The NGH president speaks.

From the Journal of Hypnotism[R], March 2007

Are you using the power of hypnosis in your own life? Remember what master salesmen have always said--"You can't sell it if you don't own it"--and, the best way to own it is to use it. What are we talking about owning? We're talking about the art, science and philosophy of hypnotism and if personally have seen, felt and experienced the results of a good state of hypnosis coupled with the proper suggestions, you should truly be able to know that you own it.

When, based on your personal knowledge and experience, you own it and are doing your pre-talk with a new client, you will be speaking with the authority and conviction of personal experience, and your positive results will positively increase. There are practitioners in our profession who want to be all things to all people--which is a dangerous mistake--when you can help ordinary, everyday people with ordinary, everyday problems who can actually be doing extraordinary things to improve their lives.

I can point to very successful consulting hypnotists who are members of the Guild and who do this day in and day out. These are the people who have built successful practices by getting results for their clients with ordinary, everyday problems. These hypnotists know that "money is the by-product of services rendered." They don't necessarily have to sign new clients up for a series of visits. They get results and the clients just naturally continue to return with other ordinary, everyday problems that they want help with. They' re happy and they refer others. I've also observed that if those practitioners take time off to come to our convention, or they take a vacation, clients are waiting when they return to the office.

All professional hypnotists need to have been hypnotized. Did you ever meet a colleague who says that he or she has never been hypnotized? Unbelievable! If you have never been hypnotized by someone else, you'd better start now to develop your ability at self-hypnosis. Oh, but haven't I heard somewhere that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis ... that we are guides to help people attain a state of self-hypnosis so that we can then help them with positive suggestions to achieve their desired results?

We also say that we are a complementary approach, not an alternative one and certainly not a panacea. This also has to apply to your personal use of self-hypnosis. because there is a caveat you must observe, which is best illustrated by a real-life example that many of us will recall.

A well-known, eighty-five-year-old hypnotist, who was an adjunct faculty member a number of years ago, had a heart attack the day before the convention started. We had a cardiologist and my own personal physician taking care of him when I went to the intensive care unit to see him a few hours later. He was resting comfortably and said he felt OK--no pain or discomfort--and would be back the next day to present his workshop. I told him that we had already arranged for his workshop to be presented by one of his colleagues that he had personally trained and often co-presented with. He accepted that, but once again said that if he didn't have any recurrence of pain or discomfort he would have them call us to come and get him. He didn't want to disappoint anyone.

The next day, the convention opened and the scheduled workshop was conducted by his associate. Coincidentally, the patient died in the ICU at the same time as the workshop at the convention. Later, the physician told me that the patient's wife had said that he was using self-hypnosis to eliminate pain and discomfort from the time he arrived at the ICU and, regretfully, that they could have treated his condition differently if they had only known the true state of pain and discomfort, which he had covered up with self-hypnosis.

Is there a time to cover up pain with the use of hypnosis? Sure, in a dire emergency situation, or if you are at the hospital bedside of a loved one who is terminal and the IV drip just isn't doing enough for the pain and discomfort. I'm sure any oncologist is going to agree that it is a good idea. And at the same time, the use of positive, direct and indirect suggestions is certainly going to be useful for the patient, yourself, and the family. (See the article by Elaine Simpson in your Jan/Feb 2007 Hypno-Gram for a related example.)

Now, before the zealots get on my case and say that I'm downplaying what hypnosis can do, let me say that miracles do happen ... especially in the medical world ... spontaneous remissions and such do occur, and so we can't discount the usefulness of hypnosis with any patient, but we must always keep our enthusiasm in check about what we know can be accomplished instead of what we hope could happen.

During the past twenty years we have, thanks to the Guild, become a separate and distinct profession and we will continue to grow to eventually be an integral part of the health scene. The National Guild of Hypnotists is international in scope, with members in sixty-five countries. We have many newer members coming up through the ranks to continue the work that has been started and we look forward to seeing more who will take up the torch. Each and every one of our members plays an important part in the development of our profession. Whether you practice full-time, part-time or participate with an eye to practicing in the future, you are important.

A reporter called today to get information for a story he's doing in Maryland ... last week it was a reporter from New York State ... the week before it was one from Taiwan ... and on January 4th, World Hypnotism Day garnered great public relations around the world, reaching millions of readers, listeners and viewers as well as attendees at public events sponsored by members of our profession. It's no longer the hypnobashing we experienced in the early '90s; it's reporters who are recognizing that there can be a truly interesting view of our profession and want to present that to the public. They still go to the "establishment," though, for their input which, of course, encourages people who want hypnosis services to seek out members of the "elitist" organizations who are quoted.

Don't let that bother you, because when they have an article in a magazine like Readers Digest, it is going to be a positive article about hypnosis. People will read it and remember it ... I doubt that readers will remember the small print at the end of the article which promotes the initials of whatever organization planted the article. Actually, we should thank these organizations for circulating such good p.r. and helping us all to educate the public as to the use of hypnosis in their lives, because we also get the benefit of the article being published.

I am proud of what has been accomplished in the past twenty years. If we stick to NGH Standards of Practice, the NGH Code of Ethics, the use of proper terminology, and strive to be moral, ethical and professional in our practices, we will establish our permanent place in the sun.

Reprinted with permission of: Dwight Damon NGH ([e-mail])

Note from Dr. Anne:

As a NGH member of the Order of the Braid and as a Hypnosis Educator with Infinity Institute, I realized that this was one of the best 'self-help' articles that I have read in a very long time. It is what we teach at the Institute and what we hope you will take to heart.

Carpe Diem ... Anne H. Spencer, PhD.