The Society of Experiential Trance is an inclusive Open Community Honor Society of Altered States of Consciousness, Focused Trance Thoughtforms, Guided Imagery, Hypnosis, Meditation, and other forms of Trancework. The function of the Society is to provide recognition for achievement while fostering a community in which competence and innovation are recognized as well as providing a bridge in which those utilizing hypnosis and trance in a variety of contexts can meet as equals, sharing techniques and experiences with one another within a caring and thoughtful community. Membership in the Society is gained through honors nomination or through one of several competence demonstration opportunities.Membership in the Society of Experiential Trance is open to anyone who wishes to become a member as long as they are able to demonstrate required competence in the appropriate skillsets. Membership is not implied if one takes a course or sits for an examination, although taking a course should prepare a person to pass the examination for membership qualification as long as appropriate diligence is applied to practice and experience.
Please read all of the guidelines below and confirm eligibility and competence with a qualified instructor/examiner. Pay the appropriate fees below. Fill out the form for membership application, membership renewal, or specialization and return it to the Society either via email or regular mail:
You must pay the appropriate non-refundable fees before filling in the form. Be certain to record the receipt/transaction number of your fee payment and include it in the form.Membership Application / Renewal / Specialization
SET Membership / Membership Renewal / Specialization
Please keep track of the date and transaction number for your dues/certification payment as you will need it to complete the application form. Make certain your Instructor/Examiner has registered your appropriate training, specialization, and/or continuing education credits with the Society for verification.
Membership is made available to persons who pass the qualifying Examination. Please note that there is no written component to the Examination, all skills are judged upon the merit of actual practical competence demonstration from memory in an applied context. Exceptional individuals may be nominated for membership without examination by senior members subject to approval through an oversight nomination approval process.
SET
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DescriptionFEE PAYMENT SETmem01 Hypnotist Membership Certification
(New Initial Membership)First-time initial basic Hypnotist Membership Certification with the Society of Experiential Trance. One year membership. Those who have taken a certification course or exam through a certified instructor should certify through the instructor (the instructor should collect forms and fees from you and submit them to the Society in your behalf).
US$40 SETmem02 Hypnotist Membership Certification
(Membership Renewal)Renewal of Hypnotist Membership Certification with the Society of Experiential Trance. One year membership renewal. Make certain all required Continuing Education Credits are registered with the Society and confirmed by the appropriate instructor(s).
US$25 SETmem03 Hypnosis Specialization Certification
(Please specify Specialization Topic)Special Topic Specialization Certification with the Society of Experiential Trance. One-time registration. Training and competence must be verified with an appropriate instructor/examiner (who should collect forms and fees from you and submit them to the Society in your behalf).
US$50
The Society stresses application competence more than theoretical knowledge, although members are certainly encouraged to learn anything and everything they can about trancework - applied and theoretical.
All persons interested in trance and hypnosis as applied to any number of contexts are welcome to apply for membership in the Society, the open community orientation of the Society is unique among formal organizations.
As the Society of Experiential Trance operates along the lines of an honor society, membership certifications are considered peer acknowledgement of competence and should not be considered a legal license of any sort (very few jurisdictions control or license the practice of hypnosis and those that do tend to focus only on hypnotherapy with very specific regulations or guidelines - members are encouraged to follow their local laws in such matters). Please note that most societies, organizations, or guilds related to hypnosis that offer certification do so only in so far as the certification states that a person has qualified for membership in that organization with no legal status in that membership. If an organization makes any other claim, remember caveat emptor and check their claims carefully as some unethical organizations make claims that their certifications qualify persons to practice hypnosis legally in the United States and elsewhere when in fact no qualification is generally required and therefore folks with or without those particular certifications are legally qualified either way (some specific states or jurisdictions do indeed have special conditions for the practice of hypnosis and so hypnotists and tranceworkers are encouraged to know and follow any local laws).
Membership into the Society of Experiential Trance can be gained through honors nomination from a ranking member of the board or through an examination option. There are three Examination Options for gaining membership and competence certification from the Society (Membership Certification Course, Live Examination, and Video Examination). Periodically, special intensive review courses are offered that allow a special video examination track in which candidates demonstrate each skillset once. Currently, the basic type of membership in the Society is Hypnotist. There are also additional specialization designations such as Hypnotherapy, Sports & Performance Excellence Hypnosis, Fertility & Birth Hypnosis, Metaphysical Hypnosis, Entertainment Hypnosis, Erotic Hypnosis, Speed Hypnosis, Educational Applications Hypnosis, or other specialty certificates. To qualify for certificates in specialization areas, one must first qualify as a competent Hypnotist in addition to taking the advanced skills examination appropriate to a specialty area.
