How to pick your hypnotist / hypnotherapist using the Internet

I'm writing this blog post with the belief that whomever reads it is familiar with basic Internet terminology. You are reading my Squidoo on the Internet, after all!

For all intents and purposes, the words "hypnotist" and "hypnotherapist" are interchangeable. If you do a search on Google for hypnotists, all of the hypnotherapists will come up, and vice versa. In certain states, such as Arizona where I am currently practising hypnosis and intend to for the foreseeable future, there are certain parameters that we hypnotists must follow in order to be law-abiding. That is why I do not call myself a hypnotherapist here, even though in California, I did. So when picking your hypnotist or hypnotherapist, don't let the words throw you. They are one and the same. Granted, there are different categories of hypnotist such as clinical hypnotist and stage hypnotist, but when you are doing a search on your favorite search engine, all hypnotists will show up. It should then be easy to differentiate between the two just by reading the website's description or quickly clicking on the website's url.

For ease of use, I will forthwith use the word "hypnotist" when referring to both hypnotists and hypnotherapists. And since Google is by far the most popular search engine - with by some estimates exceeding 80% of all searches - Google is the search engine I am referring to in my blog post.

While the following is not meant to be a complete or comprehensive list of every parameter you should follow in order to pick your best hypnotist, it will give you a pretty good starting point. I am certain that you can come up with your own parameters that have meaning for you:

1) Use the right key words. You could just type hypnotist in Google without any other search term, and the first urls that would make it to the top would actually be in your city since Google knows where you live. However, I recommend including the city and state you are looking for, and even more importantly, the ISSUE that you want to address. For example, you might use the following search string: hypnotist Phoenix Arizona quit smoking. That way, your search results would contain folks that make it their business to encourage future non-smokers to come to them. Like me!

2) The top pages in the searches that pop up contain both folks that are good at Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Google "places" folks. The Google Places folks have letters before their names and will be in your area. These are folks that are registered with Google. The people that are interspersed with these results are, as I said before, good Internet marketers. The people on the next pages might be great hypnotists, but they are lousy at marketing themselves on Google. That doesn't mean they are bad hypnotists. It just means they are bad Internet marketers. You probably care much more whether they are good hypnotists. However, chances are if you are doing your due diligence, and calling at least three hypnotists, you will probably have found them on the first few pages of your search. That's just how the cookie crumbles on the Internet.

3) The people to the right of the natural search are there because they are paying for their ads. Don't click on their names unless you are very serious about seeing them, because every time you do you will cost them money. And it's not cheap for them. It could cost them anywhere from $1 to $5 per click! Are they are good choice as a hypnotist? Sometimes. But they are probably no better than the group on the left. All you know is that they can afford to advertise.

4) When you decide to click on a url and you go to the hypnotist's page, what do you see? Is it a mess? It is too busy? Well, if you like busy messes, then keep looking at their website. How do you feel when you look at the pages? Confident, reassured, comfortable, or confused, agitated, and uncertain? Let your feelings guide you! Don't ignore them. Are there lots of typos or grammatical errors? I would never choose someone who doesn't pay attention to detail like that. If there is a word or two that's wrong, okay. But not several.

5) I would never go to a hypnotist who's face I couldn't see. How do you feel when you look at their picture? A picture is worth a thousand words. You can really get a good sense of the person from their picture.

6) Never choose a hypnotist if you haven't spoken to them. Call them! What happens if you have only communicated with them via email and you don't like their voice? It will not be easy for you to go into hypnosis if you don't like their voice. Also, when you talk to them, ask the following questions and they should be answered to your satisfaction (pay attention to red flags). Also, pay attention to how you feel as you are asking these questions. Listen to your instincts:

a) How long have you been in practice?
b) How much training have you had?
c) Do you follow-up with your clients?
d) Do you charge per session or do you only do packages (I think hypnotists should charge per session and not do packages because nobody knows how much help any individual is going to need except for smoking cessation. Smoking Cessation SHOULD be a package).
e) If you go over the hour, will I be charged extra? I never charge more than an hour when someone has come to me for an hour. Keeping tabs on the time is the hypnotherapist's responsibility.
f) Do you ever have an upcharge? I never charge extra for personalized recordings, and I don't think hypnotists should. However, they may have products for sale, and that's okay. Everything should be up-front.
g) Where are you located? Consider going to someone who is a little out of your area if you really like them otherwise. Is it easy to get to from and close to the freeway (if that's important to you)?
h) Don't be pressured by anyone.
g) Don't get too excited if you saw someone on television. That does not make them a good hypnotist.
7) Once you have spoken to at least three hypnotists, make your choice. If you don't feel good while you are there, don't go back.

But don't give up on hypnosis. It works.

Sincerely, Stephanie

Rothman Hypnosis
Phoenix, Arizona
602-412-3599

Phoenix Hypnosis
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