Have you been looking into hypnotherapy training? Maybe you’ve been thinking about becoming a hypnotherapist for a while now, but find the countless courses and training programs offered overwhelming. Maybe you're finding it difficult to separate the low-quality programs from the best. Perhaps you’ve been looking for a comprehensive list of only the best trainings to help you become a hypnotherapist, with full details of each courses so you can ensure they are exactly what you are looking for. 

Or maybe you don’t even know where to begin your search? That’s why we have created this in-depth article explaining everything you need to know about hypnotherapy training and built a list of the best courses in today’s crowded market. Find out everything you need to know to make an informed decision.

In this article, you will learn:

• What exactly hypnotherapy is and what it is for
• Why hypnotherapy is a great career choice
• Ways you can train
• Hypnotherapy certification requirements
• Our recommended hypnotherapy training courses

Let’s get started!

What Is Hypnotherapy?

Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is hypnotherapy? We’re sure you have probably done plenty of research already, but let’s have a recap on how hypnotherapy works and what it can (and can’t!) do.

 How does hypnotherapy work?

Hypnotherapy encourages a trance-like state in which the hypnotherapist is able to guide the client to explore their subconscious mind. This allows them to discover and address the root cause of their issue that lies within. 

With regular sessions, and once the root cause of a concern has been identified, hypnotherapy then works to overcome that root cause through a variety of techniques that can lessen the client’s symptoms. This includes, for example, the embedding positive suggestions that overwrite negative beliefs held in the subconscious. 

The same principles can be applied to self-hypnosis, which you can either learn to perform on yourself, or teach to your own clients to practice in their own time. This can support their professional therapy journey.

What is hypnotherapy for?

Hypnotherapy is broadly used in the treatment of a client’s trauma, as well as emotional or behavioral disorders. Hypnosis itself is often used alongside other forms of therapy—for example, psychotherapy—to encourage relaxation and allow the client to fall into a state where they can explore their subconscious beliefs and memories safely. From here, more therapeutic techniques to be applied, to explore even deeper. 

There are a huge range of concerns that hypnotherapy can help resolve, so we’ll give you a small list as an example:

• Better sleep
• Weight management
• Fears and phobias
• Pain management
• Anxious thoughts and stress
• Quitting smoking
• Improving wellbeing and personal growth

What is hypnotherapy NOT for?

The person being hypnotized is fully in control at all times, and can remove themselves from their relaxed state should they choose to do so. Therefore, practicing hypnosis is not used for controlling others or performing stage-style tricks on people.

Why Hypnotherapy Training?

Why is hypnotherapy a good career choice?

There are several reasons why choosing to take a hypnotherapy course is a great option, such as:

• Every day is different as you work with a range of clients.
• Satisfaction from knowing you have helped your client break free from their issue.
• The freedom to choose your own working hours. Work as much or as little as you like to meet your goals, with no boss telling you what you need to do.
• Financial freedom to set your own prices and take on as much work as you like.
• Begin your new career as soon as you have qualified with a relevant training body. You can start earning straight away.

Ways To Train

There are two main ways you can choose to train in hypnotherapy. The method of training varies from school to school. Both have their perks but offer very different experiences when learning hypnotherapy—so make sure you know which method you prefer when considering your options.

In-person training

Some training schools offer their courses on an in-person basis, often full-time. In other words, picking an in-person training course is a bit like going to school or university, in that you complete a set amount of time at a chosen location and attend face-to-face classes and training led by your tutor.

This option is great for those with plenty of time to train, as it will involve traveling and take up a good part of your day every day until you qualify—unless, of course, you opt for a part-time course. However, training in-person may suit you more if you would prefer an intensive and immersive daily training.

Hypnotherapy certification online

In many cases, you can choose to train either completely remotely or predominantly remotely with live training elements (as is the case with Marisa Peer’s live training in Rapid Transformational Therapy®). 

Choosing an online hypnotherapy course offers you all the benefits of a virtual classroom and a community connection with those you are training with, while also giving you significantly more freedom and flexibility to train in a way that fits around you and your lifestyle. This means if you are planning on continuing working while training in hypnotherapy, your course can fit around you.

