A GUIDELINE OF QUESTIONS TO ASK and REQUESTS TO MAKE WHEN INQUIRING ABOUT HYPNOSIS TRAINING

A GUIDELINE OF QUESTIONS TO ASK and REQUESTS TO MAKE WHEN INQUIRING ABOUT HYPNOSIS TRAINING

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How many hours of training are offered? How many of these hours are actual classroom hours? (You should receive a minimum of 100 hours of hypnosis training).

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What kind of certification will I receive after taking this class, and from whom? (Be certain that you will receive certification upon successful completion of the course, and not have to come back for additional classes! Certification should come through an internationally recognized hypnosis association with a set of practitioner ethics, such as the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH).

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Will I receive hands-on training? ( Find out if your class is experiential. To learn hypnosis thoroughly, students must spend ample time both giving and experiencing hypnosis, not just listening to lectures.

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Who will be my primary instructor? What is her or his experience as a hypnosis trainer? (Your primary teacher is the connecting source for all the information you will receive. It is important to know in advance precisely who will be teaching you, and to have an idea of her or his foundation of knowledge.)

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How many years has s/he been a practicing hypnotherapist? (It is obvious that the more years your instructor has spent as a practicing hypnotist, the better s/he will be able to teach you.

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Request a personal or telephone interview with your primary instructor. (You must feel comfortable communicating with the instructor. This is essential if you are going to be taught by this person. The instructor should take an interest in interviewing you and speaking with you, no matter how popular or busy she or he is.)

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Ask to review a course outline. (Ask for a detailed outline of what you will learn in the course, and only enroll if the teacher can provide one. Make sure it is thorough, and covers necessary topics such as “inductions,” “regression techniques,” “suggestion management,” “guided imagery,” “history of hypnosis,” "applications of hypnosis" and “marketing.”)

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Is a specific method or modality taught? (Some schools offer just one type or style of hypnosis. Some have developed their own approaches to hypnosis. Others expose you to a wide variety of techniques. Know in advance how broad the education is that you are going to be receiving.)

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Exactly how much will the course cost? (Expect clear, specific answers. Avoid schools or instructors with vague answers and run the other way if anyone tries to “hard-sell” you! Expect to pay a fair price for tuition and don't bargain hunt; remember that you are paying for a lifelong vocation.

Be wary both of extremely inflated and extremely cheap tuitions. Typical and acceptable tuitions for hypnosis certification in the USA range from between $1,500 to $2,500.)

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What is included in tuition cost? (The best schools offer you books, cds and other supplies, including snacks and beverages, as part of your tuition. Small items can add up to a lot of money if they are not included.)

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Will there be solicitations to buy extra materials? (You should not have to spend valuable classroom time for which you paid tuition receiving advertisements to buy additional products. All necessary supplies should be provided as part of your tuition.)

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Will there be solicitations to take additional courses? (While some schools offer complete hypnosis training in one course, others inform you that you will be required to take higher levels of training or “advanced” classes--and sometimes do not reveal this until you have begun to attend class.

Make sure you know at the outset if this is going to be the case. Check with other students who have taken the course, if necessary. As above, you are not paying tuition to be a captive audience for advertisements promoting other trainings!)


HOW TO DISCERN

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Be on the lookout for fake doctorates (Ph.D.'s) and titles like "Reverend."

Sadly, the deceptive use of such titles is rampant in the world of hypnosis. Genuine Ph.D.'s and ministers spend from six to eight years in rigorous studies at an academically accredited college, university or seminary. Make certain that an individual purporting to be a doctor or minister has in fact graduated from such an institute. Check the college's accreditation first, and then contact the college to see if the individual in question in fact holds the purported degrees. Please also be aware that there are some genuinely gifted teachers using credentials like those described above. The important factor is their willingness to disclose honestly and fully the extent of their education.

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A good hypnosis instructor undergoes special training to be certified to teach hypnosis.

Check the credentials of any organization with whom the teacher claims to be a certified instructor. Make sure that it is a legitimate organization, and not just a bogus agency made up to sound impressive. Next, contact the group both to discover what kind of training their instructors take, and to clarify that the teacher in question is indeed one of their certified instructors and is in excellent standing with the organization, having complied with their code of ethics.

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