I would like to develop my skills as a hypnotist, but I'm starting to realize I may have a problem. I'm in the medical field, so I'm very aware of how easily people can claim you've done something wrong and pull out a cheap attorney to try to extract some funds from you, even if you've taken exemplary care of them. I never was aware that there might be legal implications to using hypnosis while I was a teenager hypnotizing my peers, but now that seems a real issue. Its enough of an issue for me that I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable doing a public hypnotic show, and I'm even a little nervous about doing one on one inductions. that's one of the main reasons I've developed an interest in covert/conversational hypnosis - you have considerable built in "plausible deniability". Any helpful thoughts?

Insurance insurance insurance

There is insurance available for Stage Hypnotists. Send me a PM if you are interested. I don't have the insurance information at hand, but, if you want it, I will look it up for you.

Contact Jerry Valley (Valley Hypnosis). He runs a safety course that you can take. Not sure of the web site to get the insurance. If you take one of Jerry's Training classes, he covers the stage safety requirements. Jerry Valley is a certified instructor for teaching the safety certification course. I understand that there is an online test you can take on safety to get certified. Also, The NGH (google it if you need to) should have information on getting insurance for stage hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

Good luck.

Get insurance. It's not expensive. And stop worrying.

Hello everyone,
This is my first post anywhere since finishing hypnotherapy training last year and part one of Marc Savard's stage hypnosis training last weekend. I am currently workng as a pharmacist in Las Vegas with the intent opening a hypnotherapy practice within the next couple of months.

I have really enjoyed and learned a lot from this forum...which I only discovered 3 weeks ago. Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge with those of us just starting out.

Mojo,

I have/had the same concerns as you.

I increased my pharmacist insurance to cover me for lawsuits that originate outside of my place of primary employment. I will be getting insurance through the NGH to cover me at my hypnotherapy practice. After I take a stage safety class I will look into insurance to cover any public or group issues. Although I still have some research to do, I am estimating the total cost at less than $700.00 per year.

I will also be recording public and private sessions as well.
Any thoughts?

Welcome to the forum docrx! I'm pretty new here also, although I've lurked off and on for quite some time, I just recently started posting. I'm pretty sure my current malpractice insurance would cover me if I were to employ hypnosis in a clinical setting, but not sure about public/stage use - probably not. I'd definitely need to check the details before doing any significant work. In the meantime, I probably will only be reading and exploring on a small scale. If I were to use it clinically I'd definitely want to obtain some certification in hypnotherapy - I wonder what credentials tend to be widely respected?

I assume by your mention of recording - that's to leave a record of what actually occurred in case of litigation?

1) If you are in the U.S., the venue where you are performing will probably have liability insurance so you won't need much yourself. In other areas (I believe in the U.K.), you may need to get insurance as a performer.
2) As a hypnotherapist, you will need liability insurance. You might also look at legal insurance. If some moron thinks you have deep pockets they could sue for anything: "I looked at him and became a nymphomaniac!"
3) MAKE SURE your hypnotherapy clients know they are being recorded! Have them sign a waver allowing it.
4) For shows, why not have a video made and sell copies to the people who attend? If you're going to pay for the recording, you may as well make some money off of it.
5) Think BOR. What are you selling in the back of the room after your shows? What will you have available for your hypnotherapy clients to buy?
6) In the U.S., hypnosis is not federally regulated. Therefore, you must check state and local laws concerning hypnotherapy and stage hypnosis. I believe that in Florida hypnotherapy is tightly regulated. In New Mexico it is very loosely regulated. In California you have to follow the rules of the CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) law.
7) In the U.S., to practice hypnotherapy legally in most states, all you have to do is put out a shingle and call yourself a hypnotist or hypnotherapist (in some places you can't use the "therapist" title unless you're state licensed in another area). Credentials that are "widely respected" are generally only respected by other people certified by the same organization. So is certification a scam? I don't believe so. It will do two things:
a) It will indicate that you have completed a course of study, not to others, but to you. I would think that a good basic introductory course should take about 100 hours of study, with at least 40 of that being in the classroom. I know, there are people who will sell you a course and give out a certification. Every time you look at that paper on the wall you'll know what a fraud that is. Learning hypnosis our of books or online is sort of like learning sex from books or online. The real thing is a LOT different. IMO, the best type of certification comes from an organization that is separate from the school you attend. There are many people who start schools and then give you a "certification." These are not advised and not really respected by anyone. For a "lay hypnotist" (someone who is not an MD or who does not have a license in some form of psychology), I would recommend certification through either the American Board of Hypnotherapy or the National Guild of Hypnotists.
b) There is something known as an "authority suggestion." Clients will be more apt to accept suggestions if they consider you an authority. For example, wearing a white "coat" has become synonymous with being a medical doctor. So doctors wear white coats in order to have more authority with patients. There's no actual reason for a doctor to wear such a coat, in fact it's probably not a good idea for doctors who do even very minor forms of surgery. Would you really want to see your next patient if you have blood sprays all over your coat? Wearing a darker color would make more sense, but it's not part of our psyches. So having paper on the wall makes hypnosis clients think "Ah, s/hes trained and a professional, therefore their suggestions will be good and I'll accept them. The more paper on the wall the better. That means don't just get certified, take numerous trainings in specialities and also put on the wall the certificates you have received from taking the trainings. A good place to get such training and additional certificates is at conventions. The National Guild of Hypnotists currently puts on the two largest conventions, one on the East Coast and one in Las Vegas.

Dmkraig - thanks so much for the help!

Thanks!

Docrx & mojo: There is a hypnotist in Las Vegas named Susan (I have not talked to her so I should not post her last name without permission). I think she wrote the stage hypnosis safety course that Marc was talking about (Jerry Valley is one of the instructors). You can find the safety course on the web. You can get insurance from: http://www.specialtyinsuranceagency.com/ for stage hypnosis shows. I understand that other insurance companies offer stage hypnosis insurance as well. I hope this helps.

SleepNow
Thanks for the link. Did you enjoy the class?