# What's the straight dope on hypnotherapy/hypnosis?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 29, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218 "2016-07-29T19:36:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![teddybound](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@teddybound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teddybound)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218/1 "2016-07-29T19:36:10Z")

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Recently I was planning to take up a course on hypnosis.

However the courses are expensive.

What’s the science on it? Any credible body that recognizes it as a therapy or profession?

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**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218/2 "2016-07-29T20:11:56Z")

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Hypnotherapy in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has shown good results  
for a wide variety of conditions.

[Wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnotherapy)

A DNP nurse practitioner I know once attempted to hypnotize me. Despite my best efforts at being cooperative, no dice.

I believe the human interaction inherent in much CBT is one of the main reasons it has success. That said, online programs are getting a lot of attention.

Per the Wiki page, NIH (a very credible body) recognizes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment.  
I don’t know whether insurance programs would agree enough to pay for it.

Why the interest in becoming a hypnotist rather than something else?

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**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218/3 "2016-07-30T18:18:51Z")

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It’s been very successful at creating people who think they were abducted by aliens or who have other false memories.

See, for example: [Susan Clancy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Clancy)

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**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218/4 "2016-07-31T04:01:27Z")

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[The danger of hypnosis.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcAhKWwFXzY)

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-hypnotherapy-hypnosis/761218/5 "2016-08-01T03:00:39Z")

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> [@teddybound](#):
>
> Recently I was planning to take up a course on hypnosis.
> 
> However the courses are expensive.
> 
> What’s the science on it? Any credible body that recognizes it as a therapy or profession?

Though the science may be credible the teaching organization may not be. Caveat Emptor.

Is this being taught at a real college? What share of the graduates of this program go on to work in the hypnotherapy field? Or is this entertainment related? If it’s the latter, I suspect another route might be appropriate.