The C Word And Not The One You Are Thinking Of
I have been in this profession for a very long time, and I have seen the difference as to how the media covers hypnosis. In the late 1980’s to early 1990’s it was often covered as some form of mind control which was evil and at times even perverse. Over the years, hypnosis has been enjoying a much better reputation and even some celebrity endorsements.
However, what concerns me, even with the positive press is the use of a four letter word beginning with C which no practitioner should ever use. That word, of course, is “cure”. Hypnotherapists and hypnotherapy do not cure people of anything. What they do is assist a client to come to his or her own resolutions. The client does all of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to change. Practitioners act as facilitators which provide space for clients to make their necessary changes.
I am not sure if it is the practitioners or the media which are getting more and more turned on by the use of the word cure, but one thing I will say. Whoever is responsible for its use is NOT doing the profession a favour and could undermine decades of work to show the profession of hypnotherapy in an appropriate light.
