Starfish Calling

 

Two friends are walking along the beach at dawn following a storm. They notice that the storm has left the beach littered with starfish. Hundreds of starfish. Thousands of starfish. As they walk and talk, one of the companions picks up a starfish and tosses it back into the water. And then another. And another.

Finally, their friends stops and says, “What are you doing?” To which the friend replies, “I am throwing the starfish back into the ocean.”

“But why?” asks the friend.

“The sun is coming up,” explains the other friend, as another starfish is sent sailing into the sea. “If I don’t, they will die.”

“Look around you!” argues the friend. “There are hundred, possibly thousands of starfish on the beach. What difference could it possibly make?”

Picking up yet another starfish, the other friend tossed it out into the water, saying, “It makes a difference to that one!”

One of the things that drew me into the study of hypnosis and healing with the mind was my own search to discover a purpose-driven vocation. After years of working my way through countless books, programs, and courses I eventually arrived at a statement of purpose. And here’s where I’m going to go out on a limb. 

I’m going to share it with you.

My purpose is to reconnect lost souls with the awareness of the light at the core of their being to illuminate the world.

I know what you’re thinking… Cue to the theme song from Twilight Zone, right?

But actually, this is something I have been doing all along. You see, before hypnosis, I owned a self-help/spiritual bookstore. Turns out it is actually congruent for me to put my emphasis on raising consciousness. 

As a spiritual bookseller my job was to help “lost souls” find their way. After all, weren’t we kindred spirits stranded on the wrong planet? The least we could do is embrace one another in recognition of the journey we all share; a journey to wholeness. 

Life is, after all, a healing journey.

I have come to realize that none of us are truly lost. We just feel lost when we have forgotten our true nature. 

I have also come to accept that healing isn’t something we do. It is the natural result of reconnecting one’s awareness of one’s Core Integrity. 

Regardless of what we conceive it to be, we are connected to Life and Divine Nature. Our Core Being is the light within us, our inner beauty and love which, like the moon, reflects Divine Light and Love. 

I work tirelessly to remember this. And inspire others to do the same. Because it requires consciousness to facilitate healing. 

Roselyn Bruyere, author of Wheels of Light, once said, “If you knew why you are here you would show up!” The burden is upon each of us to show up with a commitment to honing our knowledge, tools, and skills in service to healing.

You are the instrument. 

You are never done learning and healing because, like metal in a forge, you are being shaped by your life experiences for a purpose. You have a purpose that is unique to you. What it might be is up to you to discover. 

Which brings me to the starfish story ….

You see, this story never set right with me. I have never been satisfied with healing just one. What I wanted was companions to join me! And find more effective ways to return the ‘lost ones’ to their Source of Love…

And in so doing, perhaps, illuminate the world.

The Pros and Cons of Hypnotherapy 4

Seriously, what are we?

Some organizations use the letters CHt to designate Certified Hypnotherapist. Others use the letters CH interchangeably for Certified Hypnotherapist/Hypnotist or Clinical Hypnotherapist.

With the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA) I am a CHt. My certificate reads “Certified Hypnotherapist.” When I joined the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) I became a Certified Hypnotist.

Fair enough. Basic certification hadn’t qualify me to do ‘therapy,’ anyway - hypno or otherwise.

A few years ago the NGH announced their decision to change the meaning of the letters “CH.” According to the NGH, I am now a Consulting Hypnotist.

I’m not sure exactly what this is supposed to mean and I certainly don’t recall signing up to become a consultant. A consultant, by definition, is someone who offers advice. And none of my training to date has qualified me to do that!

I know the NGH have their reasons and I trust they serve the greater good. My boggle is that, according to my diplomas, I am a “Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist.”  Frankly, I would be quite content to be called a Certified Hypnosis Practitioner.

But then, CHP already belongs to the Certified Health Physicists….

I won’t belabor the point. Bigger brains have worked on this problem, I know.

We also have Certified Instructors (CI) and Certified Professional Hypnosis Instructors (CPHI) … which seems to suggest that the CI’s are somehow not professional …

Sadly, this is sometimes true. As a result, too many newly certified hypnotists leave hypnosis school with stars in their eyes only to give up. Or worse, quit before completing their training.

Many hypnovices never go beyond relaxation hypnosis ‘scriptnotism’. Not that there’s anything wrong with relaxation hypnosis, but there is a significant difference between relaxation hypnosis and Hypnotherapy.

The problem is that many hypnovices are unaware of this!

And the public has no way of making a distinction because our credentials don’t make a distinction. As far as the public is concerned all hypnotists are the same. Whether a hypnotist has 50 hours or 1500 hours of training, 2 years or 20 years in practice, as far as the general public is concerned we all wear the same overalls.

Let’s play a little game of ‘what if?’ …

What if the various guilds found a way to amalgamate and pool their resources for the betterment of the profession?

What if the onus of responsibility was taken off the shoulders of the Hypnovice and put squarely onto the shoulders of the profession to educate the public?

What if we didn’t have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps? What if we pulled each other up?

In defense of the various hypnosis certifying bodies, they have done much to bring hypnotism out of the dark ages by providing structured training, educational journals, conventions, board certification, union, insurance, forums, etc.

And pioneering leaders like Tom Nicoli, Scott Sandland, and Melanie Roth (to name but a few) have stepped up to further the profession by initiating movements like World Hypnotism Day and Hypno-Thoughts.

http://www.worldhypnotismday.com/

http://www.hypnothoughts.com/

Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned hypnotherapist, take your craft seriously and, as Ghandi suggested, "Be the CHANGE" you want to see in the world.

