Ballot for ISH Election 2021

Woltemade Hartman, Ph.D:  ISH Candidate for President-Elect

Professional Credentials

It is indeed an honour for me to be the first African-born candidate nominated for President-Elect of the International Society of Hypnosis. This takes me back to humble beginnings when I showed a keen interest in hypnosis as a student and intern in clinical psychology. My early passion for clinical hypnosis motivated me to write my Ph.D dissertation on the topic of clinical hypnosis and dissociation where after I received an Award for the best doctoral student in the Department of Humanities at the University of Pretoria in 2004. My interest, commitment and career in clinical hypnosis commenced when I managed to attend the ISH congress in Konstanz, Germany in 1990 as a student.  I did not know which workshop to choose, it was so overwhelming. I chose the on the workshop on clinical hypnosis and Ego State Therapy with John and Helen Watkins from the United States. It surely proved to be the correct choice! It was at this occasion that Helen Watkins instructed me (I had no choice) to join ISH as a member, and what a journey ensued ever since! My life took quite a few twists and turns from being imprisoned for opposing the Apartheid regime, overcoming various ensuing hardships to eventually completing my studies as both a Clinical and Educational Psychologist and psychotherapist. It goes without saying that I wish to acknowledge and pay my humble respect to all my teachers who contributed immensely to my development as a therapist as well as my professional career, amongst others, Jeffrey Zeig, Brent Geary, Bernhard Trenkle,  Lenie Grové, Jay Haley, Erika Fromm, John Watkins, Helen Watkins, Maggie Phillips and Claire Frederick.

I was originally trained as an Ericksonian psychotherapist in Phoenix, Arizona and as an Ego State therapist at the University of Missoula in Montana, USA. Additionally, I received extensive training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Eye Movement Integration (EMI), Strategic Psychotherapy, Energy Psychology, Impact Therapy, Mindfulness Techniques, Soma and Somatic Experiencing™ (SE).

I have been in private practice for more than 30 years now and my experience in teaching clinical hypnosis and Ego State therapy all over the world spans more than 2 decades. I have conducted clinical hypnosis workshops in the United States, Canada, Nepal, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Namibia, Australia to name only a few.   My teaching career takes me around the world and I have engaged in extensive contact with various representatives of ISH constituent societies, members and therapists alike.

Over the years I have been a keynote and invited speaker at various international congresses on the topics of psychotherapy, Ego State Therapy, somatic approaches, clinical hypnosis and trauma.  I am the author of “Ego State Therapy with Sexually Traumatized Children” and “Introduction to Ego State Therapy” in German, as well as various scientific articles in peer reviewed journals on the topic of trauma, clinical hypnosis, bodywork and psychotherapy.  I have also been a research fellow at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. In this capacity I have taught and acted as a supervisor and external examiner of various masters and doctoral psychology students at the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg, North West University, the University of South Africa and various other international universities.

I am the Founding Director of the Milton H. Erickson Institutes of South Africa (MEISA) and the founder and Past-president of Ego State Therapy International. I currently serve as Secretary and Treasurer of Ego State Therapy International (ESTI). I am an executive Board member of the International Society of Hypnosis (ISH) and currently also serve as Chairperson of the Council of Representatives on this board. This enables me to be in regular contact with an array of professional societies and colleagues from all over the world.  I have also served on the Professional Board for Psychology in South Africa. Over the years I have organised various international congresses on the topics of clinical hypnosis and trauma and have extensive experience in organising such congresses.

I was honoured to have my clinical and scientific contributions acknowledged by being awarded the Jay Haley Early Career Award for Innovative Contributions to Hypnosis in 2009 from the International Society of Hypnosis as well as an Award from the University of Johannesburg for my contributions in the advancement of Educational Psychology.

Candidate Statement and my vision for the future of ISH

If the opportunity is afforded me to serve as President of ISH I would continue to “Build Bridges of Understanding” and to expand on the solid and good foundations laid by previous ISH presidents. However, I have a unique vision and would like to implement this vision in an alternative way, namely in an African way, the “UBUNTU” way. In the true African spirit ”Ubuntu” means “I am, because you are”. In fact, the word “Ubuntu” is just part of the Zulu phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which literally means that a person is a person through other people. Ubuntu is that nebulous concept of common humanity, oneness, you and me both.

