David Dixon MCCH

David commenced hypnotherapy training in 1997 originally intending to use it only as a 'pre-op' before podiatric nail surgery as many patients were terrified about having an injection in their toe, especially after a GP had tried previously. (David tells a particularly gruesome story of a GP who injected 12 needles under one patient’s toenail! Bamboo under toenails was said to be a form of torture during the wars and conflicts in Asia.)

He found the use of hypnosis very effective, with clients being amazed that they'd felt nothing of the procedure, no needle, no discomfort, just a sense of pleasant well being while they were in their “happy place." He also mentions that he found that patients healed quicker following surgery by simply suggesting to the immune system to heal itself faster.

Thus began David’s passion for the creative and healing power of the mind and
David believes that hypnotherapy is in a similar position today as podiatry was all those years ago, with three exceptions.

1. Podiatry is a registered profession through the parliament. In the current government climate it is unlikely that governments will regulate the hypnotherapy profession. This means that self regulation is of vital importance. Which brings us to the second point:

2. The number of Hypnotherapy Associations makes it difficult for hypnosis to be recognised by government and industry such as private health funds and insurance. (The recognition of hypnotherapy for medicare is a moot point - when podiatry received it, a consultation could only occur on the referral of a doctor and required a full disclosure back to the doctor of each consultation. If you had staff this would be OK, but as a sole practitioner it added much more time to the consultative process.)

3. The lack of research by the profession itself. Podiatry made huge inroads into acceptance by government because it had commenced a massive amount of research which was done by the new university trained graduates as a part of their post graduate work. It was no surprise to podiatrists that the research backed what all the 'old-timers' had been saying for years, but the difference was that it was peer reviewed quantitative and qualitative research, as opposed to anecdotal.

With this in mind, competent research (not anecdotal evidence) will make it easier for government and industry acceptance of hypnotherapy. David believes that the schools could introduce Research modules, that is, teaching hypnotherapists the value of qualitative or quantitative peer reviewed research.