National School of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (N-SHAP)
N-SHAP was established in 1980 in order to introduce and
carry forward in the U.K. the ideas and work of the late
Dr. Milton Erickson, American psychiatrist and
psychotherapist, since which time the importance of Ericksonian
hypno- psychotherapeutic approaches and neurolinguistic methods for
effective clinical work has become widely recognised.
At that time the need was perceived for the teaching of hypnosis
skills and hypnotherapy to progress beyond the standardised
'Command and Relaxation' induction - the "You are feeling sleepy"
routine - still popularly portrayed in the media and elsewhere. The
standardised induction is not designed to take into account the
individuality and difficulties of each client, and misses the
important point that trance is a subjective internal experience
which varies greatly, according to the client. Not surprisingly,
many people fail to respond productively to the standardised
induction routines which frequently evoke the comment "I didn't
feel hypnotised".
The Ericksonian Approach recognises and utilises the resources
and capabilities of the individual and assumes that unconscious
processes can operate in an intelligent and creative way. It is an
approach that enables the client's identification with limiting
processes to be set aside, thus enabling trance to facilitate
utilisation of unconscious processes for therapeutic gain.
The school also believed that students should have a knowledge
of other perspectives, so analytical and other schools of
thought/methods are introduced. Students were taught:
- to develop their own skills in the clinical art
of observation, hypnotic inductions and the formulation of indirect
suggestion, to enable them to become practising
hypno-psychotherapists; - an understanding of the dynamics of
unconscious processes in behaviour; - to have a high regard for the
unique life experiences of each individual and to treat the whole
person - not merely the symptoms; - an awareness of the theoretical
positions of other schools of psychological thought;; - to attain
personal development through enhanced awareness of their own
psychological and emotional functioning.
The training was originally designed to give post-qualification
training to doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers.
The National School of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy was
incorporated into the National College of Hypnosis and
Psychotherapy on the 1st of January 2010. N-SHAP was a founder
member of UKCP and Shaun Brookhouse and Fiona Biddle did not wish
to see the name disappear from the history of psychotherapy in
Europe. N-SHAP has been passed to professional and caring hands.
This means that the National College can progress those people on
the pathway (or who wish to be on the pathway) to UKCP registration
much more easily and offer a full and integrated
service.
From March 2010, the Continuing Professional Development Programmes
in Ericksonian Hypno-Psychotherapy (CEHP(NC) and DEHP(NC)) will be
branded as CEHP(N-SHAP) and DEHP(N-SHAP), as a homage to the
Founder of N-SHAP and one of the true Ericksonian Pioneers in the
UK, T. Raymond Keedy-Lilley.