Named Approaches, Systems and Methods and Hypnotherapy
I was reading an article this morning where the author consulted a hypnotherapist who employed the “his name” Approach, which apparently was a novel integration of hypnotherapy and NLP which is totally unique and proprietary. The thing is, it isn’t. The integration of hypnotherapy and NLP has gone on since the beginning of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). As NLP is a finite study, then it is impossible to claim that anything attached to it is unique or proprietary. Indeed, many years ago the founder of NLP failed to get NLP a registered trade mark as it is already part of the therapeutic lexicon.
It got me thinking, there are many practitioners out there who have named their particular brand of therapy the “John Smith Approach” of the “Jane Doe System” of hypnosis. Whilst I completely understand that practitioners want to make themselves to be more unique in an ever more competitive field. I feel that this naming things after oneself to be a little disingenuous and frankly a bit cheap. We are not talking about innovators here, we are talking about people who are marketing themselves. I often think to myself that one of our acknowledged leaders, Milton Erickson, who was the father of what we know as Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, would be appalled of people using his name in this manner. When he practised he called himself a Clinical Hypnotist, nothing more and certainly did not make himself more grand by naming his work after himself. I feel that some in out profession could do with a bit more humility and consider what effects their marketing is having on the wider profession.
