BTW don't you differentiate hypnotherapists (fix problems, subject
fully conscious) from hypnotists? Would you need repeat sessions every
few years?

How best do I find a good one?

Any reports from hypnotherapists/hypnotists/nueropsychologists? Any of
Snip

Hi Solo,
I call 'em all hypnotists, cause that's essentially what they all do.
In most states, unless he's a licensed counselor of some sort he cannot
legally call himself a "therapist". Besides, he isn't doing therapy,
he's doing something far quicker and more effective for the covered
issues than really any other method. Remember, what we call *hypnosis*
is really just a set of patterns that your brain uses to learn from,
quickly, and on the unconscious level to change a habitual pattern, or
learn a new pattern.

When you get a good change, then your brain will continue to reinforce
that change over time. The speed you attain that change depends on a
number of factors like, the skill level of the operator, your comfort
with him/her, how fast your brain learns this particular new pattern,
how much change material was presented in a session, the methods
employed by the operator, your internal self talk, etc. and the list
goes on. This change can, and frequently does, take one good session.
But it can also take numerous sessions. Therefore you should go into it
with no expectations or preconceived notions and just go with the flow.
Its an enjoyable learning experience.

As for finding a *good* hypnotist, that's a tough one to give you, but
I'll just give you some basic advice that will get you started. Since
there are too many factors to consider including just dumb luck, if it
were me looking I would first look for one who does it full time for a
living. Ask about his credentials and schooling/background - especially
if he is skilled in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and uses it
routinely. You can call the American Board of Hypnotherapy and ask if
they have any references in your area (although I don't recommend
calling the Nat'l Guild of Hypnotists, because they just don't have any
idea about the skill levels of any of their members - anyone can join),
or call one of the NLP organizations.

And at the risk of incurring wrath (Vince, don't hit me ), while I
have nothing but good things to say about them otherwise, psychologists,
with very rare but notable exception, usually do not comprehend hypnosis
very well, and most don't have any hypnosis training. Many of them are
even outright hostile towards it, due no doubt to their lack of
understanding it. In most cases it seems that if they have any training
in it at all (it will usually be no more than a weekend or a week long
course) they will use relaxation techniques and then do the same
psychological stuff they tried when you were conscious, instead of using
hypnosis techniques. So once again just to be clear, hypnosis and
psychology are not the same thing, and the techniques really aren't much
related except that they both deal with the mind. To be fair, some
psychologists today are getting some NLP training, which is helping
change their perspectives.

One last thing, if keeping your change is a concern for you, then a
strong suggestion is to learn self-hypnosis. Once you've done
traditional hypnosis, learning to do it on yourself is easy. Had a
client some years ago who I didn't know had motion sickness until a few
weeks after I had taught her self hypnosis. She told me one day she did
the self hypnosis just before a limo ride and never got sick, something
that would have brought on a severe case of it beforehand.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.