Qualifications Needed to Become a Hypnotherapist

Believe it or not, basic qualities of a good hypnotist have nothing to do with hypnosis…

A good hypnotherapist should have:

  • A passion for life—his own and the client’s
  • Ability to establish rapport with people
  • Intellect and curiosity
  • A motivation to serve, but free of the “mission complex”
  • The humility to see him/herself as a facilitator, not a miracle worker
  • A non-biased approach, allowing him/herself to be open-minded and nonjudgmental
  • A commitment to ethics and integrity
  • A philosophy that is eclectic or at least flexible
  • The ability to sympathize without seeing the client as helpless
  • A balanced sense of his/her own worth
  • The security to empower the client with credit for his/her own successes
  • Creativity and quick mindedness

A good hypnotherapist must have:

  • A commitment to the concept of confidentiality and trust
  • The ability to recognize professional standards over personal issues
  • A staunch dedication to the well-being of the client

In terms of qualifications…it depends on what field you are planning to work in.

Demonstrational/Stage Hypnosis: designed to entertain or educate. If this is the area you see yourself in, you will benefit from taking Hypnotherapy certification course #101 in our school, but after that…We would advice you to take stage hypnosis training.

Clinical Hypnotism: intended to help clients with severe depression, anxiety, emotional distress and traumas. Only used in mental health or medical setting or with a licensed professional referral. If you are a certified hypnotists and see yourself helping people with emotional distress, you may consider taking our certification program in Clinical Hypnotism that is also approved by state as a long distance certification training.

Therapeutic Hypnotism: intended to assist clients in ridding themselves of habits, anxieties, and phobias, achieving weight reduction, performance enhancement, relief from SAD, pain control, stress management, confidence building, and improving life-management skills. You can help people with all listed here issues as soon as you complete the NGH certification program.

Persuasive Hypnotism: used by religious leaders, marketing organizations, politicians, and others to sway consumers/followers. Now you know why sometimes you may buy something and a minute later… feel puzzled.

Medical Hypnotism: used in pre-surgical, obstetrical, emergency situations, healing imagery, reducing medicinal side effects, and in mental health settings, as well as dental offices. Performed by licensed health professionals or with licensed professional referral. NGH offers certification training in Medical Hypnotism that is held two times a year. Call us at (847) 760-5000 to find out when it will be offered in our school.

Note: Limitations: In some states clinical hypnotherapy may be practiced only by those who are otherwise authorized by education and licensing to work with issues within the confines of the field of mental health and mental illnesses, and only to that extent covered by the appropriate license.

Anyone requesting help in these areas or with pain issues should be seen and worked with only after obtaining a referral from a mental health professional or a medical doctor. Relieving pain when the origin is unknown could result in masking symptoms of a more serious condition.

As a client…

Make sure your hypnotist has proper training and qualifications. You trusting him with much more that just your time…

APA Staff & Facilty