Editorial Standards and Disclosures

This page sets out how content on The Hypnotherapy Guide is researched, written, and edited; what relationships and conflicts of interest the author has; how readers can request corrections; and the standards I hold this site to. It exists because in a field as contested as hypnotherapy, where readers are making real decisions about their wellbeing and considering real spending, the question of “why should I trust what’s written here” deserves a substantive answer rather than corporate-sounding boilerplate.

This page is updated as policies and disclosures change.

About the author

This site is written and edited by Joel Annesley, a practising clinical hypnotherapist based in Sydney. A more detailed bio is on the About page. The short version: I hold a Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy from the Institute of Applied Psychology, am a member of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia and a founding member of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association, and run a clinical practice (Mindpath Makers, separately branded and disclosed in full below).

I write, edit, and have final editorial say over everything published on this site. No third party directs, reviews, or approves content before it is published.

A note on the word “independent”

You will not find me describing this site as “independent.” That word has a specific meaning, and being honest about why it doesn’t apply here is more important than using a comforting label.

A genuinely independent guide would have no commercial stake in its subject. This site has stakes. I am a practitioner in the field I write about. Some readers may eventually become clients of my practice. I have a financial referral relationship with one training provider (disclosed in full below). I am a member of two professional associations and was previously a member of a third. None of this makes the writing dishonest, but pretending it doesn’t exist would.

What I can claim, and what I try to live up to, is editorial independence. The content of this site is not directed by, sponsored by, funded by, or reviewed before publication by any association, training provider, commercial program, or third party. Decisions about what to cover, how to frame it, what to cite, what to recommend, and what to refuse to recommend are mine alone. The reader’s interests are the editorial north star.

Credibility on this site is built from two things working together: clinical experience, and visible disclosure of everything that might compromise the writing if it were hidden. Both matter. Neither, alone, would be enough.

How content is researched and written

Most articles on this site go through roughly the same process.

Research. Before writing, I review the relevant peer-reviewed literature on the topic, current guidelines from Australian and international health bodies (the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Department of Health, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the American Psychological Association, the National Institutes of Health, and others as relevant), the current position of the major Australian hypnotherapy associations, and reputable health publishers including the Mayo Clinic, Healthline, the NHS, and the Better Health Channel. I draw on my own clinical experience and the patterns I see in practice, but I do not substitute it for evidence.

Drafting. Articles are drafted with attention to voice, clarity, and accessibility. Each article carries an author byline and a last-updated date. Cornerstone articles run 2,500 to 3,500 words; supporting articles 800 to 1,500 words; shorter pieces 200 to 400.

Self-check before publication. Each article is checked against an internal standards list before publication, covering whether every therapeutic claim has appropriate evidential support or framing, whether sources are appropriate, whether disclosures are correctly placed, whether the language complies with TGA advertising rules for therapeutic content in Australia, and whether the article would meet the standard required to be sent to a GP or referred to in serious health journalism.

Updates. Articles are revised when underlying information changes (regulatory shifts, new research, association policy updates, fund recognition changes). Date stamps are updated when substantive content changes. Substantive corrections are noted.

Sources and citation policy

All sources cited on this site are linked inline in body text rather than appended as footnotes or end-of-article reference lists. The link goes directly to the source so readers can verify any claim quickly.

The source quality hierarchy I use, in roughly descending order of weight:

1. Cochrane reviews, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials
2. Individual randomised controlled trials in major peer-reviewed journals
3. Australian and international government health bodies (Australian Government Department of Health, NIH, NHS, NICE)
4. Major Australian health institutions and universities (Monash, the Black Dog Institute, equivalents)
5. Professional bodies and associations (HCA, AHA, ASCH, AACHP, ISPA, GoAH) for self-regulatory context and association-specific information
6. Reputable health publishers (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Health, Healthline) for explanatory and contextual claims

Sources I do not use as primary evidence:

• Other practitioner sites, regardless of how well written
• Wikipedia for substantive claims (useful for my own background research only)
• Training provider blogs and marketing material
• Anything paywalled in a way that prevents readers verifying the claim
• Anonymous or unattributed health content

Claims about therapeutic outcomes

In Australia, claims about therapeutic outcomes are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) under the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code. As a practising hypnotherapist publishing publicly, this site falls within scope.

