A Race To The Bottom

In my last article, I was complaining about how the field of Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy is being held back because of "XXX stage hypnosis shows" and Hollywood moviemakers.

Today, I'm sharing my thoughts about why some Hypnotists are also to blame for our profession not being as mainstream as it could be.

You might be thinking, "Tim, I'm not a hypnotist, so why should I care?"

The answer is because sooner or later, a family member, neighbor, co-worker, friend, or you will need help lowering stress, breaking a bad habit, improving health, strengthening confidence, or overcoming old wounds from the past...

...and you'll need a kick-butt, talented OBA Hypnotist to help you accomplish this!

Let's travel back to the middle of May 2013.

I'm sitting in a fancy hotel ballroom looking at the ocean in sunny Florida.

A friendly, energetic woman in a brightly-colored outfit plopped down next to me and said she was excited to hear my opening keynote to kick off that year's IACT (International Association of Counselors & Therapists) /IMDHA (International Medical & Dental Hypnotherapy Association) Conference.

I thanked her and ask why she was attending the conference.

She said, "I just received my Certified Hypnosis Instructor diploma and am looking for tips on how to grow my new hypnosis school.

"Congratulations," I replied. "How long have you been practicing hypnosis?"

She said, "I just started."

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean?"

She said, "Well, I completed a weekend course and got my certification to be a Hypnotherapist. Then the teacher announced they would also be offering a Hypnosis Instructor Certification the following weekend, and if we signed up then, it would only be $999. So I did it."

I quietly thought to myself, "Close your mouth, Tim" because my jaw was hanging open.

Then, reluctantly, I asked, "How much did you pay to become a Certified Hypnotherapist?"

She said, "Oh, they were running a special, so I only paid $597. We met for the weekend and then they offered us follow up conference calls for the next six months for free."

I had the same thought at that moment as I do right now.

WTF.

First, how do you become a Certified Expert in anything over a weekend? Especially with the kind of work skilled Hypnotherapists provide.

Second, how do you begin training students when you've never had any clients?

Third, in what other profession can you become a Certified Professional AND a Certified Instructor for $1600?

Now, I wasn't mad at this woman who was excited about joining our mutual profession. She had an opportunity and seized it.

But, I was pissed at the people who provided that type of opportunity. It's bad for our entire field and it floods the profession with ill-equipped, unconfident people who end up dropping out of the game.

Plus, the vast majority of hypnotists I met while speaking at the largest hypnosis conferences for numerous years were broke.

They just weren't well-trained and had no business or marketing skills whatsoever.

That combination crushed their confidence, which robbed so many of the clients they could have empowered.

The next day, I stood in front of a jam-packed audience and proceeded to share how our profession had to change if we were ever to be taken seriously and become mainstream.

I complained about weekend certifications and racing to the bottom by undercharging for Professional Hypnosis Certification.

Most Hypnotists are notorious for undervaluing themselves and their services, even when many are providing miracle breakthroughs for the clients they serve.

I wasn't sure how the crowd would take my critiques, but I received a loud round of applause at the end.

That night at the awards banquet, Robert Otto, President of IACT/IMDHA said he agreed with my observations about our profession and the need to increase the level of training hours and criteria for becoming a confident, well-paid, and highly skilled Hypnosis professional.

Then, he announced that I was the winner of that year's President's Award, which was very humbling.

In my next article, I'll share why I cared so much about training the Best Hypnotherapists in the world.

Watch for the subject heading - Hypnosis Shutdown

:) Tim Shurr

P.S. If you want to experience miraculous breakthroughs, help others achieve their wildest dreams, and build a lucrative part or full-time business that you love, my?OBA Hypnotist Certification?program is opening soon!?Click here to be the first to be notified.