The Pros and Cons of Hypnotherapy 3

There seems to be a wasteland between basic training and advanced professional training.

Take Veronica.

Veronica called me after receiving her CH certification. She desperately wanted to make the transition from her current profession as a medical worker into hypnosis. And while she felt that she had found her calling, with hypnosis she recognized her training had not prepared her to work with ‘real’ clients.

She asked me to recommend a suitable advancement program.

It was quickly evident that Veronica lacked the basics. While she had earned the CH designation of a Certified Hypnotherapist, her training had focused almost exclusively on past-lives.

My best suggestion to Veronica was to take Gerald Kein’s Omni-Hypnosis Basic to Advanced Training Program. She had the option of either attending a live training in Florida or doing the distance-ed program; a program I had found very comprehensive and affordable.

I then suggested that, following the Omni-Hypnosis training, she consider the 5-PATH™ training with Cal Banyan.

Alternately, Banyan Hypnosis offers the NGH basic certification course prior to 5-PATH training. The ideal would be to allow herself time to integrate the basic course before moving into the rigors of advanced training, but if time and costs were a concern, she could take them back to back.

I stressed the importance of laying the groundwork for the advanced work.

Veronica, tight on funds and anxious to begin her new career, decided to skip the basics and sign up for the advanced training in 5-PATH™.

Several months later, Veronica called to give me an update following her 5-PATH™ training. She admitted that the course had been over her head. Unable to grasp the material, she floundered. The trip proved to be a disappointing waste of her hard-earned resources. 

I hate to say, “I told you so” …  

What Veronica needed was a solid foundation upon which to build her desired new career as a Hypnosis professional. What she needed was consistent information to guide her in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to practice.

And our profession let her down. 

How? By failing to provide basic standards for certification. 

Veronica had obtained her CH so technically she 'qualified' for advanced training while 'practically', she was grossly unprepared.

Result: Veronica gave up on hypnosis. And her dream.

The Pros and Cons of Hypnotherapy 2

Dave Elman wrote[i], “I have been teaching hypnosis to medical men for years, and have found that many of them seem to think they can become expert hypnotists after a few classroom and practice sessions.”

The American Counsel of Hypnosis Examiners (ACHE) requires 200 classroom hours for the equivalent certification (Certified Hypnotherapist), as does the Hypnotherapy Training Institute (HTI).

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist requires 300 hours.

The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), of which I am a member, prides itself on requiring its members to complete 160 hours of classroom instruction to acquire certification.

The International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA) - 140 hours.

The International Hypnosis Society - 64 hours.

The National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (NBCCH) - only 60 hours of classroom instruction.

I recently spoke to a licensed counselor who completed a weekend certification.

Seriously, are there no industry standards?

Now, anyone who has been in the profession for any time recognizes that basic certification is … well … pretty basic. It’s really just a license to learn. In fact, Elman wrote, “A more accurate term than hypnotist is hypnotic operator.”

Like the operator of a motor vehicle, the newly graduated Certified Hypnotherapist/Hypnotist (CH) has acquired the equivalent of a license to learn.

Where I live, to attain one’s MV operator’s license it is necessary to pass through a graduated licensing program. This system is designed to help reduce accidents by imposing restrictions on the driver to ensure s/he does not operate outside of the scope of his or her training and experience. It typically takes 36 months to become fully licensed.

It seems to me that our profession would benefit from establishing similar guidelines for hypnosis practitioners. 

For example: MV operator level 1 is the learner’s (L) stage.

After passing a practical knowledge test, the learner must display a letter “L” on the back of his or her car whenever operating a vehicle. This alerts other motorists that the driver is learning so they can give him more space. After 12 months of prohibition-free driving, the learner qualifies to take his or her first road test.

The key points here are that a learner (L) is required to practice under supervision for 12 months! 

And he must inform the public regarding his level of expertise.

Once the operator passes the practical exam, he moves up from the learner (L) to the novice (N) stage. Some of the restrictions of the learner’s (L) license are now removed and the driver must display a letter “N” on the back of the vehicle. (The dyslexics turn their tag sideways. There are a surprising number of “Z’s” on the road!)

The novice no longer requires supervision. He may operate on his own but is restricted to one passenger.

After 24 months of prohibition-free driving in the novice (N) license stage, the operator must pass another test to show competence in making responsible decisions behind the wheel. He then graduates to full-privilege Class 5 driver’s license.

Professional drivers are required to be trained before operating a public or commercial transport such as taxi, bus, 18-wheel rigs, etc. and must pass both written and practical exams.

Now, when I went through basic training, I had to pass three certification exams – Hypnotist, Master Hypnotist, and Clinical Hypnotherapist.

‘Hypnotist” simply meant I could induce hypnosis by demonstrating two inductions, preferably Progressive Relaxation and Eye Fascination. And while we were required to purchase Dave Elman’s book, we were not required to actually read it! 

Nor were we introduced to the Elman Induction!

‘Master Hypnotist’ level required passing a written and oral board exam which included demonstration of practical skill in inducing hypnosis, deepening, and giving suggestions (a few lines which had to be memorized.)

The final level, ‘Clinical Hypnotherapist’ was the final written exam. 

While I studied hard for finals, the exam failed to test my knowledge of hypnosis. As a result, I did not feel that I had truly earned my CH designation.

And I was right. I sought out the training I needed to work confidently with deeper issues. Those letters should stand for something more than a few classroom hours. 

Dave Elman said so.

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[i] Dave Elman, Hypnotherapy, Westwood Publishing, 1964