Use of the Word Research
I have been noticing for many years now that practitioners as well as those who want to sell things to practitioners have a penchant for using the word “research” in their pitch. “I have been doing a lot of research and this is the best ……” or “My research, over several years show XYZ”. Research is not done this way and personal research really isn’t research at all.
The word research is a comforting, academic word which basically gives credibility to whatever the next phrase is. For example, “Research shows that hypnosis is most effective if the practitioner and client both wear blue shirts” Is this true? I have no idea, I just made it up and added “Research shows” to the statement. For some, if not many people, the phrase “Research shows” gives the feeling that whatever the comment it is legitimate and true and therefore should not be questioned.
There is a lot of research in the fields of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and counselling. This research is conducted under the appropriate conditions an are written up properly and open to scrutiny. When you see a practitioner saying anything about research, please don’t be afraid to ask how the research was conducted. Chances are the research will simply be a practitioner’s experience. Not a bad thing, but not the same as research.
