Look outside and dream, look inside and awaken |
New Westminster, British Columbia |
Click on the cover to read Sherry's latest article with Dr. Fred Janke |
# 102 – 631 Columbia Street, New Westminster,British Columbia |
April 24, 2009 I would like to lend my support behind Sherry Hood, clinical hypnotherapist and behind her Pacific Institute of Advanced Hypnotherapy. I initially began my search for a clinical hypnotherapist that I could trust when trying to find alternative but proven modalities for pain management. My search eventually led me to Sherry Hood. There is a great variation in the medical research literature on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as a modality of treatment in different clinical situations. Having studied this somewhat, I have come to understand that a lot of the variation in effectiveness arises out of the differences in the therapists themselves as well as their approach and technique. Sherry continuously seeks out the most up to date approaches and techniques used for different clinical situations or personalities. Through thirteen years of experience she has developed many of her own techniques so that she can provide the most effective therapy possible. Obviously passing on this accumulation of knowledge and experience becomes very important if hypnotherapy is to be recognized as a legitimate form of clinical intervention. Standardizing techniques and approaches so that the medical profession can have trust in recommending this modality of treatment also becomes very important. I know that all of this has become a very deep and passionate goal for Sherry and is one of the reasons she founded the Pacific Institute. She has spent at least two years writing out and formulating an amazing curriculum which I have encouraged her to publish as a textbook in clinical hypnotherapy. Any student of the institute will have the advantage of receiving this work first hand. I have come to know Sherry so well because we have embarked on some joint projects including a research project on hypnotherapy and smoking cessation and a literature review on the use of hypnotherapy in medicine which we hope will ultimately lead to a published article. There are many qualities about her character and her work that have impressed me and continue to build my admiration and respect for her. 1) First and foremost is her degree of integrity and professionalism. Her honesty is impeccable. She knows her limitations and is not afraid to disclose them as appropriate. When faced with a problem that is beyond her expertise she is willing to recommend or even help seek out other avenues of help for a client. One of her main goals in teaching is to role model and to impart a deeper understanding of professionalism as it applies to clinical situations in general and to hypnotherapy specifically. It is such a pleasure to work with someone who is so enthusiastic a student herself, soaking in everything she can about the topic of professionalism and how to teach it. 2) Secondly, I am impressed by the care and compassion she displays for her clients and her students. It is so nice to work with someone who shares the sincere desire to help those who are in need. 3) I admire Sherry’s desire to be very academic about her work. Much of what Sherry does is based on evidence provided by research. When confronted with any clinical problem, she first goes out of her way to learn as much as possible about the clinical nature of the problem so that she can develop an intelligent approach to the problem. She then tries to seek out in the literature what approaches have been tried successfully for the problem. Because of Sherry’s integrity, she has not succumbed to the peer pressure of colleagues to literally “buy” more credentials. Unfortunately this integrity also leads to less recognition for the massive amount of work she has done academically. 4) I greatly admire her passion for her work and for clinical hypnotherapy in general. Her enthusiasm is quite infectious. The medical profession is deeply troubled by the lack of standards in practice and in training for hypnotherapy and this has led to a great deal of mistrust amongst the profession for this modality of treatment. Sherry’s work will go a long way in rectifying this situation. I wish that there were a lot more Sherry’s “out there.” I truly believe that students graduating from her courses might be one step in the road to accomplishing that. Sincerely, Fred Janke, BSc, MSc, MD, FCFP Associate Professor and Director, Rural Program Family Physician, Sylvan Lake, Alberta |
Family Medicine Residency Program Department of Family Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry |
205 College Plaza - University of Alberta - Edmonton - Canada - T6G 2C8 Telephone: (780) 248-1116 - Fax (780) 492-8191 http://www.family.med.ualberta.ca/ |
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