What is a Master Hypnotherapist
This is a question I get asked occasionally by potential clients, so I thought I would do some clarification on this subject. There are some practitioners who advertise themselves as a “Master Hypnotherapist”. This title conjures up all manner of ideas. The most prevalent of which is that the person in question has a Masters Degree in Hypnotherapy.
The truth is far less impressive. The use of the title Master comes from the earliest credentialing of hypnotherapists. This credentialing started with the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, which had 3 levels of certification. These were Master Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, and Clinical Hypnotherapist. You will note that the title Master Hypnotist was lower than either hypnotherapist or Clinical Hypnotherapist. These levels were based on the number of training hours a practitioner had undertaken.
Now, it has become more fashionable to add the term Master to that of Hypnotherapist. This is meant to imply that the person is in some way superior to that of an “ordinary” hypnotherapist. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. It is a word, nothing more. Some will use it, the majority won’t. It is important that when a practitioner is offering his or her services to the public they ensure that they are not doing so in a way that could mislead the public.
In my opinion, Master Hypnotherapist implies a Masters Degree, which is patently not the case. So please if you are seeking hypnotherapy services, be mindful of what a person claims and do not be afraid to ask him or her for clarification as to what training they have to warrant the title that they use.
