clinical hypnosis

In skilled hands, hypnosis is a powerful tool with many clinical and non-clinical benefits. It may be used to manage pain, aid relaxation, enhance creativity, relieve IBS, support psychological therapy or improve performance in such areas as public speaking, sport and the arts.

Most countries demand that hypnosis practitioners should be professionals already qualified as doctors, dentists, psychologists or psychotherapists, and that they should use hypnosis only in the areas in which they are professionally qualified. The ethical guidelines of the International Society of Hypnosis state that doctors and dentists may use it to control pain and anxiety, and psychologists and psychotherapists may use it in the treatment of mental health conditions.

Anyone can, in theory, quickly learn how to induce a "hypnotic state" in another. However, simply being in hypnosis will not directly help people resolve physical or psychological problems. The benefits of hypnosis depend on what is done after the "hypnotic state" has been induced and it is this that requires specialised professional training.

Susan Forbes was already a qualified psychotherapist when she began her hypnosis studies at University College London, where she gained a Master of Science degree (with distinction) in clinical hypnosis.

The British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH) is the only professional hypnosis organisation in Great Britain for doctors, dentists, psychologists and psychotherapists who are trained to use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. All practitioners on the BSCAH referral list have gained Accreditation with BSCAH. Anyone in the UK seeking treatment involving hypnosis should visit the website of The British Society for Clinical and Academic Hypnosis and click on the 'Referral List' link to find a recommended practitioner.

Susan is an accredited member of BSCAH. She believes that hypnosis should be considered as an adjunct to other forms of therapy: it is a tool which aids the delivery of a specific therapeutic treatment rather than a treatment in its own right. Skilful clinicians successfully use the hypnotic techniques of imagery and suggestion to complement their normal therapeutic approach.