By Jeffrey Feldman, PhD
ASCH President
One of the benefits of serving on the ASCH Board is learning from others on the board and those who have preceded me as president. The brutal and dangerous heat most of us are experiencing as I write this reminded me of a 2024 Advisor column written by past President John Hall. John shared the analogy between the need for adaptive changes in gardening due to climate change and the need for ASCH to adapt and change. In viewing a recent news clip about the weather, a young woman plaintively asked, “Why is it so hot?!” The pun came to my mind, “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” As we all know, a degree of denial can be helpful at times, but if overused, it can lead to tragic consequences for individuals, organizations, and the planet. As John said, “Recognizing what’s doing well and giving it pride of place while finding replacements for those that no longer thrive is the secret to most of my favorite gardens.”
The complexity of ASCH as an organization, its place in the currently rapidly changing healthcare landscape, and questions of how best to move forward—how best to prepare the soil, what existing plants to nourish and showcase, what plants to add, and how and when to add them—remind me of the quote by H. L. Mencken: “For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”
Clearly, ASCH’s hypnosis training programs are one of our core strengths and are something that we should further nourish and cultivate. These programs are ably led by Samantha Price, chair of our Continuing Hypnosis Education and Training (CHET) Committee. To better support the very dedicated faculty who provide Level 1, Level 2, and Advanced Training, the board approved a long-overdue increase in the honorarium faculty receive, recognizing their dedication and that, financially, it is still far from what they might otherwise earn for their time.
To provide training for the long waiting list of individuals seeking Level 1 training the number of participants in each course has been increased. Steps were taken to ensure continued educational quality and an additional course has been added to the schedule. Those interested in teaching are encouraged to contact ASCH Education Manager Charlotte Healy at chealy@asch.net to learn how to become qualified, thereby replenishing the soil for this central feature in the ASCH garden.
Another pillar of ASCH is the annual ASMW. A benefit arose from the need to shift to virtual meetings due to financial necessity and the post covid “climate” in which many members prefer the convenience and reduced expense of virtual attendance. All presentations were recorded and are now available to those who registered for the program and are available for purchase by those who were unable to attend. This enables registrants to view at their convenience all of the ASMW presentations, not only the one of the four alternatives they may have been able to attend at each session at prior in-person meetings.
I encourage all to review the richness of these varied presentations. Relatedly, I encourage members to browse the course catalog at our relatively recently established E-Learning Center, where self-paced courses and On-Demand Webinars are available. Also, be on the lookout for upcoming ASCH and Component-sponsored virtual and hybrid webinars and advanced workshops listed on the website.
A further ASCH pillar is our American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, so ably edited by Dr. David Reid and assisted by many members who serve as article reviewers. The journal is currently online and available to members through the website link. We are working on providing e-mail notices to members with article links when each new issue is available to more readily bring newly published articles of potential interest to your attention.
In his August 2024 president’s message, John noted the accumulated clinical evidence that training healthcare providers in hypnosis who have earlier and more frequent contact with patients improves clinical outcomes. This led the board to expand membership to include healthcare providers who maintain an appropriate jurisdictional license permitting independent practice, such as RNs, EMTs, and physical therapists, to become members of ASCH, thereby expanding the richness and diversity of the ASCH garden.
A major impetus to introducing nurses to hypnosis is a soon-to-be-published book co-edited by past ASCH president, longtime board member, and much-admired teacher and clinician, Linda Thompson, Integrating Clinical Hypnosis into Nursing: Enhancing the Care in Healthcare and the Heart in Healing. In reviewing this book, I found it to be a remarkably comprehensive, scientifically informed contribution that will likely enhance the effectiveness of all who care for patients and care about themselves. I encourage all members to look for the release of this book, which we will further announce in an upcoming newsletter. We also look forward to Linda being a liaison to nursing for ASCH, working with CHET in developing and leading Level 1 and Level 2 hypnosis training tailored to nurses.
Linda’s emphasis upon the “heart in healing” reminds me that our members are the “heart” of everything we do. In this regard, the board wants to better understand what members want added, cultivated, fertilized, expanded, pruned, or discontinued in the ASCH garden. To do so, a members’ survey will soon be sent to you. Please take the time to complete this so that the board better understands how to set priorities and better serve you.
Finally, it is my view that the garden will better flourish through collaboration with related professional organizations rather than competition. In this regard, I want to recognize Samuel Kohlenberg, an ASCH-certified board member who was recently elected president of the Society of Psychological Hypnosis (Division 30) of the American Psychological Association. He will be following the current Div. 30 president, former president of SCEH, and ASCH-certified member Ciara Christensen. I have spoken with both, as well as SCEH members concerning collaboration and look forward to further dialogue with these and other societies. I also look forward to hearing through the survey from members concerning their priorities to enable us to better serve ASCH.
My best to all of you,
Jeff Feldman