The framing patterns I use are intentionally measured:

• “The evidence suggests hypnotherapy may help some people experience…” (evidence-based claim, appropriately hedged)
• “In clinical practice, I’ve found…” (experiential claim, marked as such)
• “Research from [source] indicates…” (citation-anchored claim)
• “Hypnotherapy may have a useful supporting role in…” (acknowledgement of supporting rather than primary role)

The framings I avoid:

• “Hypnotherapy cures…” (cure claims are TGA-restricted)
• “Hypnotherapy treats…” for serious mental illness diagnoses (restricted)
• “Proven to…” (overstates the evidence; “evidence suggests” or “research has shown” is more accurate)
• Comparative claims against medication, psychology, or other modalities without substantiation
• Specific claims about cancer, severe psychiatric conditions, pregnancy outcomes, or other serious-condition territory without strong citation and clear framing of hypnotherapy as supporting rather than primary care

For all serious conditions, I direct readers to qualified medical, psychological, or psychiatric care as the appropriate first step, with hypnotherapy noted as a possible supporting role only where the evidence justifies it.

Conflict of interest policy

The relationships that create potential conflicts of interest for this site are disclosed in full below. Where any of these relationships are relevant to a specific article, an in-article disclosure appears at the relevant point in addition to the disclosure on this page.

Clinical practice. I run a separate clinical practice (Mindpath Makers, Sydney and telehealth) which is the source of my income outside this site. The site is not a marketing funnel for that practice. The “Find a practitioner” content on this site directs readers to the HCA and AHA registers; my practice is not featured or recommended as a destination by the site itself.

Professional association memberships. I am a current member of the Hypnotherapy Council of Australia (HCA) and a founding member of the International Strategic Psychotherapists Association (ISPA). I was previously a member of the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association (AHA). The site refers to all major Australian hypnotherapy associations evenhandedly; I do not promote my own affiliations above others, and articles touching on the association landscape are written to remain neutral on the political question of which body should be considered the peak body for the profession.

Training school. I am a graduate of the Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP), where I completed my diploma in 2021 and a separate NLP Master Practitioner qualification with Gordon Young. I personally recommend IAP, and I have a referral arrangement with them (see below). Articles comparing training providers list all HCA and AHA recognised providers fairly; the personal IAP recommendation is clearly marked as a personal recommendation.

No third-party direction. No association, training provider, professional body, commercial program, or other third party directs, sponsors, funds, or pre-approves content on this site. No sponsored content has been accepted to date. If that ever changes, sponsored content will be clearly labelled at the top of any affected article.

Affiliate and referral relationships

In the interest of full transparency, the following are the current commercial relationships connected to this site. Each is disclosed at the point in any article where a related link appears.

Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP) referral program. I have a referral relationship with IAP, the training school where I completed my diploma. If you enrol in an IAP course through my referral link, you receive a $500 credit toward your course (applied by IAP at enrolment), and IAP sends me a $100 Visa gift card as a referral fee. Your course price is identical whether you use my referral or enrol directly at iap.edu.au. The referral link appears in the Hypnotherapy training in Australia comparison article, with the disclosure repeated at the point of the link. The article fairly compares all HCA and AHA recognised training providers; IAP is identified as my personal recommendation but presented alongside other credible options.

Amazon Australia (book recommendations). Book recommendations on this site link to Amazon Australia and are affiliate links. If you purchase a book through one of these links, Amazon pays me a small commission (typically 1–4% of the book price). Your price is the same either way. Books are only recommended on the basis that I have read them and consider them genuinely useful. The reading list pages note this policy explicitly.

That is the complete list. No other commercial, affiliate, sponsorship, or referral relationships are in place at the date of this update. If any new relationship is added in future, it will appear on this page on the date it is established.

Corrections

If you believe something on this site is inaccurate or out of date, please contact me at joel@hypnotherapyguide.com.au. I’ll review the claim against the relevant sources and update the article where the correction is supported.

This particularly applies to:

• Training providers reading material about their own program
• Professional associations reading material about their own policies or recognition
• Health funds, where coverage information changes
• Researchers or clinicians who spot evidence claims that have been overtaken by newer research

Corrections that change a substantive factual claim are noted at the bottom of the affected article with the date of correction. Minor typo and clarity corrections are made silently. I aim to respond to correction requests within seven days.

Editorial decisions I will not make

A short, blunt list, because they’re worth naming explicitly:

• I will not accept sponsored content from any training provider, practitioner, association, or commercial program operating in the Australian hypnotherapy field.
• I will not write articles that route readers away from qualified care toward apps, audio products, or unaccredited operators in cases where a qualified practitioner would be the more appropriate referral.
• I will not write content that promotes my own clinical practice over other practitioners, except in the sense that I am identifiable as the author of the site (which is unavoidable).
• I will not list individual practitioners, run a directory, or accept paid listings.
• I will not write articles claiming hypnotherapy cures or treats serious medical or psychiatric conditions, regardless of any individual study’s findings.

Contact

For corrections, comments, topic suggestions, media enquiries, or any other reason: joel@hypnotherapyguide.com.au.

I read everything that comes through. I cannot promise to reply at length, but I read.