“I AM NOTHING BUT A CERTIFIED HYPNOTIST” HOW LIMITING BELIEFS CAN BE IMPRINTED UPON US AND CONTROL US

Regardless of how many politicians, professionals, dignitaries or mental healthcare professionals have come through our doors over the years, people are people; humans, and … At Lenzy-Morgan Clinical Hypnotherapy Institute, inside the Coastal Counseling Destin Center, we offer guided relaxation, self-hypnosis training, and habit-coaching sessions designed to help you manage everyday stress, enhance focus, and build lasting confidence. Our work is strictly educational and non-therapeutic—meant to complement, not replace, any medical or mental-health care you may be receiving.

According to Florida’s regulated-health statutes (Chapter 485 § 003), “Hypnosis” is defined as:  

“Hypnosis, hypnotism, mesmerism, posthypnotic suggestion, or any similar act or process which produces or is intended to produce in any person any form of induced sleep or trance in which the susceptibility of the person’s mind to suggestion or direction is increased or is intended to be increased, where such a condition is used or intended to be used in the treatment of any human ill, disease, injury, or for any other therapeutic purpose.”

Yes. Florida has an explicit hypnosis law (Chapter 485, F.S.) that regulates its therapeutic use. Under this statute, only licensed medical or mental-health practitioners may “produce… any form of induced sleep or trance… used in the treatment of any human ill, disease, injury, or for any other therapeutic purpose.” Furthermore, only those same categories of licensed professionals may refer clients for therapeutic hypnosis.

At the same time, Florida law (Chapter 491, F.S.) and Department of Health Rule 64B4-7.002 carve out an exemption for non-therapeutic hypnosis. In practice this means lay hypnotists may offer stress management, self-hypnosis training, guided imagery, and relaxation—so long as they avoid framing their services in medical or psychological terms (e.g., “treating anxiety” or “curing phobias”). Crossing into “therapeutic” claims without a medical or mental-health license is prohibited.
1. Exempted Uses (Rule 64B4-7.002 & Ch. 491, F.S.)  

   • Stress management  

   • Self-hypnosis training  

   • Guided imagery  

   • Relaxation techniques  

   These four applications are expressly deemed non-therapeutic, so long as you don’t claim to “treat,” “diagnose” or “cure” any medical or psychological condition[^1^].

2. Prohibited Language  

   • No healthcare-style labels: depression, anxiety, compulsion, phobia, PTSD, etc.  

   • No promises of “treatment,” “therapy,” or “cure.”  

   • No protected titles: don’t call yourself a psychologist, counselor, therapist, MD, etc.

3. Required Descriptors  

   • Use everyday terms: stress, worry, fears, unwanted habits, confidence, motivation.  

   • Frame it as “for stress relief,” “to build confidence,” “to break habits,” “to enhance focus.”  

   • Emphasize it’s “educational,” “coaching,” or “personal-development” work, not clinical care.  

4. Title & Credentials  

   • You may use “Certified Hypnotist” (if you’ve earned that credential), but not “Clinical Hypnotherapist.”  

   • Always include a disclaimer: “Services are educational and non-therapeutic. Not a substitute for medical or mental-health treatment.”

Sticking to those four exempted categories and swapping out clinical jargon for plain-English equivalents keeps you squarely in Florida’s unregulated, non-therapeutic hypnosis zone

**Disclaimer:** These services do not diagnose, treat, or cure any medical or psychological condition. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider for concerns about your physical or mental health.

So, a heartfelt Thank you Radford McGrath LMFT, and Melanie Casulo LMHC for updating me on the mandatory title usage change across state lines and for reminding me:”You are Nothing but a hypnotist”.