Class Outline: Learning the Art of Hypnotherapy

SUMMARY:  This class is designed to teach the serious student of hypnosis how to apply hypnotherapy techniques for motivation and goal achievement. The successful hypnotherapist must also know how to discover the cause(s) of subconscious resistance, to facilitate release, and to enable subconscious re-learning. Prerequisite: Basic Hypnosis training or equivalent.

Class 1 - Introduction: Overview of course, how hypnotherapy differs from other therapies, the pre‑induction interview, finding the right induction.

Class 2 – The Four Cornerstones of Successful Hypnotherapy: Suggestion and imagery, discover the cause, release, subconscious relearning.

Class 3 - The Benefits Approach: Suggestibility & imagination, imaging benefits of new habits, scripting. Supervised student therapy begins.

Class 4 - Anchoring and Triggers: Triggers of habit, smokers' triggers, anchored memories and feelings, creating a "safe place."

Class 5 - Uncovering Subconscious Blocks: Techniques to help discover the cause(s) of subconscious resistance to change, ideo‑motor responding, subconscious psychodynamics, introduction to regression techniques.

Class 6 - Regression Therapy (Part I): Advance explanation to client, age regression, "feeling connection" technique, abreactions, facilitating release, minimizing risk of false memories, remembering misplaced items (etc.).

Class 7 - Regression Therapy (Part II): Emotional clearing, facilitating new understanding at a subconscious level, staying within field of professional qualifications, when to refer, when to change techniques.

Class 8 - Regression Therapy (Part III): Phobias/anxieties, original sensitizing events, activating events, systematic desensitization, implosive desensitization.

Class 9 - Regression Therapy (Part IV): Real or imagined past life regression, possible explanations, ethical considerations, techniques.

Class 10 - Other Rapid Change Techniques: Guided imagery, programmed imagery, open-screen imagery, desensitization, reframing, object projection, verbalizing, pitfalls.

Additional requirements: One Book Review on a book relating to hypnosis (if not done during BASIC course), plus a Saturday workshop and/or private viewing of selected videotapes to complete at least 50‑hours of total invested time for course instruction; student therapy, details explained in the class; other assignments TBA. Private students must be observed in at least one therapy. Videotapes of therapy done by Charles Tebbetts will be shown.

Outside work: When combined with in-class, the student must invest at least 50 hours or more for successful completion of the course, and will receive a certificate as a “Master Hypnotist.”

Each class may last up to three hours, but usually less. Students who miss classes may complete required hours through rental of a videotape of the missed class, or in a manner approved by the instructor.

Required text:  The Art of Hypnotherapy (Roy Hunter).  Recommended Reading:   Hypnotherapy (Dave Elman), Regression Hypnotherapy: Transcripts of Transformations (R. Churchill).

Although students may be eligible for some professional associations after completing this course, completion of the final 50 hours is strongly recommended.