the Pacific Institute of Advanced  Hypnotherapy
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the Pacific Institute of Advanced  Hypnotherapy
New Westminster, British Columbia
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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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