offering 10 day training in hotel rooms. HMI recommends that you use the same standards for choosing your Hypnotherapy education as you would for any other career for which you might wish to train.