The Ubuntu philosophy articulates such important values as respect, human dignity, compassion, solidarity and consensus, which demands conformity and loyalty to the group. However, modern African society constitutes people of diverse cultures, races and backgrounds. If I am elected president of ISH I would prefer working with my colleagues and friends from all over the world in this manner and thus bringing the benefits of clinical hypnosis to the people who need it most.

My main objectives in no particular order of preference will therefore be to:

♣          Bring the benefits of clinical hypnosis to underprivileged groups, indigenous communities, refugees and especially persons suffering from gender based violence.

♣        Make training in clinical hypnosis more accessible for countries in Africa, South America, Eastern European countries, the middle East, Asia, Singapore, the Philippines etc.

♣          Recruit and involve young clinicians and scientists in health related fields in the activities of ISH and promote training in clinical hypnosis amongst these groups. Such training has to be done within their scope of practice and based on rigorous ethical standards.

♣          Promote ISH as a society as well as its activities amongst professionals all over the world through the training networks I have established during my professional career and teaching workshops across the globe.

♣          Increase and extend the membership of ISH, on both individual and constituent society level, especially to those countries where we do not have members and Constituent Societies.

♣          Continue our efforts to have hypnosis officially recognized by the World health Organization (WHO) as an efficient and scientific intervention strategy for medical as well as psychological conditions.

♣          Continue our efforts to suggest minimal training standards for training in clinical hypnosis amongst the ISH constituent societies.

♣          Promote more regular training opportunities in clinical hypnosis within the framework of our constituent societies and in a culturally sensitive way.

♣          Extend the membership of ISH, on both individual and constituent society level, to be inclusive and more culturally and racially diverse.

♣          Conduct interviews with master clinicians and scientists in the field in order to reach those interested to follow this career path.

♣          Expand the use of clinical hypnosis amongst the scientific community and to advance greater cooperation between clinicians and scientists. We should rigorously promote this goal to improve and advance the scientific study of hypnosis and its efficacy. In this regard we have to build on the efforts and achievements of prof. Mark Jensen and prof. Guiseppe De Benedittis in organizing more symposia to bring these groups together.

♣          Promote congresses and workshops internationally and thereby increase the visibility of ISH. This could be achieved by organizing more workshops (also Online-workshops) and small conferences for interested Constituent Societies between our triennial congresses.

♣          Promote the position of women on the ISH board and within our constituent societies and to continue promoting cultural and racial diversity in both the board and our constituent societies. For too long have we spoken about gender, cultural and racial diversity, but it is high time to implement this resolve.

I have already served two terms as Board member of the ISH and it has been such a rewarding experience for me.  Should I be elected by you as your next president I will continue to endeavour serving the society, its Constituent Societies as well as its members to the best of my ability.

Woltemade Hartman

Kris Klajs, specialist in clinical psychology, is the director and co-funder of the Polish Milton Erickson Institute. He is a President of Psychotherapy Division of Polish Psychiatry Association and is Board Member of the International Society of Hypnosis. Lecturer at Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz (1987 – 1989), Member of Polish Psychological Association, Board of Psychotherapy License Committee (1996 – 2004). Psychology supervisor Family Court, Warsaw (from 2013).

 

He is teaching internationally in Europe, Asia, USA, Mexico and Africa. Klajs and his team sponsored numerous conferences in Poland, including the 4th (2005) and the 5th (2014) European Congresses of Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychotherapy in Krakow. The Polish Milton Erickson Institute and the Rottweiler Institute have been sponsoring an extremely popular international training and supervision seminar every year for 30 years now at the Wigry Monastery in the far northeast of Poland near Lithuania.

Being elected as a President Elect means nine years of cooperation in the BOD. In that case you has to be prepared for two roles:
Supporting the President as President-Elect and Past-President and in the meantime being yourself President for three years. That essence of that activity is to protect and to co-create ISH identity, values and international cooperation in the professional field of hypnosis.
I am prepared for both roles. In the last 30 years I was regularly advisor of high Polish politicians in top position as well in our country as in my city. It is allowed to name Lech Walensa because he himself wrote about this in his biography. But there are other names you know probably even outside Europe. I also like this role in ISH BOD to support the Presidents and BOD Members in their work.

