Does anybody here have any experience with Academy of Professional Hypnosis
(their website here: http://www.hypnoacademy.com/ )?

I know Tony and John well. They're very nice people and do their best to stay within the bounds of NJ state law.

Being their friend, I can say two things; one, the training will be as questionable as any other, and two, the training will also be as suitable as any other.

Hypnosis training--as it is available today--is a bit of an oxymoron. You get trained, yes, but much of what you learn is outdated, irrelevant, or just plain wrong. (Now please note that I am speaking to lay-hypnosis training, from organizations like the ABH, IACT, and NGH, among others.) More simply, whatever training you get cannot stand alone. You must continue to train, irrespective of the course you choose.

I only recommend one trainer for non-psychologists: George Bien. He has an exceptional training style and is one of the few trainers who actually possess a deep understanding of the subject. Most trainings (sadly, the Academy's too) lack emphasis on the basics; for instance, most graduates of weekend certification courses cannot adequately answer simple questions like, "What is the difference between hypnosis and imagination?" or, "Is hypnosis real? Where's the proof?" Vast lapses in quality like this is why Division 30 continues to push for legislation to eliminate such trainings altogether. I happily pay my APA membership dues every year for this reason alone. While George and I have different views regarding training, our work at IMBRE (www.imbre.org) tends to infuse George's trainings with more science than most others. Still, I recommend you give him a call: http://www.georgebien.com.

Hope this helps.

Best,
James.

Thanks so much!

With regards to Division 30's efforts at legsilation, frankly, they are, on the whole, more dangerous than working with the so-called "lay hypnotist" organizations would probably be for crafting responsible laws about hypnosis. The current laws that Division 30 have forced through the legislatures in the various states have been, in general, so restrictive for the non-licensed practitioner as to kill hypnosis EXCEPT for the stage hypnotists, whom Division 30 claims are the BIGGEST danger out there, with NO real supporting evidence, I might add! What they present as evidence is highly skewed and fails to take into account a large number of other mitigating circumstances and seems to accept third-hand, hearsay reports as factual to boot! Their legislative efforts in several states also allows ANY medical, social work or DENTAL professional to practice hypnosis without ANY formal training, whatsoever!

So, I have to ask, who would you rather have working with you in trance? Someone with at least SOME training and understanding of the hypnotic process, suggestion formulation and a good grounding in the limitations of their areas of practice, or someone with a degree to practice, forinstance, proctology, who has read Hypnosis For Dummies and has decided to use it in his practice? Because, under several state's laws, that's the way it works. Including my home state, Illinois.

Or how about Indiana? Where a non-licensed hypnotist can only practice with either a license in a medical/psychological field that already has a license, OR who has graduated from a State Licensed School of Hypnosis - except there ARE NO such schools - nor can there be, since the only one was closed because it was owned by the wife of the former head of the State Licensing Board? Catch-22.

Not what I would call a "responsible legislative program!"

I would far prefer to see the people in Division 30 come to an accomodation, like what finally happened in Illinois, where it is technically illegal for a lay hypnotist to pracice at all, but where we now are allowed to work under an agreement with the State, Division 30 and the Congress of Professional Hypnosis Organizations and the AFL-CIO National Federation of Hypnotists Local 104, while the law is being re-written so that said accomodation becomes part and parcel OF the actual law.

By the way, the Illinois licensing law, was written up as one of the 100 "Dumbest Laws of the Year" in the year it was passed, by, I believe the Chicago Sun Times.

Respectfully,

Lee Darrow, C.H.