The revamped Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has now started regulating marketing material on websites as well as print and tv.
“So What.” you might ask.
Well…
As a change worker (it’s not entirely clear whether I can call myself a “therapist” under the new regulations), I need to make sure that my web based marketing material is accurate and truthful and does not mislead anybody who may read it. There are several pieces of guidance that may make you raise your eyebrow.
On Smoking Cessation Hypnotherapy
Some marketers have followed up smoking cessation sessions with a telephone survey to establish success rates. The ASA has investigated that practice and concluded that, although it might indicate success, telephoning customers was not robust enough to prove definitive success rates (Dune Hypnotherapy Group, 5 November 2003). Blood tests are likely to be the only way of ascertaining whether people have given up smoking.Holy smoke! So we can’t actually claim that someone has given up smoking even if they’ve told us that that they have. Seems like they don’t even want to believe the customers they’re so desperately trying to protect!
On Hypnotherapy
Clause 50.8 requires marketers to hold proof before claiming or implying that minor addictions and bad habits can be treated without effort from those suffering. For many, this will mean that success is largely down to readers’ commitment and determination and should not be attributed solely to the hypnotherapy. Some hypnotherapists argue that their treatment ‘by-passes’ the need for participants’ willpower because it affects the sub-conscious part of the brain. Those hypnotherapists would have to hold evidence before implying the participant had no role to play in breaking that bad habit or minor addiction.I have to say that this part I agree with and I’ve always maintained and included in my pre-talk on every hypnosis session that regardless of what we do in hypnosis, you will still need to make the conscious decision not to smoke. I don’t believe that hypnosis can help with the chemical side effects (cravings/withdrawals), it will help you deal with them when they occur, but it is not an effort free process on the part of the client.
On Weight loss through Hypnotherapy
The ASA and CAP are likely to accept that hypnotherapy might be able to help subjects who really want to succeed in controlling food addictions or cravings. Marketers must, however, implicitly or explicitly state that willpower plays a role and should not suggest that achieving that control is easy or guaranteed (Clause 50.8). Marketers should not imply that hypnotherapy alone causes weight loss and nothing in the ad should undermine the need to control calories.And as an added extra, they immediately follow that with:
The ASA has upheld complaints that challenged the weight loss claims made about traditional Chinese methods. The ASA has seen no evidence to suggest that acupuncture, acupressure or herbal treatments can result in weight lossInteresting stuff. I wonder what that means for EFT and tapping…
If you want to read the full text on Hypnotherapy on the CopyAdvice (part of the ASA) website, then head to the CopyAdvice website though you’ll need to sign up (it’s free) to read it.
Lot of good info.