Choosing a hypnotherapist is a deeply personal decision. Getting the chance to know, like, and trust your hypnotherapist before engaging is important. You want to be able to relate to the person you will be working with. Are they able to listen and really hear what you are saying?
Changing what you think and what you do can change your life for the better. Sounds simple but it is not that easy to achieve. A hypnotherapist can help by accessing your subconscious mind (80% to 90% of your mind) and helping you to focus it on your conscious goals. This makes achieving those goals much easier.
How do you choose the best hypnotherapist for you? Here are some items to consider:
Where did they go to school? How long was their training?
There are many “hypnotherapy schools” some offering a certificate in as short a time as a weekend. Hypnosis Motivation Institute, where I went to school is a yearlong program with almost 800 instructional hours, including an internship program. It includes classes on counseling as well as an introduction to many different modalities.
What additional training do they have?
I am trained and certified in many different techniques and areas in addition to my hypnotherapy degree: Therapeutic Guided Imagery, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Weight Management, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Smoking Cessation, Sports Performance, Pain Management, Grief and Loss, Open to Prosperity, Healing the Inner Child, Fears and Phobias, Stress and Anxiety, Hypnotherapy for Clients with Cancer, Preparing for Surgery, PTSD, and Hypnosis and the Special Needs Child.
What is their certification?
I am a certified hypnotherapist, certified by the Hypnotherapist Union of the AFL/CIO #472. I am on the board of the Union and we are very careful to only certify hypnotherapists who have extensive training. We have a code of ethics and continuing education requirements.
What is their specialty?
While I do see clients for a variety of issues, I specialize in helping clients to:
Relieve stress and prevent anxiety
Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
Sleep well and awake refreshed
Overcome fears and take action
Extinguish negative habits
Manage pain and improve health
Improve self-care and thrive
Score higher on exams
Improve athletic performance
How are they rated on Yelp, Google, and LinkedIn?
Ratings can be an important tool with objective ways to rate performance.
What is their website like? Does it include testimonials, areas of experience, and a blog?
Again, one more tool to help you understand more about the person you are choosing.
Do they offer a free consultation?
If you would like to talk about working together, call now ☎ (818) 929-4944 or schedule a free, private, online video consultation.
In addition to hypnosis, there are several techniques that I have been trained in that can help you.
INCLUDING:
HANDWRITING ANALYSIS – a person’s handwriting gives clues about how they feel about themselves without having to be consciously aware of how they feel. Some examples would be: If your letters begin on the line and then continue into the word, you are good at planning ahead, if your letters start at the top of the letter with no intro stroke, you are not good at planning ahead. If your writing slants to the right, you tend to be extroverted, slanting to the left may indicate an introvert. If words crowd each other on the page, no spaces between the words, a person may be unable to take risks or be conservative. Of course, we verify all of these indications with discussion with the client, but it is a good way to get clues as to what is going on in a person’s subconscious mind.
NEURO LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (NLP) – one of my favorite tools, it offers a way to “reframe” or look at behaviors or concepts from a different perspective. Often looking at events differently can remove negative emotions from the event, taking away the power of the event to cause negative feelings or hold a person back from actions they want to take. This can be especially useful in treating fears, I’ve used it successfully with fear of driving and fear of testing clients.
EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT) – also a favorite tool – maybe because it really helped me deal with my weight issue and my relationship with my father. EFT involves tapping on the body’s energy meridians and balancing the energy disruptions that can continue to trigger emotional and physical pain. This technique looks very odd when you are doing it, but it does work (and I do it along with you so we both look funny…).
THERAPEUTIC GUIDED IMAGERY – In addition to the guided imagery that is usually a part of hypnotherapy, like finding a special place to relax and rejuvenate, therapeutic guided imagery can help you connect with your inner child or find your inner guide. Who wouldn’t want a personalized mentor to help you succeed?
In addition to the specific advanced classes on the techniques above, I’ve also taken workshops in Smoking Cessation, Weight Management, Coping with Loss and Fears, and Anxieties to name a few. These classes teach specifically how to apply all that I have learned in my year-long certification program to each of these specific areas.