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I was asked the other day what a Master Hypnotist was, and whether such a hypnotist was better than a regular one.
You’ll see these terms used on hypnosis related websites, but what do they mean, and are they significant? Well, some are significant and some are not.
Firstly, let’s deal with “hypnotist”. A hypnotist is anyone who does hypnosis. Basically it describes a person as having a skill, he’s a hypnotist, she is a singer, they are jugglers, etc. There is no qualification required to be a singer, hypnotist or juggler except possessing some degree of skill. A few minutes listening to the radio will reveal that one doesn’t have to be a good singer to be called a singer, and the same applies to being a hypnotist.
A hypnotherapist is a hypnotist who does therapy, helps people with problems, phobias, and the ever popular weight loss and smoking cessation issues, etc.
Not all hypnotists work the same way – there are different “styles” or schools of hypnosis. One school derives out of a larger body of knowledge called Neurolinguistic Programming, or NLP for short. NLP includes a style of hypnosis commonly called Eriksonian Hypnotherapy after Milton Erikson who contributed the majority of the original techniques taught to NLP practitioners. But there are other styles, some developed in schools of psychoanalysis or medicine, some linked into spiritual, religious and quasi religious groups, etc. There are many different styles.
NLP was developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, and although it has evolved over the years, it retains a formal series of exams that one must pass to be certified as a practitioner, which is the first level of recognized attainment, and as a master practitioner, which is the second level and which generally qualifies one for most types of hypnotic therapeutic interventions. The requirements for certification are defined and enforced internationally. A master practitioner in Canada is qualified to the same level as one in Sweden or Australia.
If you look up hypnotist, hypnotherapist and master hypnotist in the US Federal Dictionary of Occupational Titles, you will find that they mean the same thing. There is no internationally recognized definition of master hypnotist, although some groups and associations bestow on themselves the right to anoint their members with that title when certain criteria are met. The criteria used are decided by the group’s members and they vary widely from group to group. Some apply a time limit (after x years) and subjective criteria such as “recognition”; a few have actual exams.
This is different from the local professional bodies formed in various towns and countries to create a professional association for practicing hypnotherapists, and to allow for self regulation. These are worthwhile endeavours and generally bestow the title of “registered hypnotherapist”, as in, “registered with the professional association”, like registered plumber, or registered massage therapist.
So what has all this to do with stage hypnosis? Well, nothing really. All of the above terms, except hypnotist apply to the practice of hypnotherapy. Stage hypnotism is not therapy, except that laughter can cure a great deal of the world’s ills and I personally believe the world needs a great deal more of it. Comedy stage hypnosis is a form of entertainment. Skill as a hypnotherapist is not necessarily related to skill as a stage hypnotist entertainer. How funny is your doctor (actually, mine is pretty funny)?
It is odd that some people get into stage hypnotism by first training as therapists (yours truly for instance), because they are very different skills. I just didn’t know that when I started out.
To put that into perspective, the other route to stage hypnotism is via standup comedy. Comedians have no such pretensions as master comedian.
I did the NLP training primarily in order to become a better entertainer and I only do therapy when asked to. I don’t run clinics or promote myself as a therapist, because stage hypnosis is not a sideline for me. It is the main thing.
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Gerard V's Blog 
