A Post I Did Not Want To Write
Well, I was dreading having to write this blog. I had hoped to avoid it, but I received something in my inbox today which was my tipping point. A book on using hypnosis with long term Covid with a message that hypnotherapists know they can help with this condition. Look, I have spent most of my career talking about sticking to scope of practice and my criticism of practitioners, schools and organisations representing hypnotherapists who will not grasp the nettle stick to it.
As a survivor of Covid and who is still dealing with some of the long term effects of this condition, I am saying categorically and for the record, hypnotherapists are not equipped to deal with this issue. Whilst most practitioners believe that hypnosis can help with a myriad of conditions, hypnotherapists are not trained to work with trauma. Long Term Covid is TRAUMA, there are issues which fall far outside a hypnotherapists’ scope of practice.
Psychotherapists with training in trauma are in a very good position to help people to cope with and get through some of the issues associated with Long Term Covid. Ethically trained therapists will stick to issues they have been trained in or have worked with. Long Term Covid is something so new, that there really is no way to assume that hypnotherapists with their specific skill set are in a position to work with this.
Now I am not saying that hypnotherapists who are looking to work with this have unethical motives, though of course, there may well be some who will choose to profiteer. A desire to help is not enough, you need the training and experience to work with traumatic issues. If you do not have this, please re-consider working with this serious issue. Desire to help is not help.
