Hypnotherapy and Public Image
I have been noticing over the past several years that there seems to be a shift in the way that hypnotherapy is seen. Both in the popular press and professional journals. Hypnotherapy is being seen far more as a useful intervention for things like anxiety, stress, IBS, and other psychological and psychosomatic issues. This can only be a good thing for those of us who practise it.
With such good press, you would think that all is well with the field. I am sorry to say that this is not the case. In reality, there are many in our field, and I have written on this in many articles, who trivialise or sensationalise the work that we do. It is essential that, if for no other reason, from a public relations standpoint, we start to all agree on what can and cannot be done with hypnotherapy. To stick to our scope of competence and to not deviate from it. The professional bodies regulating hypnotherapy must be willing to enforce this when required. It is the only way that the field of hypnotherapy becomes a bona fide profession, rather than an loose affiliation of well meaning amateurs.