Hypnotherapy Certification Requirements

Who can train in hypnotherapy?

The career history, education, or experience required to study hypnotherapy varies hugely between courses. Some schools expect several qualifications or a certain amount of years in a related field before they will consider taking someone on—so make sure you check the requirements of every course you are considering applying to to make sure you don’t waste your time on an application for a school that takes an extremely finite and particular set of candidates. Some courses, however, can teach the same or even more advanced hypnotherapy techniques without the rigorous demand of previous experience to its accepted applicants. 

For example, Marisa Peer’s own hypnotherapy school doesn’t ask for any specific previous experience or education. Marisa has her own set of requirements for those she chooses to take on and train, including having an empathetic nature, a desire to help others, a passion for hypnotherapy, and a determination to do well and push yourself to succeed, as she is able to teach her advanced techniques to those who simply exhibit these qualities.

Choosing a certified course

There are a huge variety of things to consider when finalizing which training school to choose. Make sure you keep these questions in mind when reviewing your options:

• Do I need flexibility in my training?
• Would I prefer face-to-face teaching?
• Do I have the right experience and background?
• Are the graduates of this course successful?
• Does this training suit my budget?
• How long does this school take to train me?
• Does it offer the right type of certification?
• Is the school renowned?
• Does the school offer enough customer care and service throughout my time training with them? 

Make sure you know what your requirements and expectations are for your future training school, and then have a look at our top choices below. Of course, if none of the below quite fit the bill, then it is still wise to have these considerations to hand when you explore other courses and training that we ourselves don’t recommend but which you may still want to explore. 

Hypnotherapy Certification Programs

We have done our own research and narrowed down all the available courses to our top recommended four. We will kick it off with, unsurprisingly, Marisa Peer’s own RTT® school taking the top spot. Find out why by reading on…

1. Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT®)

We’re happy to put RTT® at the top of this list, because this hypnotherapy training not only combines advanced, expert training in a pioneering therapy method that has been rapidly gaining in popularity around the world, but it also was developed by Marisa Peer herself, who has found huge success in both her personal career as a therapist spanning several decades and with a roster of high-profile clients. At the time this article was written, Marisa had already trained several thousands of people who are now enjoying illustrious careers following in her footsteps, with plenty more signing up to train on a daily basis.

RTT® was developed by combining the principles of several leading therapy methods—including CBT, NLP, and neuroscience, to name a few—to produce a singular hypnotherapy method that is renowned for its ability to get life-changing results quickly, hence the name “Rapid Transformational Therapy®.” Find out more about the method itself by watching this short video.

Pros:

• No previous experience or education required.
• Train in a method that is rapidly increasing in popularity and use.
• Learn how to get the results you want powerfully and efficiently.
• The course is fully remote and flexible, with the option to train live with Marisa Peer at a five-day immersive event held at locations around the world.
• Enjoy both practical demonstrations and theoretical classes, with around 300 hours of training.
• The opportunity to attend further training sessions on how to build a therapy business once you’ve mastered your hypnotherapy techniques.
• RTT® is very affordable. 
• Endorsed by: General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR), International Association of Counsellors and Therapists (IACT), International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT), International Hypnosis Federation (IHF), Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists (ACCPH), Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH), and New Zealand Association of Professional Hypnotherapists (NZAPH).

Cons:

• The live training events with Marisa Peer are in increasingly high demand and fill up very quickly. However, Marisa endeavors to open up more dates around the world in order to meet this demand. There are dates available in many locations including London, California, and Florida.

If you would like to know more about RTT®, then you can sign up here to download the official Rapid Transformational Therapy® prospectus.

2. Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI)

The Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI) is located in the Southern California area. This nationally accredited institute of hypnotherapy offers in-person training to those who can attend the school itself but also offers an interactive online training program, so others around the world and can opt to choose this school too.

The live training program takes one year and also offers an on-campus clinical internship. Classes are held twice a week, with supervised practice on top of that. This means you can practice hypnotherapy while still in training, with pro-bono clients and clinical supervision included.

The remote training element offers 300 hours of classes for anyone living over 50 miles from the school.

