Hypnotherapist Certification

Many people turn to hypnotherapy to stop addictive behavior, recall repressed memories, control pain, or other reasons. The hypnotherapist's education and experience can make a big difference in the outcome.

Benefits and Pitfalls

• Hypnosis is usually used with counseling or therapy to help a patient relax and allow the therapist to find the cause of a problem, or make the patient open to suggestion. It's not advised for people using drugs or alcohol or with some psychiatric symptoms. Some therapists who used hypnosis to recover repressed memories planted false memories in the process.

Regulating Hypnotherapy

• According to the Hypnotherapists Union, as of 2006 only four states -- Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana and Washington -- required mandatory licensing or registration for hypnotherapists; six states maintained guidelines, and 40 states did not regulate the practice of hypnotherapy.

Certification Programs

• Although voluntary, certification can lend credibility to a therapist and instill trust in his clients. Some schools and businesses with certification programs maintain rigorous requirements for education and hands-on experience. Others offer to certify students quickly and eliminate the "unnecessary" requirements of other certifying entities. If you're considering hypnotherapy, ask the therapist about her training and experience and success rate with other patients.