Q: What is the best way to find a reputable hypnotherapist?
A: Where possible, personal referral from someone who has received hypnotherapy treatment. Of course, not everyone knows someone in this situation in which case it is advisable to find a therapist who is a member of a professional body and therefore is bound to abide by their professional ethics and code of conduct. Many of the most reputable organisations are themselves regulated by the United Kingdom Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations (UKCHO), giving you the security of a second tier of regulation.
Since January 2008, the UKCHO now lists the individual therapists as well as the organisations. If you visit the UKCHO website (see the links page), you can search using the therapists surname to see if their training and regulating body is recognised by the UKCHO. Until we have government legislation to regulate hypnotherapy, I feel this is the most effective way of checking a therapist’s credentials.
Q: Do you offer free consultations?
A: No, but sessions are priced “per session”, not per hour and usually last between 50 and 90 minutes. In many cases, the first session will last up to 90 minutes due to the time taken up by the consultation. Some hypnotherapists do offer free consultations, from what my clients who have attended these tell me, it seems some of these therapists are using the time to convince the client they need a large number of sessions and offer a discount if a long course of treatment is paid for in advance. This is unethical and anyone who comes across a hypnotherapist carrying on in this way should report them to the regulatory body they are a member of (assuming they even are a member of any!).
Q: What does it feel like to be hypnotised?
A: Hypnosis is simply an altered state of consciousness during a pleasant relaxation. Everyone experiences altered states of consciousness every day. Examples of this would be reading a page of a book and then realising the words did not register as your attention had drifted. Driving along the motorway thinking about something else and then realising your junction is coming up having not noticed the amount of time or distance you travelled while you were thinking these things.
Many people would describe the hypnotic state to be similar to pressing the snooze button on the alarm clock in the morning, becoming very dreamy but not actually asleep, while be aware of sounds such as the telephone, the postman calling etc.
Q: Will I be ok to drive after a hypnotherapy session?
A: Yes.
Q: Can children be treated with hypnotherapy?
A: Yes. From the age of about six upwards as long as they have a good attention span and are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Q: Do you offer out of hours appointments?
A: Yes, until 8pm and some weekends. However, these are the most popular times and often book up well in advance.
Q: Do you offer home visits?
A: Only in exceptional circumstances eg: extreme cases of agoraphobia. If you feel a home visit is essential then please contact me to discuss the situation.
For further questions about hypnotherapy and what it can treat, please visit my website. There is also a long list of faqs at http://www.hypnotherapyfaqs.com
Posted by okehypnotherapy 
