Although I have been studying and practicing hypnosis and hypnotherapy for a long time, I took my first formal training in hypnosis just 15 years ago. Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are unbelievably powerful tools for personal change. It can help people change beliefs they no longer want to have. It can help people overcome behaviors that are hurtful to themselves or others. The list goes on and on. One of the most difficult concepts a new hypnotherapist has to learn is what is called the scope of practice. Its formal meaning concerns what you legally may and may not do. For example, legally I cannot cure any phobia. Some people call any personal fear a "phobia," but legally the term is a