At the moment I am President of the Psychotherapeutic Section of the Polish Psychiatric Society. I still wonder that this society of Medical Doctors elected me as psychologist as President.
Also I know the other role being in leading position. From 1993 I started the Polish Milton Erickson Institute, which now is active in whole Poland and part of the official system in our country to train psychotherapist.
Our Institute is inviting regular teachers from other countries. Among them in the last almost 40 years have been: Jeffrey Zeig, Ernest & Kathryn Rossi, B.A. Erickson, Eric Greenleaf, Jane Parsons-Fein, Brent Geary, Joyce Mills, Norma and Phil Barretta, Bill O’Hanlon and Brian Alman (USA), … Claude Virot (France), Bernhard Trenkle, Gunther Schmidt, Peter Nemetschek, Martin Busch, Wolf Buntig, Karl-Ludwig Holtz (Germany), Susanna Carolusson (Sweden), Susy Signer – Fischer, Silvia Zanotta (Switzerland), Teresa Garcia (Spain), Woltemade Hartnan (SA), Camillo Loriedo (IT) and many other international experts. We also sponsored workshops outside the field of hypnotherapy like with Salvador Minuchin and promote Ego State Therapy theoretical and practical achievements in Poland.

One of the projects I am most proud is the Annual Polish-German Meeting in Monastery, Wigry that is ongoing taking place since 30 years. This project was my idea and we started 1991with great support of Bernhard Trenkle. It is our common project. In regard to the teachers many of the well-known hypnotherapists around the world have been teaching there. 2012 the ISH BOD had a Board Meeting there and all BOD members taught there.

I am an author and co-author of number of professional articles and books. The last one about theoretical and practical aspect of assessment in hypnotherapy is published in German (Klienten kennenlernen – Diagnosen dynamish utiliziren). English translation (Getting to Know the Patient) is almost ready.

Last 7 seven years of serving as a family court psychological supervisor helps me to see importance of searching for systemic solutions.

Goals for my Presidency
Continuing the great work of the Presidents before and continuing the outstanding international cooperation in ISH. The ISH is a bit a role model of good cooperation instead of today nationalisms, ego-isms and ethno-centrism in many countries and fields of politics.        In 2015 I initiated the First Asian Congress of Hypnosis in Iran. My idea was to bring together Asian countries similar to ESH and additionally reconnecting the colleagues formerly organized in Soviet-Union and now are living in their own states like Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, etc. The congress was a big success but the goal of reconnecting to colleagues in many countries is still to be continuing. We will develop and support these ideas in next ISH Congress, Krakow 2022.

My goal is to continue systemic perception and activity of ISH i.e. international exchange of ideas, creativity and energy from different cultures. Cooperation as a core experience in hypnosis and a solid fundament we can utilize in our international ISH mission.

Next idea for the future is to increase ISH BOD efforts of supporting constituent Societies and to establish new ones.
It was outside my imagination to be nominated for the position of President of ISH. In case of being elected I will bring in all my professional and life experience to serve for ISH growth and further development.

Kris Klajs

Brian Allen, B Sc, B Psych, FWASMH

Professional Credentials

I am a Psychologist in full-time private practice in Perth Western Australia.

My journey with hypnosis began in 1980 when I enrolled in the Fellowship program of the West Australian Society of Medical Hypnosis (WASMH), WASMH was the first professional hypnosis society in Australia and a member organisation of ISH. I was a member of the steering committee that oversaw the merger of WASMH with the Australian Society of Hypnosis and in 1988 WASMH became the Australian Society of Hypnosis WA Branch (ASH WA).

My first professional career was as an accountant and auditor so it was almost inevitable that I would end up becoming the Treasurer for ASH WA. I subsequently was elected as Chair, of that organisation, a position which I currently hold. In addition, I have been its Director of Training since 1998 overseeing the training program.

I have been on the Federal Council of the Australian Society of Hypnosis Ltd (ASH) since 1994 and in addition have held the roles of Secretary, Treasurer and President during those years. I was awarded a Fellowship by ASH in recognition of my services to the organisation.

