What is Clinical hypnosis

Hypnosis is quite ancient. It involves our sensitivity to suggestion and our ability to become deeply absorbed in experiences that amplify or magnify how we respond to suggestions. Clinical hypnosis is relatively new and involves how health professionals utilize these inborn tendencies to help in the treatment of a variety of conditions that affect people, regardless of age - pain, trauma, depression, anxieties of all sorts, athletic or academic performance, digestive disorders, surgical preparation or concerns about medical conditions (e.g., cancer), birthing, sleep difficulties, and more.

Clinical hypnosis is different from stage hypnosis, which uses people’s hypnotic responsiveness as a tool to entertain an audience. I find stage hypnosis to be manipulative and don’t engage in or support it.

my clinical hypnosis background

I began studying and incorporating hypnosis into my practice more than 25 years ago. I am an Approved Consultant in clinical hypnosis through the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, have earned the credential of Fellow of ASCH, reflecting my academic and teaching contributions to the organization, and have earned the Diplomate in Psychological Hypnosis through the American Board of Psychological Hypnosis. I have also served on the Board of Directors of ASCH, the oldest professional hypnosis organization in the U.S., on multiple occasions, taught licensed health professionals about hypnosis and its role in treating various clinical conditions across the America and overseas, as well, for many years, and have published articles in peer reviewed journals and in book chapters on aspects of hypnosis, including the neuroscience foundation in which hypnosis is rooted.

Group or 1:1 consultation for Health Professionals

Currently, I conduct clinical consultation groups for health professionals who are seeking to improve their skills in incorporating hypnosis into their work with their clients. If you are interested in joining a group, let me know through my contact page or email me (david@drdavidalter.com).

Clients seeking to consult with me about clinical hypnosis

If you are a prospective client who wants to explore whether clinical hypnosis might have a positive role in addressing your concern(s), you can let me know through my contact page or by emailing me (david@drdavidalter.com).

I offer both individualized and group-based consultation. You may seek consultation to:

• Deepen your therapeutic skills with individual and/or couples work from a mind-brain-body/health psychology orientation

• Go beyond techniques or specific therapeutic models (e.g., CBT, psychodynamic, or EFT) to get at the underlying presumptions that guide your thinking, color your outlook, and give you access to the neuroplastic potentials that reside within us and our clients

• Address specific professional growth challenges you face (e.g., how to maintain your personal resilience when working with emotionally challenging and physically draining clinical populations)

• Learn together with professional colleagues in a friendly and engaging environment that enriches your professional practice and enlivens your clinical work

Sessions, which are offered as 60 or 90-minute meetings, are recorded, with copies sent to you for personal study and easy reference.

I am available between sessions to address professional practice questions that may arise.