Would you feel comfortable flying in an airplane piloted by someone who only flies once a month? How about a pilot who has only landed once on a real runway while the rest were just simulator landings?
Would you hire a surgeon who only performs one surgery every so often?
How about a lawyer that only tries one case a year?
Would you want to go on a cruise with a ship captain that only sails once in a while?
As you continue your research for hiring the best hypnosis provider for you, I wanted to offer something to consider.
Hypnosis is a profession, like any other — and as such, proficiency is very important to factor into your decision. By proficiency, I mean asking how often the provider in question works with people within their scope of practice. Many providers may have a lot of experience but not a lot of proficiency. For example, many psychotherapists primarily practice talk therapy and offer hypnosis as a skillset they are trained in but not something that they practice on a regular basis. So, they have a lot of experience working with clients as a whole, but not a lot of proficiency with hypnosis as a tool for helping clients make lasting change.
Alternatively, some hypnosis providers (certified hypnotists) work only part-time, with hypnosis being their side gig. This may result in them practicing hypnosis infrequently because of time constraints or because it’s just a hobby to them.
A board-certified hypnotist, on the other hand, is a provider with a significant amount of experience and proficiency because he or she practices the art of hypnotherapy as his or her main occupation and sees approximately 10-20 clients per week. As a result, these providers are able to think much more dynamically, on multiple levels at the same time. For example, a board-certified hypnosis would be considering things such as, Where is the client right now and is my current message going to get them to where they need to go? and continuously modifying his or her approach until the client arrives at the breakthrough they’ve been looking for.
To uncover the provider’s proficiency, you might ask a couple of questions such as these:
- How long have you been in business?
- What training in this field do you have?
- What does your recurrent training look like?
- How many clients do you work with per (unit of time week, day, month)?
- What types of clients do you normally work with?
- Can you explain your process for helping me?
- What success rates can I expect for this service?
- What do I need to do on my part in order to make this experience most impactful?
- Why did you enter this field?
So, as you consider the best provider to help you reach your goals, remember to make proficiency a priority just like you would when hiring a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. Not all hypnotists are the same, just as not all doctors, lawyers, IT pros, coaches, and HR personnel, etc. are the same.