Pros:

• No degrees in a related field are needed in order to train.
• Flexible schedule.
• You can start the course without paying anything upfront and choose to defer your payments for 18 months.
• When you do come to pay, your fees can be sent in monthly installments.

Cons:

• This hypnotherapy certification is quite pricey compared to others at approximately $15,700 for the in-person training.
• There may be “an overwhelming amount of material” and very fast-paced classes.

3. Hypnotherapy Training Institute

The aim of the Hypnotherapy Training Institute is to give busy working professionals the opportunity to get their hypnotherapy certification via short course periods. A lot of material is provided, with their program consisting of four levels, with five days of classes within each. So in total, you will spend four weeks training in order to receive a certification, but these are not back-to-back weeks. Weekend classes are also available.

This course is led by Randal Churchill and Cheryl Canfield, who, between them, have taught thousands of therapists. The courses at this school are also approved by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, which requires you to undertake 200 hours of training in order to get your certification, with a further 100 hours available to those who wish to take their training even further.

Pros:

• Flexible training schedules and short course periods taking place over a week at a time.
• Month-long classes are also available for those who live outside of the United States and need to travel, which are located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• No previous education is needed.
• You can take 200 hours of training in order to be eligible for certification by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.

Cons:

• Only live classes are available—this course is not taught remotely, so you need to be located close to the school or be able to travel.
• This course is not accredited.
• Each level of the course costs around $1,050 and offers 50 class hours.

4. The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH)

This school is one of the largest mental health organizations that incorporates hypnosis training into their methods. They offer classes in hypnotherapy, workshops, and a hypnosis certification. You can also opt to train to become an ASCH-approved consultant in clinical hypnosis.

ASCH offer these courses in locations across the US, as well as providing an online training course. When it comes to obtaining your certification, you have to undergo 60 hours of ASCH-approved hypnotherapy courses and training. However, you need to have had two years of practice in hypnotherapy prior to this and have already gained your Master’s degree in a related field.

Pros:

• Accredited and recognized institution for hypnotherapy.
• In-person and online courses offered.
• Train to become a certified consultant, so you can pass your knowledge on to others.

Cons:

• With this certification, you will need to renew it every three years by taking an additional 20 hours of their hypnotherapy training.
• To be considered for this course, you need to have had two years’ practice in hypnotherapy prior to applying and have obtained a Master’s degree in a related health field—for example, psychology, counseling, traditional medicine, or social work.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy Training

How long does hypnotherapy training take?

There isn’t a singular answer for how long hypnotherapy training takes, as it depends on a range of factors, such as the school's curriculum and the method of training you choose —in-person training could take as little as a couple of months to as long as a year or so, whereas remote training offers more flexibility so, therefore can take longer in order to fit in around your lifestyle.

How much does a hypnotherapy certification cost?

The hypnotherapy training cost varies completely depending on the type of certification and school you choose. For example, an in-person course at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute can cost $15,700, but if you choose to train remotely with Marisa Peer in RTT®, it costs significantly less.     

Do I need a certificate to practice hypnotherapy?

While you can, of course, train yourself using free online tutorials and training videos, you have to gain a recognized certificate in order to practice as a business. So if your intention is to start a career as a hypnotherapist, then yes, you need to have completed and qualified from an accredited course. 

What is the best hypnotherapy course?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all course. Some may prefer to attend a physical school for full-time training, and some may want to train in a predominantly remote setting for complete flexibility—it completely depends on your preference and your requirements. However, if you have decided you would like the freedom of remote learning, we, of course, heartily recommend Marisa Peer’s own hypnotherapy certification in RTT®. Marisa has successfully trained thousands of RTT® therapists and practitioners who are now leading illustrious careers in their dream field, and you could be part of that too. Click below to find out more.

Closing Thoughts

We hope this article has given you everything you need to know when considering which hypnotherapy certification is the right choice for you. Remember to take your time when choosing—training is a huge investment, and you don’t want to waste time and money on a sub-par course. So keep this guide to hand, consider all your options, and we hope you have a fantastic time training to become a hypnotherapist!