Australian Hypnotist Exploited Hypnotherapy Patient

The Sydney Morning Herald reported how an Australian court ruled a hypnotist had abused his position and sexually exploited one of his patients.

The lady saw the hypnotist after the breakdown of her marriage. During sessions, he touched her inappropriately, claiming to be ‘transferring energy’ from his body to hers. This ‘hypnotist’ had trained in hypnosis one night a week for six months.

Sadly, this hypnotist has brought shame to the reputation of hypnotherapy.

Always check that your hypnotherapist is properly qualified and has undergone the required minimum of 450 hours of classroom training. Check the hypnotherapist is properly and currently registered with one of the major organisations within the United Kingdom. During hypnosis, there is no need for the hypnotherapist to touch the client in any way.

For hypnotherapists, each organisation has its own code of ethics and these include guidelines on conduct and how best to properly approach consultations, in particular for male hypnotherapists dealing with female clients to ensure there are no misunderstandings. These include guidelines such as ensuring that your client remains sitting comfortably at all times, rather than lying down, and ensuring that records are kept of any sessions.