About Hypnosis

People often fear that being hypnotized will make them lose control, surrender their will, and result in their being dominated, but a hypnotic state is not the same thing as gullibility or weakness. Many people base their assumptions about hypnotism on stage acts but fail to take into account that stage hypnotists screen their volunteers to select those who are cooperative, with possible exhibitionist tendencies, as well as responsive to hypnosis. Stage acts help create a myth about hypnosis which discourages people from seeking legitimate hypnotherapy.

Another myth about hypnosis is that people lose consciousness and have amnesia. A small percentage of subjects, who go into very deep levels of trance will fit this stereotype and have spontaneous amnesia. The majority of people remember everything that occurs in hypnosis. This is beneficial, because most of what we want to accomplish in hypnosis may be done in a medium depth trance, where people tend to remember everything.

In hypnosis, the patient is not under the control of the hypnotist. Hypnosis is not something imposed on people, but something they do for themselves. A hypnotist simply serves as a facilitator to guide them.

An advisory word to consumers on selecting a qualified practitioner of hypnosis.

Many practitioners claim to offer hypnosis to the public for a variety of purposes; losing weight, managing pain or stopping smoking, etc. Frequently, extravagant statements and guarantees are presented in a sensationalistic way, and it can be confusing for those wishing to learn hypnosis to know where to turn. One way to reduce that confusion is to ask yourself, “Is this practitioner able to help me without using hypnosis?" Or to say it another way, 'How do I know I can trust this person to solve my problem safely?'

ASCH recommends that when you are selecting a professional to assist with a particular symptom or goal, you choose a health care provider who is properly trained, licensed, and credentialed.  This means that the individual has graduate training and holds a currently valid license in a health care field, such as medicine, dentistry, psychiatry, psychology, social work, or nursing. This generally also means that the individual holds an academic degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, and has had supervised experience in offering their professional services to clients and patients. An additional benefit of choosing a licensed health care provider is that your health care insurance may reimburse for services provided, although you should determine this in advance by contacting your insurer or asking your provider.

ASCH encourages you to inquire about the training and experience of any practitioner of hypnosis you intend to consult, in advance. Ask about their professional affiliations and background (medicine, psychology, social work, etc.). It is important to note that every member of ASCH must also be eligible for membership in their respective clinical organizations such as the: American Medical Assn, American Psychological Association, National Assn of Social Workers, American Dental Assn. , and they must adhere to relevant ethics codes and state and federal laws pertaining to their work. If they are members of ASCH, they must also comply with the Code of Conduct of ASCH.

We hope that this has been helpful in selecting a health care professional to better meet your needs. If you have any further questions about deciding on whom to consult for hypnosis or related matters, please contact the ASCH central office.

Hypnosis may be employed in the following circumstances:

• Trauma (incest, rape, physical and emotional abuse, cult abuse);
• Anxiety and stress management;
• Depression;
• Bed-wetting (enuresis);
• Sports and athletic performance;
• Smoking cessation;
• Obesity and weight control;
• Sexual dysfunctions;
• Sleep disorders;
• Concentration difficulties, test anxiety, and learning disorders

The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) is an interdisciplinary organization of medical, dental, and mental health professionals interested in the clinical use of hypnosis. ASCH promotes the understanding and use of hypnosis as a clinical tool with broad applications in medicine, dentistry, and mental health. ASCH offers training and certification programs and provides practitioners with ethical treatment guidelines for the clinical use of hypnosis by trained and licensed professionals.

ASCH believes that hypnosis will be optimally effective when the patient is highly motivated to overcome a problem and when the practitioner is well trained in both hypnoses and in the general considerations relating to the treatment of the particular problem.

It is important to keep in mind that hypnosis is like any other therapeutic tool: it is of major benefit to some patients with some problems, and it is helpful with many other patients, but it may not always be effective, just like any other clinical method. For this reason, we emphasize that we are not “hypnotists”, but health care professionals who use hypnosis along with other tools of our professions. ASCH members strive to attain the highest levels of professional competence and only use hypnosis within the bounds of their training, expertise, and license.

ASCH does not support the practice of hypnosis by individuals who lack professional education and clinical training in a health care discipline. Many practitioners claim to offer hypnosis to the public for a variety of purposes such as: losing weight, managing pain, or stopping smoking, etc. Frequently, extravagant statements and guarantees are presented in a sensational way, and it can be confusing for those wishing to use hypnosis to know where to turn. One way to reduce that confusion is to ask yourself, “Is this practitioner able to help me without using hypnosis?" Or to say it another way, ‘How do I know I can trust this person to solve my problem safely?’

ASCH recommends that when selecting a practitioner to assist with a particular symptom or goal, you choose a health care professional who is properly trained, licensed, and credentialed. ASCH encourages you to inquire in advance about the training and experience of any practitioner of hypnosis you intend to consult. Ask about their training, current license, professional affiliations, and background.

ASCH Membership
To be eligible for Full Membership in ASCH, applicants must hold a master's or doctoral degree in a health care discipline deemed appropriate by the Society. The degree must be awarded from a college or university accredited by its appropriate regional accrediting body. In addition, applicants must be licensed or certified in the state in which they practice. The applicant must also be eligible for, or a member of, a professional society consistent with their degree, such as the: AMA, APA, or ADA, have a stated interest in the clinical use of hypnosis and have successfully completed a minimum of twenty hours of ASCH approved clinical hypnosis training.

ASCH Training
ASCH offers three levels of workshop training (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) four to six times per year. In addition, ASCH holds an annual scientific meeting and workshops on clinical hypnosis. All workshops conform to ASCH’s Standards of Training, which ensures that participants receive quality, comprehensive training. ASCH workshops are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Psychological Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the National Association of Social Workers, and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

ASCH Certification
ASCH also administers a program that offers non-statutory voluntary credentialing in clinical hypnosis. Certification provides recognition of the advanced clinician who has met fundamental educational training requirements in clinical hypnosis. While certification does not automatically imply competence, it does indicate that the practitioner has undergone advanced training in his/her profession and has obtained a legitimate advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher learning; is licensed or certified to practice in his/her state or province; has had his/her education and training in clinical hypnosis peer-reviewed, and such training has met the minimum requirements set forth in the Standards of Training and has been determined to have received the minimum educational training that ASCH considers necessary for utilizing hypnosis.

For More Information
Contact the ASCH Central Office (410) 940-6585 for more information on ASCH or to arrange an interview with ASCH Leadership.