Regulating quality of hypnosis

When John Lundholm studied hypnosis in 1983, training was not easy to come by.

He and some fellow graduate students found a psychologist to mentor them, spent six months in study and earned college credits, which went toward Lundholm’s masters degree in counseling.

But times have changed, and choices for learning hypnosis have multiplied – for better or worse.

“Nowadays, there are some courses that will do a weekend training and call it good,” Lundholm said. “I have a concern with the quality of hypnosis. In Idaho, it’s not regulated, so in a sense, we have to regulate ourselves.”

Those sentiments prompted Lundholm to form the Inland Northwest Hypnosis Practice Group this past winter. Practitioners from all backgrounds are invited to meet monthly at his Post Falls home.

“It’s a place for people who practice hypnosis to get together for sharing ideas, helping each other develop skills and networking and to learn from each other,” Lundholm said.

The American Medical Association has accepted hypnosis as a valid medical intervention since 1958. Research supports its helpfulness for a multitude of symptoms including pain, anxiety and irritable bowel disease.

The process, which involves entering a relaxed state to access the unconscious mind, is gaining popularity as an option for weight control and quitting smoking.

Inland Northwest Hypnosis Practice Group members vary in experience levels and range from psychologists and nurses to lay-hypnotists with no medical or psychological training.

Lundholm began the group in part to offer assistance to hypnotists with little or no medical knowledge.

Lundholm, a registered nurse and hypnotherapist, says all practitioners have a responsibility to recognize when clients have problems that are beyond their scope. Clients with deep psychological issues or undiagnosed medical problems need further care.

“Medical background is not essential, but knowing enough to know what your limits are is important,” Lundholm said. “One of the biggest risks is not recognizing when you need to refer out or get medical attention. It’s too easy to miss some important elements.”

Lundholm remembers one client who thought she was doing well using hypnosis to manage her pain until she noticed blood pooling in her chair. She needed a physician’s intervention.

Another client came to Lundholm to stop smoking and was successful for six months. Then she returned to her habit, although smoking just two cigarettes per day instead of two packs. Further questioning by Lundholm revealed that she had fibromyalgia and used smoking to deal with her pain. When her hypnosis sessions focused on pain control, she was able to quit smoking for good.

Lundholm, who moved from Hawaii to North Idaho in 2004, is an education consultant at Kootenai Medical Center. He spent years as a critical-care nurse, which reinforced his belief that patients need more focus on their diet, exercise and smoking habits.

“Eighty percent would never end up in ICU if they took care of lifestyle,” he said.

Lundholm restarted a private practice this winter.

With more than two decades of hypnotherapy under his belt, he still finds himself learning from other practitioners.

“It’s part of professionalism,” he said. “In any profession, you meet with others and you build one another’s knowledge.”

Although Lundholm says this region is fortunate to have some good training programs, lack of regulation makes it important for practitioners to continue their education.

His practice group’s mix of members works well for Laura Ferguson, who travels from Spokane for the chance to meet other hypnotists and glean tips.

Ferguson’s background in horticulture might seem an odd match with hypnosis.

However, the Master Gardener and founder of Soul Odyssey initially was drawn to the therapeutic properties of plants. She began working as a hypnotist after a nine-month course two years ago and uses healing herbs in aromatherapy to complement her practice.

“I really delved into the healing aspects of plants, which led me into hypnotherapy,” Ferguson said. “I’m really interested in the healing arts.”

Ferguson says hypnosis helps her clients uncover the subconscious root of their overeating and that her work with hypno-birthing eases the trauma of childbirth.

Meeting like-minded practitioners gives her the opportunity to learn more about what can facilitate good health, she says.

“It seems like all of us have this focus on wanting and needing to heal those around us,” Ferguson said. “It’s kind of a deep drive for all of us.”

Lundholm says he sees a collaborative spirit among his group members and hopes that groups such as his will help raise the skill level of all practitioners, thereby increasing the public’s confidence in hypnosis.

“The public as a whole benefits when there is a sharing of ideas, when we work to develop each other’s skill levels and cooperate in that,” he said.

“As people realize what a powerful tool hypnosis is, there’s more than enough work for those of us who are practicing it.”