How do psychologists and psychiatrists use hypnotism in conjunction with traditional therapy?
If a person is suffering from a diagnosed mental disorder, then hypnotherapy, in and of itself, is not indicated as a treatment without the appropriate referral and consultation of a licensed mental health professional. In other words, a person like me, who’s a lay- hypnotherapist, I’ve got a lot of psychological training that I’ve received in learning how to do hypnotherapy, but I am not a licensed psychotherapist. So if someone comes in to me with, say, clinical depression or bipolar, or worse and I recognize it – and I’ve been trained to recognize it although I’m not trained to diagnose it or treat it – if I recognize something that I feel is beyond the scope of what I’ve been trained to do, then I am required to seek the written approval and referral of a licensed psychotherapist. Now hypnosis can be a very powerful adjunct, and I work with a great number of psychologists, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, and psychiatrists, in conjunction with their
