Help with Inservice on Hypnosis

I have been asked by the director of the college counseling center where I work to provide a one hour inservice trainig on the clinical use of hypnosis. She has asked that I address the following issues:

Is hypnosis a technique for use at a particular time or is it an approach to treatment?

How does hypnosis fit into the treatment process --how is it applied?

Are there beginning, middle, and end phases of treatment in which you react or respond differently to the client?

I am feeling very much put on the spot to come up with absolute (black and white) answers to these questions. Unfortunately I see hypnosis in general, and the Ericksonian approach in particular, as looking to utilize as many shades of grey as possible. I want to be able to make a credible case for the use of hypnosis to some people (the center director especially) who will start out challenging and discrediting the validity of hypnosis.

I would like to be able to include the thoughts and opinions of other (more expert) practitioners to support my presentation. I will greatly appreciate any insights you may be able to offer on how these issues can be explained to other therapists who have many years of experience but little or no prior knowledge about the use of clinical hypnosis.

• If no one else is going to answer... by Michael Melhorn, 1/31/99