Why Get Certified? – The TRUTH about Hypnotherapy Certifications

In less than a week we will embark on our annual “Neo-Ericksonian Hypnotherapy” Certification Training and here I’m going to address the rather thorny issue of WHY.
Why get certified as a Hypnotherapist?
What will having that parchment do for you?

Here’s the short answer (and the painful truth): not much.

In America, hypnosis is an unregulated profession.
The truth is that getting certified as a hypnotist is easy.
You can simply sign up and take a course online.
(bad idea)
You don’t need a license, you just need to meet certain criteria.
That criteria can vary from one state to another, so it’s up to you to find out what the rules are where you live.
Also there are many different groups that certify. Some of them are reputable and do their best to adhere to high standards. There’s the American Board of Hypnotherapy, The National Guild of Hypnotists, The American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, The American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists, to name a few of the reputable ones.

Then there are groups that really are not much more than diploma mills.
(Please shop carefully and avoid those.)

Yet, no matter how reputable a group you go to, that fact remains that there are NO accredited colleges that offer a degree in Hypnosis. Most states, maybe all states, do not recognize certifications as meaningful in terms of the ability to take insurance, etc.
So why bother?

The slightly longer answer is this: It doesn’t give you much, and yet it is worth it for three good reasons:
1.    Because you do actually have to earn it by dint of your own efforts and learning. (Unless you are actually buying one from a diploma mill, but you would never do that. That’s just dumb and fraudulent.) You will get that inner feeling and confidence you can get in no other way except by actually earning it. As MIlton Erickson’s said, “What we get in life is earned, is merited.”

2.    It does mean something. It means that you have at least taken a course or two. It’s certainly better than not being certified if you intend to work with people.

But most importantly…
3.    you will learn a lot in the process.

Years ago, in my own process of learning NLP, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Dobson’s “O.T.C.C.,” I took just about every seminar or class I could. I took the 14-day residential certification courses and I took the one weekend certification course.
And you know what? I learned something from each and every course I took. Even from those 2-day trainings. Stuff I still use today.

I promise you, this seminar, the Neo-Ericksonian Hypnotherapy Certification class is jammed full of useful teachings and vital skills you will be able to apply immediately.
It’s a fascinating class.

From the first hour of day one you will be paired off with a classmate doing hypnosis with each other. By day six you will be well educated and will have hours of practice under your belt. That’s called confidence AND competence. (Isn’t it nice to know that you can enjoy BOTH at the same time?)

Here’s how one student put it:
“This Class was truly a wonderful learning experience from start to finish. The structure of teaching Hypnosis is impeccable…”
                                                                                    –C. Greene

Please note: The testing at the end of the class is optional and you do not have to get the actual certification if you just value the learning.
Learning, honing your skills, getting greater insights, multiple perspectives, practice… is ALWAYS worth it.
The pieces of paper? Not so much.
I could paper my wall with the certificates I’ve earned over the years, but I don’t. All my certificates are in a drawer or in a box somewhere. But I do write that I am certified on my web site and on my business card.

It means something.