Post-Hypnotic Suggestion in Modern Therapy

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Recommended: The reality of hypnosis

What exactly is post-hypnotic suggestion? According to answers.com, it is defined as: A suggestion made to a hypnotized person that specifies an action to be performed after awakening, often in response to a cue. If the term “post-hypnotic suggestion” is entered as a search query in Google it will return literally about 78,000 results. These range from businesses selling weight-loss and quitting smoking, to training programs for hypnotism, to conspiracy theories about “Manchurian candidates”, to posts how hypnotism is just a sham. There are several boards, guilds, and councils offering certification as a qualified hypnotherapist, with countless companies offering hypnosis training. This training can consist of several hundred hours of instruction, a series of videos, or a short book to read. Truthfully, the question this paper is seeking to answer is: is post-hypnotic suggestion safe and what are its uses in modern therapy.

When discussing safety, first, let us deal with what makes a person qualified to administer a post-hypnotic suggestion. Hypnotism is not a difficult skill to acquire. I hypnotized classmates in high school after buying a mail order book for less than $15. That said, I was not charging a fee, nor did I introduce any post-hypnotic suggestions. The vast majority of US states do not require licensing or governmental registration relating to hypnotism as a business (http://www.hypnotherapistsunion.org/law+6-s/usa/). This leaves us to search for a reputable non-governmental certification program to aid one in the search for a safe and reputable person to administer post-hypnotic suggestions. Several for-profit companies do offer national certification for hypnotists. Of these certification programs, four that are ...

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...eps. Retrieved from the Web 10/05/10. http://3dayaddictioncure.org/

Edwards, Martha.(2010). Can You Think Yourself Thin?. Retrieved from the Web 10/07/10. http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/09/30/can-you-think-yourself-thin/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%7C174708

Eichel, Steve K. D. (2002). Credentialing: It May Not Be the Cat's Meow. Retrieved from the Web 10/16/10. http://www.dreichel.com/dr_zoe.htm

Harris, Tom. How Hypnosis Works. Retrieved from the Web 10/09/10. http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/hypnosis.htm

Michaels, Paula A. (2007). CHILDBIRTH PAIN RELIEF AND THE SOVIET ORIGINS OF THE LAMAZE METHOD. Seattle, WA: The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research.

Post-Hypnotic Suggestion: Definitions from Answers.com. Retrieved from the Web 10/14/10. http://www.answers.com/topic/posthypnotic-suggestion

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