In order to learn hypnosis, one needs to determine the purpose for which he or she intends to practice the technique first. Hypnosis is used for a wide variety of purposes in various professional and personal endeavors. Some psychologists and therapists learn hypnosis for the purpose of administering hypnotherapy, which is hypnosis with the intention to heal. Entertainers who perform hypnosis before large audiences learn hypnosis for the purpose of lowering their subjects’ inhibitions, so that they will perform for the crowd. Some people also learn hypnosis with the intention of practicing it on a personal basis, usually for their own entertainment. Because the purposes of hypnosis vary, the ways in which one can learn hypnosis are equally diverse.
Hypnotherapy is used to help patients manage pain, lose weight, quit smoking, lessen anxiety, overcome phobias, and more. The accreditation required to practice hypnotherapy by law varies worldwide, and is fundamentally dependent upon whether or not hypnotherapy is recognized as a legitimate practice in the area that one intends to practice it. Saint Mary’s University College in the UK is the only academic institution to offer a clinical hypnosis training program. However, there are state-licensed schools in the US that offer certificates in hypnotherapy (C. Ht.), including the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA), and the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT). The C. Ht. Programs offered at these schools are based upon the techniques taught at California’s Hypnosis Motivation Institute – the first college of hypnotherapy to become nationally accredited.
Individuals who wish to learn hypnosis for the purpose of stage hypnosis, such as the type used by performers such as The Amazing Kreskin, do not typically seek out a formal or academic education on the practice. As entertainers first and foremost, they most often learn from observing other performers in their field. They also employ a variety of non-hypnotic techniques to create the effect of having hypnotized their subjects. These techniques may include isolating the most naturally outgoing individuals in a crowd by asking for volunteers, conspiring with those volunteers through stage whispers to “put on a good show,” or planting a stage hand in the crowd to generate enthusiasm and become a model for how the volunteers should act.
For those who would like to learn hypnosis for personal endeavors, there are an unlimited number of services offered on the Internet, including books and audio files which claim to offer the secret to hypnotizing others without their consent or awareness. These offers, which typically come at a price or are used as a lure to other sales opportunities, often have results that are as dubious as their claims. They often prey upon people by promising them the ability to hypnotize other people into falling in love with them, giving them money, and other manipulative actions.