I have been a member of the Board of Directors of ISH since 2009 when I was elected as the Secretary of the COR, a position which I again currently hold.

I am passionate about hypnosis and use it extensively in my own private practice particularly in the treatment of addictions. In addition, I have developed a 4 session Addictions Treatment Protocol which I have now taught in 15 different countries. My other great joy has been in sharing these skills with other health care professionals in the training program run by ASH WA.

Candidate Statement

The knowledge and skills acquired in my first career as an accountant and auditor have been invaluable to me in the various roles I have had in organisations since then. They were an integral part of the success of the two National Hypnosis Congresses for which I was the organiser in Australia and a third International Congress which was held in New Zealand.

That same skill set was also extremely important in my role as the Chair of ASH WA. Some years ago, we put in place a strategic plan the aim of which was to generate enough funds to allow the society to purchase its own headquarters. We are now within 12 months of achieving this ambition which will guarantee the financial future of the society going forward.

It has always been my belief that good financial management is the foundation on which any successful organisation sits.

ISH is currently in a sound position. A succession of Presidents from Camillo Loriedo, Julie Linden, Claude Virot and currently Bernhard Trenkle have provided the kind of steady and unifying leadership that has seen a succession of Boards work collaboratively towards our common goals. Building Bridges of Understanding has not just been a slogan but a core value at the base of everything that has been achieved. In addition, the Congresses organised by Camillo Loriedo, Bernhard Trenkle and Claude Virot have provided the sound financial base we currently enjoy.

ISH has always been dependent on its Congresses to provide a major part of the funds needed to run the organisation. Given the 3-year gap between Congresses this has always left us in a position of vulnerability should a Congress not be profitable or for any reason have to be cancelled. COVID-19 has in recent times brought this issue into focus.

Increasing individual membership of ISH or increasing the number of Constituent Societies who are members of ISH, along with running income generating training programs, are some of the avenues which have been discussed by the current Board. Certainly, with regard to Constituent Societies there appear to be opportunities in Eastern Europe, India, South America, Africa and Asia to bring on board more Constituent Societies. It would be good if some form of sponsorship could be looked at for those societies in economically disadvantaged communities. This could take the form of individual or group sponsorship or possibly sponsorship by ISH if funds permit.

If elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer I undertake to work closely with Mark Jensen and the incoming Board in furthering our objectives of Building Bridges of Understanding. I would be happy to be involved in the development of a 3 to 5-year strategic plan for ISH. I also undertake to provide regular financial information, including Projected Cash Flow Statements so that the Board will at all times be aware of our financial situation.

My involvement on the ISH Board has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The opportunity to work closely with such a talented and collaborative group of people, in the pursuit of such worthwhile aims, has been enormously satisfying. I will always treasure the friendships made there and will continue, in whatever role I may find myself, to support ISH in the future.

Brian Allen.

bjallen@iinet.net.au

Enayat Shahidi, MD

Professional Credentials

I am very honored to be nominated as Secretary/Treasurer for the International Society of Hypnosis for the second time. The first time was in 2018, when ISH’s valued members gave me the outstanding opportunity to serve in this capacity. Hypnosis has always been an essential part of my personal and professional life, I feel indebted to it, and I love putting my energy and time into working for hypnosis.

I am an authorized medical doctor specializing in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. After graduating from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, my interest in psychology led me to continue my academic studies to obtain a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I am currently a PhD candidate in health psychology at the University of Tehran, which has the highest rank among Iranian universities.

I am an author, translator, international lecturer, researcher, and therapist in Hypnotherapy, Mental Training, EMDR, and CBT. I have been practicing hypnotherapy since 1994, and teaching clinical hypnosis to the professional since 2001. As an invited teacher, I usually teach hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and hypnodontics in some Iranian universities.

I speak Persian, English, and Italian. I have written three Persian books and have contributed a chapter to the Handbook of Hypnotic Techniques, Vol. 1, edited by Mark P. Jensen, and published by Denny Creek Press. I have also translated three books on hypnois from Italian and three books from English into Persian, and conducted a numbder of research studies in clinical fields.

