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 treatment, hypnotherapy has been very powerful, and I have seen people just do amazing things. Once again, it's not magic. It's not for everyone and it's not always even indicated. There are certain conditions like psychotic conditions and schizophrenia, for example, where hypnosis would not be the indicated treatment. And so it's a very slippery slope as to whether there's going to be efficacy or not. I would say, guardedly, that most conditions, if treated appropriately by the right licensed psychotherapist or mental health professional and a well-qualified hypnotherapist respond quite well.
