In my opinion, your intuition should be your strongest guide. Hypnotherapy is a skill that is relatively easy to learn, but it is also an art. There are three qualities that, in my opinion, enable a therapist to operate at the highest level.

1. The ability of the practitioner to listen to his or her own inner guidance is critical. There are many points in the process of the hypnotic journey where the right question makes all the difference in the direction a client takes, or where knowing whether to prod or keep silent is important. No textbook contains such answers; only the therapist’s own inner voice. If the therapist is not accustomed to listening within, that voice will be hard to hear.
2. Personal integrity is the second quality that affects the therapist’s skill. As a client, you have to be able to trust this person to guide you honestly and not take advantage of your unguarded state. Someone who does not behave professionally or whose personal life is out of integrity, is not the ideal choice. Most therapists, of course, are honest professional people. Integrity is a quality of wholeness that we all work towards. The greater one’s sense of personal integrity, the more inner power is available because the person is more whole. Talk to people who have worked with this therapist before, or simply trust your intuition.
3. The third important qualification is that the therapist has faced his or her own inner shadows. This doesn’t mean that the person is in line for sainthood, simply that he or she is experienced in facing the fears that lurk within. When I lead people to face old pain, most are terrified. Nobody stuffs emotion unless they’re afraid of it. Because I have done extensive emotional work, I absolutely know that whatever they fear is finite, despite the feeling that it is overwhelming and unending. I absolutely know the joy and freedom and peace that await on the other side of this encounter. That knowing allows me to be a steady guide. If I were just as afraid of the inner world as my clients, I would cautiously steer them away from the danger spots where the richest treasures are buried.

Intuition and integrity are inner qualities that are not certifiable by credentials. Training programs for therapists vary widely in terms of the inner work that a trainee experiences. Talk to the therapist in advance of making an appointment. Trust your feelings. Is this someone you trust to guide you in deep emotional waters? Is this someone to whom your soul is drawn? Let your answers to such questions guide you to choose wisely. Then trust the process.

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