So, you signed up with Columbia Pacific University and now, after paying upward of $5,000 through their correspondence course, you now have a “diploma” with the title Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy on it. (Your mother will be so proud!!)

Like Dr. Kline, based on his having a PhD in 1984 from Columbia Pacific University in Novato, Calif. The unaccredited school closed its doors in 1999 after being sued by California’s Attorney General.

Poor, poor “Dr.” Kline.

From the website of the American Pacific University (they love that ocean!):

“American Pacific University is accredited by the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS, COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES, an international accreditation agency based in Antwerp, Belgium.

“AMERICAN PACIFIC UNIVERSITY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY (A RECOGNIZED) AN ACCREDITING AGENCY (OR ASSOCIATION) RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

Belgium, eh? Well, when you get sued in Belgium, that PhD may come in handy.

Seriously, does anyone think that they can pay five grand to a correspondence school and become a PhD in Hypnotherapy? (Yep, and they keep paying it. Don’t be a fool and don’t go this route. It will only lead to trouble.)

From the web site TheNationalBoard.com:

American Pacific University in Hawaii — This once fine organization was started by the eminent Dr. Krasner along with AIH that produced a lot of fine students including directors of this organization. It was taken over years ago and has been on a steady decline since. AIH has been closed down.

ABH is a mail order program and it is not expectable education in several US states including Oregon and Michigan. In fact, it is not only not usable [sic], but according to official state records sent to us (see links below) it is a criminal offence to use the education from this organization in these states.

This so-called school is supposedly accredited by an organization in Belgium however when one checks that appears to be worthless and would not be acceptable in the U.S. even if it were valid. This organization was in Calif. but has moved out of the US to continue to operate.

www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.aspx

www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf

Just stay away from all of this.

If you want a higher education, do it the right way.

On that note, there are some very good accredited non-traditional degrees that you could take online or through the mail. Just do your research.

Some wonderful resources are Bears’ Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning or Bear’s Guide To College Degrees By Mail & Internet, by John Bear, published by Ten Speed Press.

If the degree means that much to you, then get one. A real one.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! - Bryan

It’s probably not hard to understand why you should not engage in any verbal, physical or sexual abuse or misconduct. You could ruin your reputation, business or end up in jail.

If you have a disagreement with a client, end your business relationship with that client and — if necessary — refund their money. Do not engage in any verbal abuse.

And, there should be no inappropriate touching. In hypnotism, some touching needs to be done. For instance, using a firm touch on the arm or shoulder as an anchor is fine. Touching on the knee is not.

At one NGH convention there was a prominent hypnotist teaching a new induction technique. I attended this lecture because the technique intrigued me. During the explanation to the female “client” in the chair, the (male) hypnotist constantly touched and stroked the woman’s shoulders and hair.

It was really creepy.

And he was doing this before a full room of hypnotists. Nice. What a great role model, right?

I was incredulous and left the room.

Don’t touch your clients inappropriately and you’ll be fine.

So, what do you call yourself in this business? Hypnotist? Hypnotherapist? Hypno-counselor? Therapist?

You are a hypnotist.

“But, my certification says ‘Certified Hypnotherapist’ on it! I am a hypnotherapist!”

Really?

So, you’ve taken a few certification classes, taken a test or two and now — all of a sudden — you have the wherewithal to perform therapy on a person.

Wow. That must have been some class.

I was in Sedona, Arizona (the “woo-woo” capital of the world) a few years ago and my girlfriend and I were talking about my new hypnosis business.

“I’m a hypnotherapist, too!” I heard. I looked up and it was some lady in a very “colorful outfit”.

“Really?” I asked. “What exactly do you do?”

“Well”, she replied, “I took a few classes here in Sedona and I got certified. I really don’t do it ‘professionally’, you know — just for my friends or if somebody needs some help. I love being a hypnotherapist!”

Nice. Very nice. I would have been equally impressed if she said she learned “hypnotherapy” from the back of a comic book.

But, this isn’t unusual. I hear this all of the time. “I took a few classes and…”

This reminds me of when I was younger and if you had a problem of some kind, some college kid would say, “Oh! I’m a psych major! Tell me your problem.” They thought that if they are sitting in the classroom it gives them the magical power to be a therapist all of a sudden.

Well, hypnotherapists think the same thing, too.

Quite frankly, if you are not a real therapist (a Masters or a PhD would be nice) or a licensed mental health professional, do not call yourself a therapist, counselor or anything similar.

Why? Because you aren’t a therapist. Period.

Play it safe: You are a Hypnotist. It’s a great title and I love saying it.

Hello, and welcome to Hypnosis Product Reviews. My name is Bryan Toder and I’m a Certified Hypnotist in Philadelphia with my own hypnosis practice.

Why is this site even here?

Well, over the past several years, it’s come to my attention at there are a lot of people out the who want to learn how to hypnotize people.

Some may want to do it to help people lose weight, quit smoking or whatever. Some may want to learn how to hypnotize themselves (self-hypnosis) to create new and better habits. Some may want to “persuade” others to do what they want. (Note: This really isn’t possible, but I’ll write about that another time because it’s fascinating.) Some may want to just learn what hypnosis really is.

However, there’s a big problem:

Who do you learn from and where do you start?

That was my situation when I first started to try to learn how to hypnotize. I bought the books, the videos, took the online courses (what was available at that time) — only to be disappointed. (One video course cost about $250 and I learned nothing. Again, he basically said “just go out there and…” Well, you get the idea.)

Most were just re-hashing the old methods from books written in the 1950’s. Most just said to “just get out there and do it” which wasn’t reassuring at all.

Some books and videos were just ridiculous — filled with nonsense and fluff and a waste of my money.

Some were a bit too on the “woo-woo” side and, really… I just wanted to learn how to do hypnosis already!

Most of the programs and instruction was taught by people who basically “knew about hypnosis”, but didn’t do it for a living. And, don’t you want to know the “real world” applications of hypnotism and not just theory?

So, here is this site to get you through all of that… stuff.

On this site, I’ll present the best products and services relating to hypnosis and hypnotism available to you online today with hypnosis reviews, interviews and advice — from the persons actually doing hypnotism professionally.

When you read a review, you’ll know that I went through the product thoroughly and I’ll advise you if you should get it (or not) and how you can get it.

You’ll be surprised at the awful stuff out there on the Internet about hypnosis. (I know a few guys selling hypnosis certifications where you can actually get certified with an “open book test”. Can you believe it?!? No, it’s not a good idea.)

I’ve been a hypnotist for over six years and see about 20 clients a day in my office, so you’ll be getting this advice from someone who is really walking-the-walk in this business.

So, stay tuned and come back often to see what’s new!