10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Hypnotist by Adam Fistler, BCH

When someone is looking into hypnosis as a means to overcome an issue, often times they become confused and overwhelmed by the number of hypnotist out there and the varying quality and skill levels of those practitioners. In this article I hope to clear up some confusion by listing ten things that you should consider when choosing a hypnotist, and give those looking into hypnosis services a better understanding of what to look for when choosing a hypnosis service provider.

10. The Hypnotist's Office

When choosing a hypnotist you should consider the location and condition of the office the hypnotist is practicing from. Locations vary between practitioners. Commonly you may find hypnotist in office space, retail space, practicing out of their own house, to practicing out of places you would never dream of entering on your worst day. When choosing a hypnotist consider if you can really feel safe in his or her office. If you are not able to feel safe and comfortable this will greatly inhibit the depth of hypnosis you achieve and hurt your results.

If a hypnotist is practicing in their own home, be sure that he or she can offer a distraction free environment. Find out if the practitioner has any pets and how they will keep the noise from these pets to a minimum. Consider also how they will limit distractions for ringing phones and television or others in the house. Be sure to consider your safety before entering a strange home and if you don't feel safe, leave.

The origizination and cleanliness of the practitioner's office can also have subtle effects on how you perceive that practitioner. If a hypnotist office is dirty or unorganized it could cause you to question his or her professionalism and hurt the results that you receive. In the same vein, consider the professionalism of the practitioner. Is his or her office what you expected it to be? Is it a professional environment or is this person far out there?

9. Will Your Hypnotist Provide You with a Code of Ethics and Bill of Rights?

One sign of a quality and reputable hypnosis practitioner is a person who will provide you with a code of ethics and a bill of rights. In some state it is mandatory for a practitioner to provide you with a code of ethics and Bill of Rights. The code of ethics will outline that practitioner's privacy policy, if he will share your records or discuss your case and outline his or her therapeutic approach. Professional hypnotist will adhere to a confidently policy and will not share your case with others. Another important aspect of a practitioner's code of ethics will outline any training and or degrees that he or she may hold.

A quality hypnosis practitioner will also provide you will a Client Bill of Rights outline your rights as a client. At minimum this should include a right to see your records, a right to refuse service at anytime, a manner of redress for a dispute. If your practitioner belongs to a reputable hypnosis organization such as the National Guild of Hypnotist he or she will give you an option to seek redress through that group.

Be sure to ask your practitioner for a copy of his or her code of ethics and Client Bill of Rights. If he or she does not have one you may want to reconsider using their services.

8. Does Your Hypnotist Fully and Honestly Disclose His or Her Training and Education?

Included in either the practitioner's Code of Ethics or Client's Bill of Rights should be a full disclosure of your practitioner's education. Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy is it's own unique profession and requires it's own course of study and on going education that is different from that which is required from a doctor of psychologist. In fact you should know that most hypnotists are not psychologists and more psychologists are not hypnotists. Many in the public confuse the two services. The both have unique paths of learning and both take time, education and skill to master. That said there are psychologists and doctors who have taken the time to learn about hypnosis and apply it to their practices, however in these cases these practitioners only use hypnosis on a part time or occasional basis. When choosing a skilled hypnotist you should consider if your practitioner uses hypnosis on a full time basis, or on case to case basis.

Currently in the United States there is no accredited degree for the practice of hypnosis. If you practitioner lists a degree in hypnosis, be sure to question where he or she has obtained it. There are hypnosis schools that give a degree in hypnosis called a Doctorate in Hypnosis or DCH, however these are not academically recognized in the United States. Be sure if a practitioner lists a degree in physiology or mental health to ask where he or she obtained that degree. There are practitioners who will obtain degrees from unaccredited schools mostly dealing with Mental Health of a PHD or PSY.D in psychology to gain more of a perceived credibility with the public. If a practitioner is reputable he or she will list whether or not a degree is from an alternate school.

Hypnosis requires both good training, skill, practice and on going education in the latest and advanced techniques. When looking for a skilled hypnotist, look for one who has advanced training from a recognized hypnosis organization such as the National Guild of Hypnotists. Be sure to ask about any additional training the practitioner has and how he or she improves and keeps up to date on his practice.

