What exactly is post-hypnotic suggestion? According to Answers.com, it is defined as: A suggestion made to a hypnotized person that specifies an action to take after awakening, often in response to a signal. If the term “post-hypnotic suggestion” is typed into a search query into Google, it will literally return around 78,000 results. These range from companies selling weight loss and smoking cessation products, to hypnosis training programs, to conspiracy theories about the "Manchurian Candidates", to articles that hypnotism does not work. is just a sham. There are several boards, guilds, and councils offering certification as a qualified hypnotherapist, and countless companies offer hypnosis training. This training may consist of several hundred hours of instruction, a series of videos, or a short book to read. Truly, the question this article seeks to answer is: is post-hypnotic suggestion safe and what are its uses in modern therapy. When discussing safety, let's first look at what makes a person qualified to administer post-hypnotic suggestion. Hypnosis is not a difficult skill to learn. I hypnotized my high school classmates after purchasing a mail order book for less than $15. That said, I did not charge a fee or introduce any post-hypnotic suggestions. The vast majority of U.S. states do not require government licensing or registration for hypnosis as a business (http://www.hypnotherapistsunion.org/law+6-s/usa/). This leaves us to search for a reputable non-governmental certification program to assist you in finding a safe and reputable person to administer post-hypnotic suggestions. Several for-profit companies offer national certification for hypnotists. Among these certification programs, four which are ...... middle of paper ......eps. Retrieved from the web on 05/10/10. http://3dayaddictioncure.org/Edwards, Martha. (2010). Can you believe yourself to be thin? Retrieved from the web on 10/07/10. ^ Eichel, Steve KD (2002). Accreditation: it may not be the cat's meow. Retrieved from the Web on 10/16/10. http://www.dreichel.com/dr_zoe.htm Harris, Tom. How hypnosis works. Retrieved from the web on 10/09/10. http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/hypnosis.htmMichaels, Paula A. (2007). PAIN RELIEF AT CHILDBIRTH AND THE SOVIET ORIGINS OF THE LAMAZE METHOD. Seattle, WA: National Council for Eurasian and Eastern European Research. Post-hypnotic suggestion: definitions from Answers.com. Retrieved from the Web on 10/14/10. http://www.answers.com/topic/posthypnotic-suggestion