PTSD and Hypnotherapy
I have often told my student therapists that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD will be this century’s most prolific mental health issue. The reason for this is clear, with so much violence and turbulence in the world and with people having a better idea of their own mental well being, it is clear that cases of PTSD will be more regularly diagnosed and treated. Unfortunately, the National Health Service, does not have the resources to treat these cases in the numbers that are presenting. This leaves many sufferers to go to the private sector for help.
Now, of course, as a psychotherapist in the private sector I am happy to work with these clients. What I am less happy about are hypnotherapists who, though well meaning, are inadequately trained to work with PTSD and end up not making any significant difference in assisting these clients. Now I know that there will be practitioners who will say that they have special empathy and experience to work with this. Like I said, most are well meaning. However, complex trauma requires specialist training which to date is not undertaken in basic hypnotherapy courses. I have said this many times, for hypnotherapy to evolve into a true profession, it must be willing to acknowledge its limitations. There are many things that hypnotherapy can work with, without special training. If you want to work with PTSD, take additional training to equip yourself to deal with this most serious condition in the most efficacious way possible. You owe it to your clients and to yourself.