Hypnosis practitioners have a wide degree of skills and training. Be sure to choose one with good training and experience. There is a big difference between a hypnotist that goes to a weekend course on hypnosis to a hypnosis practitioner that spends the hundred hours to become certified and spends thousands more learning, taking training, reading and practicing hypnosis and achieving results with real live clients. Remember just about anyone can call themselves a hypnotist, but very few are considered professional.

Just as there is a great disparity in the level of training a hypnotist might receive, there is also a great variance in the level of skill and technique used by a hypnotist. It is relatively easy to guide someone into the hypnotic state. In fact in just a few hours, you could train anyone to help guide others in hypnosis. It's that simple. Hypnosis is just a naturally occuring state that you go into everyday while watching TV or reading a book. It's what you do with the state that makes the difference from just experience hypnosis to achieving incredible results. Some hypnotists just deal with direct suggestion only. While direct suggestion is an important foundation to a good hypnotic process, it cannot be the only tool used. Direct suggestion hypnotists usually do their work in one or two sessions using pre written scripts dealing with your issue. Sometimes these scripts may not have anything to do with your issue at all. Due to poor or lack of training it is all these hypnotists know how to do. While this may work for some people, the results usually are temporary and give the impression that hypnosis is temporary and wares off. Other hypnosis practitioners will use such easy techniques as Emotional Freedom Techniques or simple Neurolinguistic Programming Techniques to try to affect change. While these techniques may be easy to do, these techniques usually only bring temporary relief to the problem and does not address the core reason for the issue.

Sometimes you might even see hypnosis practices who take out full page ads in the news paper with a story about how someone quit smoking or lost weight. Most of these chain hypnosis practices hire some average Joe off of the street and give them minimal hypnosis training. They are then trained to their clients on a pair of headsets, a pair of lighted glasses, play a prerecorded CD, from people who don't even work at their hypnosis clinic, and leave the room. In these type of practices there is little to no contact with your hypnotist and everything is a cookie cutter process used for every client. For the thousand dollar packages these places lock you into, you could just buy a CD player and a few hypnosis CDs off of the internet a receive the same effect. The approach only provides temporary results for those who use this process, to those who need .the hypnotic booster. to maintain, to even no results because the core issues are never dealt with.

The difference between hypnotist with simple training to one that truly studies hypnosis and the aspect of change can be like the difference between riding a tricycle and driving a Mercedes. Mastering a tricycle is much easier than mastering driving a car. A good skilled hypnotist has received advanced training and continues his study in the field of hypnosis. Good hypnosis starts by customizing the hypnosis process to the client, and using those advanced techniques to eliminate to real cause of the problem, not just treating symptoms. Sure it takes time, practice and skill to master those advanced techniques but by choosing a practitioner who has, you will increase you chances of obtaining permanent results.

7. Will Your Hypnotist Answer Your Questions?

A good hypnosis practitioner will be patient and be happy to answer any questions that you may have, both in person and on the phone. Hypnosis is misunderstood by a lot of people so a good hypnotist or his staff should be happy to answer questions. Some places, when you phone them, the only way the will take to you is for you to come into a free consultation and sign up for a thousand dollar plus package. Choose a hypnotist you feel comfortable with and will be there for you if you have questions or concerns through out the process.

6. Does You Hypnotist Answer the Phone?

If you were to take a moment and flip through the Yellow Pages and take the time to call every hypnotist listed, you would be surprised to learn how few of them will actually answer the phone. It's true. A mark of a professional hypnosis practice is one who will answer the phone, and answer your questions. If you do happen to get voice mail, gauge the time it takes to receive a call back. Is it more than one business day? If your hypnotist isn't there for you on the phone, how much will she be concerned about your success throughout the process?

5. Does Your Hypnotist Understand Your Issue?

Does you hypnotist understand your issue and know how to get results? In some cases a medical referral is needed to work on certain issues such as pain management, diabetes and cancer. Does your practitoner know when your hypnosis treatment might interfere with a medical issue? A professional hypnotist knows how to contact your doctor and get a referral to work with your doctor on your issue.

