Freedom is a very special commodity, but it's quite fragile. If you don't guard and protect it, it's very easy to lose it. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and the willingness to fight for it. In America, we have freedom compared to most other countries. Sometimes, however, this freedom is regulated for the protection of the common citizen. Cases in point are the statutes governing the practice of medicine and psychotherapy.

      The regulations desire to protect the citizens from unscrupulous and unqualified practitioners of the medical and psychotherapeutic arts. However, given the holistic nature of man, and the necessity to treat a person from physical, mental and spiritual aspects to obtain healing, it may be unwise to legislate away practitioners just because they look at healing differently than the licensed practitioners.

       Each person has a belief system, which comes from his cultural heritage, environment and education. This belief system is a very important element in the healing equation. If a person believes that only a clinical psychologist can solve his problem, he had better find a good one. However, if the person truly believes that only his priest, shaman, herbalist, etc. can help him, he should be able to select his practitioner without interference from those practitioners who are licensed but do not practice the art needed by the person's belief system.

       This is the problem being faced by hypnotherapists in the state of GA. The licensed professions want to deny anyone but themselves the right to do anything to any person, which affects behavior. This truly affects, not only hypnotherapists, but clergy, advisors, astrologers, tarot readers, psychic readers, etc.? In short anybody who would try to help a person in distress.

       Hypnotherapists have training, which is unlike that of most of the licensed psychotherapists. This does not mean that the training is bad or that hypnotherapists cannot help, it just means that we are trained differently. We use a different model for healing than most psychotherapists, more like that of the clergy or metaphysician.

       The hypnotherapist is trained to uncover the source of a person's problem in the subconscious mind, release the energy associated with the problem and then reprogram the subconscious bio-computer so that the person's behavior and response to life changes for the better. In order to reach the subconscious mind, we use hypnosis because it bypasses the critical factor of the conscious mind and allows direct access to the subconscious. Under hypnosis other desirable changes can also occur, like improving memory, enhancing sports performance, sales ability, stress and weight reduction, phobia removal, increased energy, unblocking creativity, sex problems, etc.

       To deny hypnotherapists their right to practice their art and prevent the public from access to these skilled practitioners is not, I think, in the best interest of the people of GA. Nevertheless, this is what would have happened if two bills, SB-249 and later HB-271 had passed this last session of the legislature.

       SB-249 was withdrawn last year when hypnotherapists under the leadership of the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) persuaded the GA Senate to kill SB-249, which would have made it illegal to practice for those who are not licensed practitioners. During this last session of the GA General Assembly just ended, SB-249 resurfaced as HB-271 and hypnotherapists again had to defend against HB-271, which would have prohibited their practice. HB-271 was narrowly defeated, but the power forces then tried to attach it to HB-814, the Acupuncturists Bill, but HB-814 passed without the attachment.

       The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) is the oldest, largest and most prestigious Hypnotherapy Certification Body in the world and is represented in all the USA and 44 other countries. The NGH is allied with the National Federation of Hypnotists, OPEIU, Local 104, AFL/CIO. The GA Chapter of the NGH, assisted by the AFL/CIO, led the Georgia defense of hypnotherapy in the just ended legislative session.

       It is good that licensed practitioners be concerned about unqualified practitioners working with distressed people. We should all be. Properly trained hypnotherapists are not unqualified practitioners, especially if they are trained by Certified Instructors of the NGH.

       So many of our fellow Georgians out there need help. Let us all come together as practitioners and help our distressed brothers with all the knowledge and techniques of Psychology and Hypnotherapy. What is important to all of us is to help those in need? After all we are supposed to be healers. So, let's get on with the healing and respect one another's contributions rather than engaging in confrontation. It is so much nobler.