Hypnotherapy Success Rates
Since I began in practice in 1989, I have seen many therapeutic fads come and go, I have seen many issues become popular, then unpopular to take to therapy, I have seen training and professional organisations come and go. The one thing, that I wish I would see go the way of the dodo is the use of success rates for hypnotherapists. Indeed, it seems that it is almost a phenomena unique to hypnotherapists of all the talking therapies, that some practitioners feel the need to big themselves up by claiming huge, but unverifiable success rates with clients.
To some extent, I do understand this, especially with new practitioners competing in an every highly competitive arena. It is difficult to make your name in this profession, even though talking therapies have become far more acceptable to undertake (this includes hypnotherapy).
Much of the fault lies with hypnotic authors who make rash and unproveable claims in self published books which are often designed to sell products or trainings of the authors in question. Then new practitioners read these things and believe that the claims must be true because they are in a book. The Advertising Standards Authority have dealt with many hypnotherapists making false and misleading statements about success based on what they read in a book.
Therapy, all therapy is a unique personal experience for the individual and therapist. It is, therefore, impossible to breakdown success into such a simplistic way such as success or failure rates. The best thing for a potential client to do, is to do their homework and make an informed choice about the therapist that you are considering employing. That will pay off far better than any success rate.