4. Does Your Hypnotist Belong to an Established Hypnosis Origination?

Does your hypnotist belong to an established hypnosis organization such as the National Guild of Hypnotist (NGH)? Established originations such as the NGH required minimum education standards for their hypnotist as well as continuing education. As well as establishing education guidelines, they also maintain ethical guideless as well as resolve disputes between clients and hypnotist. Belonging to an established origination help insures that your hypnotist maintains a high ethical standard as well as being highly trained.

3. Does Your Hypnotist Offer Convent Methods of Payment?

A serious professional hypnotist is one who also offers several ways to pay for their clients. One determining factor between a hypnotist who takes his practice seriously and one who is just a hobby hypnotist is one who takes credit cards and offers various ways of payment. This shows that he or is serious about their business. Be wary of practitioners who only will take cash. This could be a sign of a practitioner finding ways to cheat the system, and if he is cheating the system, he will cheat you.

2. How Comfortable Are You With Your Hypnotist?

Being comfortable and having confidence in your hypnotist is essential to obtaining a good result with hypnosis. If you are wary of your hypnotist or feel uncomfortable this might inhibit your ability to go into hypnosis. Remember in hypnosis, you are in control, so if you don't feel comfortable with your practitioner you may very well reject any suggestions he or she gives you. A reputable practitioner will understand that sometimes this happens and will be happy to give you a refund before any hypnosis is performed.

1. Are You Commited to Change?

This is the single most important factor that determines whether or not you will be successful with any hypnosis program. You must be will take the first step and be ready to make the change. Hypnosis is not magic, and even the most skill hypnotist cannot make you change against your will. When deciding whether or not to do hypnosis decide whether you are really ready to make that change and decide if you are going to follow the hypnotist's instructions. There's no use deciding to do hypnosis if you already made you your mind that you aren't ready to change or that you can't be hypnotized. It doesn't serve anyone to go to a hypnotist to prove that you can't be hypnotized. If you don't want to be hypnotized, you can't because you are in control. Knowing now that you are in control you, with the help of a skilled, professional hypnotist can begin to create amazing results beyond anything you have ever imagined.

About the Author:

Adam Fistler was the founder and owner of the Baltimore Hypnosis Center in 2007, and is now praticing in South Jersey. Adam is a trained 5-PATH Hypnotherapist, Certifed Hypnotherapist by the National Guild of Hypnotist, Master Practitioner of Neurolingustic Programming, Certified Diabetes Motivational Coach, and Training of Neurolingustic Programming. Adam has received hundreds of hours of online supervision and is a regular participant in the 5-PATH Hypnotherapy online study group. Adam used hypnosis himself to overcome painful shyness. Adam has helped countless clients overcome their own issues.

Adam Fistler - Behavorial Change Consultant

About The Author

Adam Fistler is a Behavioral Change Consultant, Board Certified Hypnotist, Certified 5-PATH® Hypnotist, and former owner of the Baltimore Hypnosis Center. A member of the International 5-PATH® Hypnosis Association and certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists, Adam has studied hypnosis, behavior change, and the relationship between thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behavior for more than two decades.

His perspective is shaped by more than professional training. Adam has also lived through addiction and recovery firsthand across South Jersey and the Philadelphia region, including surviving on the streets of Camden. This gives him a deeply personal understanding of the struggle from both sides: as a practitioner who has helped others create change and as someone who has had to confront his own deeply ingrained patterns and beliefs.

During his own recovery, Adam returned to the principles of hypnosis, mindfulness, self-talk, and behavioral change that he had studied throughout his career. He discovered that recovery could be about more than simply managing cravings or avoiding relapse—it could also be an opportunity to understand the beliefs, emotional patterns, and experiences that had shaped his behavior.

Today, Adam combines his professional experience with the lessons of his own journey to serve clients throughout South Jersey, Philadelphia, and beyond, helping others explore the possibility of meaningful, lasting change. His approach is grounded in empathy, curiosity, practical tools, and the belief that people are more than the behaviors they are trying to overcome.