I have been an active ISH member since 2010, vice president of the Iranian Scientific Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ISSCH) since 2011, and an ISH board member since 2015. In addition, I am currently Secretary/Treasurer of three hypnosis societies, including the International Society of Hypnosis (ISH), the Asian Society of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy (ASHH), and the Iranian Scientific Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ISSCH).

I am also the business coach of a successful Italian company in Genoa-Italy. My permanent residence in Italy allows me to easily travel worldwide, which is essential to manage the Secretary/Treasurer’s responsibilities.

My vision and mission for the future of ISH

As a Secretary/Treasurer candidate, my main goal is to continue to work with the ISH Board of Directors to improve administration function, and strengthen the society’s financial situation.

Having passed professional accounting courses and having years of experience as the treasurer of ‎the Iranian hypnosis society – as well as experience as the current Secretary/Treasurer of ISH — if elected again, I will utilize all my expertise to improve ISH’s financial situation even more.‎

During my tenure as a member of the ISH board over the past six years, I have had lovely memories working with the friendly, cooperative, and committed group of valued collegaues to support ISH’s mission and the appropriate use of clinical hypnosis worldwide. We have had an excellent working relationship with our constituent societies, and have continued to be in touch with individual members via the ISH website. I believe it is crucial to keep this superb atmosphere in the upcoming BOD.

In my credential letter for the 2018 election, I mentioned the following goals:

“ISH is now using the QuickBooks App and a PayPal account. Although they are working well, I believe ISH can find newer, less expensive systems to take care of the limited resources while pacing with the rapidly growing world of technology and financial transactions.”

“Since increasing the number of CS’ and individual members, is an important policy of ISH, I believe the next board can consider creating a mechanism for electronic auto-renewal of membership to ease the process both for members and for ISH.”

I am now happy to say that we have achieved both of these goals.

Moreover, at the time that I began as Secretary/Treasurer, we were using an old manual membership system that, although it worked, could not keep pace with the growth of the society. So, as the Secretary/Treasurer, I did my best to improve the situation.

Among the many projects that the BOD has successfully accomplished, I would like to name two that address the issues mentioned above.

1. Shady Tonn, the ISH administrator, and I carefully evaluated many available online solutions and found that SilkStart was suitable for ISH. It was not easy to choose the best solution and switch from the old system to the new one, but I believe it was necessary. Any dynamic organization needs an automated, efficient method to let it grow.‎
2. Although ISH, as an international society, has members from all continents, we had just one bank account in the United States. Although it was working well, the European members were always obliged to pay for the currency exchange. Bernhard Trenkle and I opened a Euro bank account in Germany that facilitated European colleagues’ payment process.

Thanks to the excellent function of the previous ISH presidents and treasurers in recent 12 years, and the job done by my colleagues in the finance committee, ISH is in a strong financial position. Although the Covid-19 outbreak forced the people to work remotely and deprived us of personal contact, fortunately, ISH has been successful in keeping this strong financial situation. Let’s wish for the eradication of the virus so that the ISH members can meet happily again in person at the upcoming ISH, ESH, and other international congresses.

I believe one of the current ISH BOD’s essential jobs that the new board is worth following is making hypnosis officially recognized by WHO.  As the co-chair of the ISH Education and Training Committee, I created a comprehensive 216-hour curriculum. The WHO task force committee of ISH sent the curriculum to WHO, and thanks to the committee’s activities, esp. Giuseppe De Benedittis, WHO is now considering recognizing hypnosis officially as an efficient therapeutic tool.

As an ISH member, I am, and I will remain committed to implementing the goals reflected in the By-laws, either on the board or not. Nevertheless, if elected again, I will continue utilizing all my competencies, skills, and commitment to cooperate with the new board and will do my best to continue to improve ISH’s situation even more, especialy in the following ways.

• Make the ISH membership more beneficial and exciting.
• Enrich the ISH official website both scientifically and technically.
• Encourage more national hypnosis societies to join ISH.
• Communicate and cooperate with the secretaries of other international hypnosis societies.
• Increase the number of individual members.
• Consider new strategies to help ISH grow internationally.
• Facilitate ISH’s essential role as the umbrella hypnosis society.

Let’s cooperate in “building the bridges of understanding.”

Enayat Shahidi, MD.

dr.enayat.shahidi@gmail.com