Here follows a brief introduction to some of the ways hypnotists and NLP practitioners use to impress the public.
For the average member of the public, choosing a therapist is a fairly random process.
Therapists know that the public is largely naïve about regulation and qualification systems and so may exploit a number of techniques to impress upon potential clients the following:
1. Level of qualification
2. Authentic lineage or connection to someone famous or influential
3. Official recognition and regulation
4. Level of expertise
Let’s look at these in closer detail. You will, of course, find some of these methods exploited to the hilt on my own website as I too attempt to compete for the next client.
You should also take note of the degree of recursion built into this page, because it is itself an attempt to create the “honest guy” impression and is therefore also designed to impress the reader that the author is the “real deal”.
Level of Qualification
The most common tactic is the use of letters after one’s name, and this is possibly the most suspect of all methods.
For example, I could use:
Andrew T. Austin, BHR (Dip. Hyp), GHSC, MPNLP, BGC.
Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of NLP
Let’s translate this.
BHR refers to the name of a training company (no longer in existence) that offered a “diploma” in hypnosis.
The course itself was excellent, and the trainers were skilled clinicians.
However, using the initials of a training company after one’s name is dubious, you might as well use the initials of your primary school.
As for “diploma”: you can come to my house for a chat (bring biscuits), and I’ll give you a diploma.
I’ll print it off using a desktop publishing programme.
Anyone can give a diploma to anyone.
Unless the term is used in conjunction with a recognised higher-education qualification, it is essentially meaningless.
GHSC simply means that I am listed with the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council.
To join, you provide proof of training and insurance and sign an ethics agreement.
All well and good, but it is not a qualification.
Yet many practitioners use the letters as though it were.
You sign the forms and send off the cheque, and that’s it.
It is also common to see the phrase “Member of the…” followed by the name of a register.
Remember the school register?
It is a list of names.
“Membership” implies authority or regulation, which usually does not exist.
MPNLP stands for “Master Practitioner of NLP.”
Sounds impressive, right?
Given how many people read a book, attend a weekend course, and then call themselves therapists, the public has good reason to be sceptical.
Many “Master Practitioner” certificates are effectively worthless.
BGC simply means “Bloody Good Chap”.
Authentic Lineage or Famous Connections
This is common in martial arts and NLP alike.
The emphasis is often on proving some tenuous lineage to someone famous.
In NLP circles, one might say, “I trained with some of the world’s best…”
This may be technically true, but misleading.
One might omit the fact that they were one of 400 people in the room or that they only attended briefly to collect the certificate.
It can also be worded to imply friendship or intimacy with the trainer.
Another trick is the strategic use of quotations from famous figures.
This creates an association by proximity.
I do this myself, and it works.
People assume familiarity where none exists.
Official Recognition and Regulation
This is a particularly effective tactic.
Place an official-looking logo on the page and let implication do the work.
For example, displaying an NHS logo creates the impression of affiliation.
I have nothing to do with the NHS beyond being able to accept referrals – in exactly the same way a cleaning contractor might.
A business arrangement is not clinical approval.
Many practitioners claim to be “approved by” or “accredited by” bodies that they themselves created.
Create a website, invent a logo, and display it.
Here are some examples I made up:
- National Hypnotherapy Helpdesk
- British Federation of NLP Practitioners
- Global Organisation of NLP Trainers
- National Board for Experimental Hypnosis
- British Clinical Hypnosis Group
- European Centre for Clinical Hypnosis Studies and Personality Research
And some I didn’t:
- Global Organisation of NLP
- Planetary Organisation of NLP
- Intergalactic Federation of NLP
Many such organisations are one-person operations offering “accreditation” for a fee.
Some are legitimate.
Others simply sell logos.
Level of Expertise
This one is a joy.
“Hypnotherapist with over ten years of clinical experience…”
“World-class training at a premier establishment…”
“Twenty-five years of excellence in human resources…”
One of the best ways to achieve this is to award yourself a grand title.
At the time of writing, I am technically the Director of my own limited company.
I won’t mention the failed tax strategy or the accountant’s fees, instead, I might write:
“With over ten years of hospital-based critical care experience and fifteen years designing primary mental health systems, Andrew T. Austin is now Chief Director of Scammasters International Ltd.”
What I might omit is that those years overlapped, and that “designing systems” largely involved attending meetings and printing paperwork.
Addenda
Addendum #1: Want a “Harley Street Practice”?
Google “1 Harley Street” and see how busy it is.
Addendum #2: Hate mail and legal threats welcome.
In England, we spell it “arsehole”.
Addendum #3: Correspondence reproduced with permission.
Respect to those who sign their names.
Addendum #4: NLP Fight Club.
The first rule is that you do not talk about NLP Fight Club.
Further Reading:
From 7-Day Practitioner to “Therapist”