What Is The Difference Between a Hypnotist and a Hypnotherapist?

For me the term “hypnotist” refers to someone who has learned how to hypnotize someone and is capable of leading others into a trance state, whether for entertainment purposes or for the basic problems, the “bread-and-butter” of a hypnotherapist’s work eg stop smoking, aid in weight loss, increase self-confidence.

Knowing how to hypnotize someone and knowing what to do with them in trance for therapeutic purposes is a world apart. Some GPs follow a short training in hypnosis as an add-on skill but rarely do they follow a full hypnotherapy training.

The term “hypnotherapist” means someone who has further training in psychology or psychotherapy so can aid someone who has personal problems, suffers from depression. A clinical hypnotherapist is also trained to help with medical problems eg IBS, skin disorders, high blood pressure, pain control - even hypnosis for analgesia.

Personally I trained with the National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy back in 1990. The National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy has been offering respected, evidenced based and independently accredited Hypnotherapy Training, Hypnosis Training and Psychotherapy Training since 1977. This makes the National College one of the longest established and most respected hypnotherapy/hypno-psychotherapy training institutes in the world.

Hypnosis has been an accepted form of treatment in the medical communities since 1955 and 1958 through the British Medical Association, and the American Medical Association respectively.

The National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy provides Hypnotherapy Training, Hypnosis Training, and Psychotherapy Training.

Current course structure is:

A: Theories of psychotherapy

Study of the main principles of various schools of psychological thought which are applicable to the work of the therapist, including:

Humanistic: Includes an examination of the theory and practice of humanistic psychotherapy, with particular reference to Carl Rogers' work. The Gestalt approach to therapy is also covered.

Freud: Libido theory, ego theory and defence mechanisms.

Jung: Analytical psychology. A broad overview, with particular emphasis being given to Jung's theory of the unconscious.

Adler: Individual psychology. The effect of parental and environmental influence. The reconstruction of clients' goals plays an important part in this theory.

Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy: A study of the main experimental bases of cognitive behaviour therapy, their practical application and their relevance to hypno-psychotherapy.

Ericksonian Techniques: A complete weekend is devoted to a Foundation Course on aspects of the contribution of Milton H Erickson.

During the course emphasis is placed upon the application of both the theory covered in the lectures and the practical skills acquired. Thus, for instance, students are presented with actual case histories, and by means of class and group discussion, are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge in the formulation of treatments.

B: Additional hypno-psychotherapy techniques

• The recognition and treatment of psychological disorders
• Practical counselling
• Techniques in hypno-psychotherapy, e.g.:
• Hypno-analysis
• Regression therapy
• Hypno-pictography
• Automatic writing
• Structured dream analysis
• Desensitisation techniques

The students go on to join the NRHP, the National Register of Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists. (I was a member when practising in the UK.) This is what they say on their website about their training:

Training for NRHP members
• All regulated Members of the NRHP have trained to UKCP Hypno-Psychotherapy Section training requirements. This ensures a thorough training in hypno-psychotherapy, with comprehensive coverage of hypnotherapeutic techniques integrated with a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches. All members have undergone training externally accredited by organisations such as UKCP or the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education (BAC)

I have also taken further training in hypnosis, Eriksonian hypnosis and trained to Master level as an NLP practitioner.

My passion is Personal Development. I believe the people who I can help will find me. Indeed, clients sometimes say that they have been to psychologists, psychotherapists or psychiatrists for an extended period of time (and financial commitment) yet have only made real progress with me. One woman recently said after just two sessions that her life has changed forever. She described me as the most powerful person she had ever met.

I am not claiming to be the best but I know that I touch and change people’s lives. Clients even travel from other countries solely to seek my unique brand of therapy. It is also possible to conduct therapy over Skype with a Webcam at each end.

You can find out about me, Antonia Harrison, at Hypnotherapy Belgium

Fees for Skype sessions will be quoted on a personal basis.

Antonia Harrison is the English Hypnotherapist in Belgium and Master Practitioner of NLP.

Treating Crohn's Disease with Hypnosis

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from bowel conditions such as Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Diverticulitis - also known as "diseases of the gut".

Hypnotherapy has been officially recognized since 1958 by the American Medical Association and has continued to grow and show success in the use for many medical conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), including hospitals, research centers and gastroenterology practices.

"Over 15 years of solid scientific research has demonstrated hypnotherapy as an effective, safe and inexpensive choice for IBS symptom alleviation. Hypnotherapy routinely produces positive results in over 80% of the people who use it. It has been so overwhelmingly successful for IBS symptom alleviation that Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, chair of the National Women's Health Network in Washington, DC, says that hypnosis should be the treatment of choice for IBS cases which have not responded to conventional therapy."

This appeared in American Whole Health:

"Mind-body approaches may be key to reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), doctors in Germany report. Patients who supplemented standard care with behavioral therapies, including relaxation and coping strategies, fared much better than those who received standard care alone (American Journal of Gastroenterology, 4/00).

Other studies have confirmed the benefits of hypnosis for men and women with diarrhoea, constipation, cramps and other symptoms of this common and often disabling bowel complaint.

In an earlier Flemish study (Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, Supplement 230 1999), 27 people with IBS were asked to visualize their gut and to replace the discomfort with normal bowel function. One patient, for example, pictured her bowel transforming from a rigid pipe into an elastic hose.

After 12 weekly sessions, pain, flatulence, and bloating were reduced or disappeared and bowel habits returned to normal in all but one of the patients. Those who practiced these hypnosis techniques at home with an audiotape got better faster."

So how does hypnosis help bowel condtions? Direct hypnotic suggestion has been found effective for helping a wide range of health problems such as high blood pressure, asthma, skin and inflammatory conditions by regulating automatic, unconscious body functions such as blood flow, hormonal levels and so on. These are functions that are normally out of the control of the conscious mind but in hypnosis we can have direct access to the unconscious mind which takes care of all the involuntary body systems.

Chronic illnesses and conditions which have a high rate of symptom return after treatment are red flags for psychological factors. You see, if the problem is psychological, surgery will not solve it and the mind will have to figure out a way to re-create the symptoms.

Using a professionally written Hypnosis Scriptsfrom Hypnotic World, I asked the client to imagine "soldiers that are preparing to fight for you...the highland regiment of antibodies… to fight for you against the Crohn’s disease… See these warriors growing in number… growing and growing until they outnumber the diseased cells or viruses by millions to one… growing stronger and stronger, more and more powerful by the second."

An hypnosis MP3 is available for Crohn's Disease.

Crohn s Disease Hypnosis MP3 Download

This hypnosis MP3 can be downloaded and listened to at your computer, or recorded onto a CD and listened to in bed or in your spare time for instant benefits. The MP3 is put together by an expert team including Faith Waude, who has over 11 years of experience in hypnosis and trains upcoming hypnotherapists around the UK and Stephen Armstrong, who records Hypnotic World MP3s to the highest quality.
Download and benefit from this hypnosis MP3:
Crohn s Disease Hypnosis MP3 Download

Further information on treating inflammatory bowel conditions with hypnosis:
Gold Bamboo

Hypnotic World 600+ Hypnosis Scripts Subscription Highly recommended for professional hypnotherapists.

Antonia Harrison is an English Hypnotherapist in Belgium helping people to make positive change.