A UK TV news investigative reporter says he registered his cat as a certified hypnotherapist, illustrating the lax regulations. He sent three industry bodies fake certificates, which were "from" the Society of Certified Advanced Mind Therapists.
One industry body welcomed the investigation and said the mistake was corrected. Another said that great effort is made when checking on applicants, and the other said it does no checks at all and only exists as a benefits provider to its members.
A US doctor also pulled it off. "I felt I'd test my hypothesis and I did that by getting my cat certified by a number of the most prominent lay hypnosis organisations in the United States. It was a frighteningly simple process," said Dr Steve Eichel.
