The Hypnosis for Community Wellness Facilitator course will be updated for Fall 2023 after I finish and publish the above book, in May.

This course just got a lovely write up by Nimisha in Tickle.Life!

Fall 2023 dates TBA. 3 modules, five weeks each for a total of 150 hours/15 Weeks.

Recorded and live lectures.

Hypnosis is a skill you can learn and teach to others to promote general wellness through improving relaxation and resilience and reducing stress. Hypnosis can be used by individuals, families, and community groups to promote health and wellness, as a form of mutual aid and collective empowerment.

This class emphasizes the uses of hypnosis in community wellness groups.

Many people and communities are adversely affected by social, political, economic, and legal inequities. As a “complementary and alternative” modality, hypnotism can be used to alleviate stress and promote health and wellness through increased relaxation. It can also provide assistance in managing pain and some aspects of specific medical and emotional conditions. Hundreds of scientific studies prove the value of hypnosis for many conditions, used alone or with other healing treatments. For example, hypnosis can:

• Provide a relaxing, restorative experience for people under stress;
• Help people manage their weight and take on new healthy habits. This could be a boon to people with diabetes, or who need to lose weight prior to surgery;
• Assist pregnant women to have a more comfortable birth and post-partum recovery, and can assist with positive suggestions for increased lactation during breastfeeding and chestfeeding;
• Promote self-esteem and self-confidence in children and youth who have been bullied at school, or who have endured other abusive conditions;
• Help people quit smoking and other unhealthy habits;
• Be used in therapy as an adjunct to boost the benefits of cognitive behavior therapy;
• Assist with sexual dysfunctions such as vaginismus or erectile dysfunction;
• Help people with irritable bowel syndrome;
• Provide positive suggestions for post-op healing for people about to undergo medical, surgical, or dental procedures, such as a transgender person about to experience gender-affirming surgery or a cancer patient who would like to suffer fewer side-effects from chemotherapy and radiation;
• Assist people with HIV/AIDS to adhere to their PrEP regimen of medication.
• Be used at home to promote intimacy and affectionate bonding;
• Assist with “activist” or “care-giver” burnout;
• Minimize menopausal “hot flashes;”
• Help people overcome fears and worries;
• And so much more.

Here are some other facts about hypnosis:

Hypnosis is natural. The ability to access slower brain wave (trance) states for healing is something human beings have done for eons. When we meditate, fall asleep, or zone out in front of the television, we experience slower brain wave states, and the mind can become more open to suggestions, both positive and negative. Western hypnosis methods are just one way of harnessing this inate human capacity, maximizing the power of the unconscious and subconscious parts of the brain.

The theory behind hypnotism, and skills to apply it, are easily learned. Yes, it takes training and diligent practice to become proficient, but you’ll be surprised by how natural it will become once you are competent in the basics. Hypnosis is also a “learned skill” for the people being hypnotized! The more they experience it, the easier it gets.

The hypnosis state is deeply relaxing and restorative. Whether someone “goes deep” or is in a lighter state of trance, most people report feeling refreshed and relaxed after a session.

Hypnosis can be experienced by individuals or groups. As a Community Health Hypnotist, you will have many opportunities to share and teach hypnosis in your communities.

In other words, hypnotism can be a huge force for health, and I would like to assist you in learning hypnosis skills in the context of community wellness so that you can benefit from these skills yourself and bring them back to your communities. Also, starting a new career is not a bad thing!

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Please note: Hypnotism does not subsitute for medical and/or mental health care from a licensed professional. Several states have laws which regulate the professional practice of hypnosis. Please check the 2019 State and Legal Issues guide at the NGH website to find out what is required in your state. Also, if you are an international student, please also check your local and national laws.

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What You Will Learn

This is an online and homestudy course consisting of three modules of five weeks each, the total is approximately 150 hours long with 15 weeks of taped and live lectures, plus home study. Some lectures are recorded. The online sessions meet once a week during this time, with a break between modules. 

These are some of the topics we will cover:

• Basic “helping skills” for working with clients;
• Basic hypnosis skills from many sources;
• Hypnotic relaxation principles and applications, based on Dr. Gary Elkin’s book, Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy.
• Theories and history of Western hypnosis;
• Myths and misperceptions of hypnosis;
• Techniques of Western hypnosis: various inductions and deepening techniques, and how to work with your clients in hypnosis;
• Scientific studies which show the benefits of hypnosis for various conditions and situations;
• Health care inequities that affect marginalized people and communities, and what hypnosis might be able to offer;
• How to use hypnosis for a variety of specific conditions and situations;
• Autogenic Training and how to use this alone and in combination with hypnosis groups;
• When to NOT use hypnosis;
• How to learn and teach self-hypnosis;
• How to lead a hypnosis community wellness group;
• How to hypnotize a group;
• Competencies, ethics and best practices;
• How to apply understandings of intersectionality and social justice to your hypnosis wellness groups.

Additional cost: You may be asked to purchase one or two books separately. Highly recommended: Gary Elkins, Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy: Principles and Applications, Springer, 2014.

You will have six months to complete assignments, including three case studies and a paper on health challenges in a specific community.

You will earn a certificate of completion as a Community Wellness Hypnosis Facilitator. 

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 To Enroll

Please send an email to dr.amymarshsexologist@gmail.com to request an application.

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Intersectionality and Openness to Critiques and Comments

Hypnosis for Community Wellness is dedicated to recognizing and addressing inequity, privilege, and intersectionality, and how these impact human health and wellness. However, I may need your help to improve on how we address it. As a white, non-binary femme (pronouns ze/zir), with settler/colonist privilege, I know I have my own unacknowledged biases and privileges and that these may show up in the course in ways that I don’t realize. And so I welcome your input and critiques as the course unfolds for you. I will make necessary changes and give credit where it is due. Fear no tears from me!

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Four Scholarships in 2023

This is not the first time I’ve given scholarships to hypnosis students. I will award four scholarships for the third round of the new Hypnosis for Community Wellness Program, which will probably be given in the Fall, 2023.

These scholarships are reserved for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (as a form of reparations); LGBTQIA+ people; people with disabilities; and people who are recent immigrants to the U.S. but who are experiencing discrimination as a result of their ethnicity or religion. 

Applicants must have at least one year’s experience in community or professional service and/or activism in issues such as:

• general health;
• sexual and reproductive health;
• HIV/AIDS and other STIs;
• poverty rights;
• disability rights;
• immigration rights;
• sexworker rights;
• children’s rights;
• elders rights;
• risk and harm reduction programs;
• chemical addictions programs;
• community clinics and medics;
• doula, midwifery, and lactation;
• food justice;
• homelessness/houselessness;
• environmental health and justice;
• LGBTQIA+ issues and justice;
• social and racial issues and justice;
• indigenous issues and justice.

All instruction will be free. In addition to attending the lectures and completing the coursework, you only have to buy one or two books, have fairly regular access to the internet, and line up a couple of friends or volunteers so you can practice your hypnosis skills in real person. 

Apply for the Scholarships TBA

If you would like to schedule an online conversation (via Zoom) as the first step to a scholarship, please send an email to dr.amymarshsexologist@gmail.com. In your email, please include the application below and any additional details concerning:

• Your name, address, email address, phone number, and time zone. International students are welcome to apply;
• Your pronouns;
• A little about your interests and experiences in any or all of the above issues;
• Any prior experience or training in hypnosis or another helping profession;
• What is it that interests you about this course;
• Your needs, and that of your communities.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you!

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