`Hypnosis is a powerful method of helping people, when it is used by psychologists, physicians and other licensed health professionals,” said Sally Witt, a clinical psychologist at the Counseling and Hypnosis Center in Arlington Heights.
“It can help people feel more confident and in control of stress, anxiety, fears, phobias, panic and depression,” she said. “It helps people who have health problems where stress would be a factor.”
Those are some of the applications Milton H. Erickson had in mind when he founded the Des Plaines-based American Society of Clinical Hypnosis in 1957. The society has no tolerance for the use of hypnosis as entertainment.
“This organization does not support lay hypnosis in any way, shape or form,” said Nancy Erickson, executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (she is not related to the society’s founder). “We believe that hypnosis is best used by professional health-care practitioners who have been certified and trained in their particular area of expertise, as an adjunct to their practice.”
Molly Bey, a psychotherapist in Schaumburg, has been practicing hypnosis for 20 years. She uses it to help patients alleviate a variety of problems, including pain, insomnia and sexual dysfunction. Bey also finds it effective in habit control for people who want to quit such compulsive behaviors as smoking and overeating.
She joined the 3,100-member American Society of Clinical Hypnosis because “it really is the premier association for the use of ethical hypnosis.”
From a 3,800-square-foot office in Des Plaines, a staff of six coordinates the programs offered to the nationwide organization, whose membership includes physicians, dentists and psychologists as well as people with master’s degrees in psychology, nursing, marriage and family therapy, counseling and social work.
One of the group’s major training forums is its annual meeting, which has three days of basic, intermediate and advanced workshops, followed by a two-day scientific program in which papers are presented and panels and symposiums are conducted.
There are also eight other educational programs offered throughout the country during the year.
Before they can join the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, professionals must be licensed in their specialty and must have completed 20 hours of training, either through the organization or in programs approved by it. Additional training is encouraged.
By completing training beyond the basic 20 hours, members receive certification from the organization. When they have had 100 hours of training and have practiced hypnosis for several years, members become approved consultants. Individuals in this category can volunteer to offer individualized training to others who want to be certified.
Edward Frischholz, a clinical psychologist who practices in Chicago, frequently presents workshops to members and potential members. “The key issues that I teach are forensic uses of hypnosis — hypnosis in the courtroom — as well as (measuring how easily a person can be hypnotized),” he said.
Frischholz has been practicing hypnosis for 21 years and uses it to help patients with pain control, such medical problems as respiratory disorders and gastrointestinal distress, treatment of phobias and anxiety states, and behavior modification.
Frischholz joined the society in 1977 after taking a workshop offered by the group in St. Louis. “I was impressed by the fact that here was a group of serious professionals who were interested in sharing their ideas about how hypnosis facilitates clinical treatment,” he said. “Since then, I’ve gone to their meeting almost every year.”
Witt, who has been practicing hypnosis since 1982, was also attracted to the group by the quality of the instruction offered at workshops and meetings. “They have the top people in the country who are training practitioners,” she said.
During a trip to Seattle 14 years ago, Patricia Garrity, who has a clinical psychology practice in Park Ridge, discovered the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, which was sponsoring a conference there. She joined the society because she was already interested in hypnosis and was impressed by the fact that the group is “very vigilant about ensuring that people keep up their training to validate their current certification.” She called it “the major body for (hypnosis) training and accreditation in the United States.”
Roger Rydstrom, a dentist who practices at Elmhurst Dental Care in Elmhurst, said he became interested in hypnosis many years ago as a way to improve his communication skills with his patients — and to relax them. He joined the organization because “I knew the courses and the instruction they had available were very ethical in their approach,” Rydstrom said. “It was very definitely academically grounded for patient care.”
Rydstrom has served as an instructor at several of the society’s conventions and courses. He said hypnosis makes it easier to communicate with patients.
In 1994, Frischholz took on the additional role of editing the association’s publication, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. The publication, which is going into its 41st year, includes contributions from non-society members as well.
The publication’s topics include clinical practices, scientific research and forensic and educational uses. Before a paper is published, it is sent to three or four reviewers for comment, returned to the author for revising, then reviewed again. If there is disagreement among the reviewers about whether a paper should be accepted, Frischholz said his tendency is to publish it, with peer comments.
Jeffrey K. Zeig is director of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation Inc., a Phoenix-based non-profit corporation dedicated to training health and mental health professionals. He said the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis “is the major organization in the United States for promoting the professional use of hypnosis.” He has high praise for its publication, calling the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis “one of the most important journals in the world on hypnosis.”
In addition to the benefits to their professional practices, members applaud the camaraderie of the society. Garrity noted that the people she has met through the organization seem “more open to trying things, to really being concerned about how people can best be met in treatment. There’s been a very rich connection with the people I’ve met there.”
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For more information on the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, call 847-297-3317.