For those looking for an intensive review to supplement live training or a distance learning option, the Comprehensive Core Skills Hypnosis DVD Program includes explanations and demonstrations for all of the skillsets required for Certification as a Hypnotist member with the Society of Experiential Trance (please note, the video program also contains a number of other methods in addition to the minimum required for SET certification).
See information on Membership Certification for details of the specific skillsets tested in the various Examinations available as well as how to find the nearest course or Certified Membership Instructor near you. As the Society of Experiential Trance is an inclusive open community-based honors society, certification is a membership qualification and should not be confused with legal status of any type.
Paying a course or examination fee or taking a course in no way entitles one to membership in the Society. However, taking a course should certainly expose participants to the appropriate skillsets required and may offer the opportunity to take an immediate competence examination which does qualify one for membership. Note that it is typical for instructors to present a course of the required skillsets and delay examination options until a later date when students have had time to process information and practice their skills (some instructors may encourage students to video their practice sessions during the course in order to get a jump start on their own video examinations). Certified Membership Instructors are responsible to certify for membership only those who have successfully demonstrated competence in the skillsets required for membership.
Please note that course or examination fees are paid to the Certified Membership Instructor and not to the Society while appropriate membership or certification fees are typically paid to the instructor and forwarded to the Society after officially passing any appropriate examinations (although some courses include such fees which are forwarded to the Society at the appropriate time). If in doubt, ask the instructor prior to registering for a course. When a person passes a qualifying examination, the Certified Membership Instructor will forward the nomination information along with fees to the Society at which time the Society will send certificates and related information to the prospective member.
The current fee schedule is as follows: Basic initial membership (Certified Member Hypnotist) in the Society of Experiential Trance requires a fee payment of US$40 (which is often included with certain training opportunities). Basic initial membership certification is for two years for completion and graduation through comprehensive live certification courses and one year for review courses or other examination options. Specialization Certifications require a one-time fee of US$50. The fee for renewing membership, assuming continuing education requirements are met, is US$25. After qualification, initial and specialization membership fees may be paid to an approved instructor who then completes the registration process in behalf of the candidate (depending upon course setup). Renewal fees are paid directly to the Society.
Membership certification is granted on a yearly basis - certain long-term memberships are granted on an invitation-only basis. To renew membership certification, members must complete twenty-five continuing education credits each year.
Completion of a comprehensive live Membership Certification Course entitles members to membership certification for two years with the the Society of Experiential Trance upon passing the appropriate examination (all other options are one year for initial membership certification).
While basic membership in the Society of Experiential Trance is required to be renewed upon a yearly basis with continuing education credit requirements, specialization certifications are not renewed in this way but they are required to be maintained. As long as a member has an active status within the Society, such specialization remains current. However, as the Society endeavors to remain current and state-of-the-art as far as expectations are concerned, it is possible that periodic updates to skillset lists will be made. If requirements for a specialization certification change with new skillsets added, then those already holding that certification are given a two-year grace period within which they must demonstrate competence in the new skillsets or their certification in that specialization will expire. It is the responsibility of members to maintain current certifications.
In addition to becoming part of an inclusive open community of fellow competent tranceworkers, membership in the Society of Experiential Trance confers upon members a number of benefits beyond being part of a dynamic, evolving organization that represents the cutting edge of hypnosis and trance training where not only competence in basic skillsets is expected but innovation and development of new techniques is encouraged. Members have access to a peer network that is both supportive and honestly interested in seeing members grow and excel. Membership Benefits
Membership in the Society of Experiential Trance also has tangible benefits beyond the qualitative advantages.
Members gain the right to place the Society Seal of Experiential Trance upon their webpages or other professional bona fides as a sign of competence and honors recognition.
Society members receive an across the board minimum discount of 15% off of any official certification or specialization course affiliated with the Society of Experiential Trance. This membership rate also applies to admittance to conventions or workshops with official Society of Experiential Trance status. Membership discounts for conventions and chapter workshops are typically cumulative in addition to any other discounts in effect at the time of registration (some instructors may also offer cumulative membership rates although others typically use whichever discount is greater approaches; when in doubt, ask).
Special events are periodically announced for Society of Experiential Trance members to take part in as well as events open to the public that provide special recognition or availability to Society members.
Additionally Society of Experiential Trance members receive a quarterly online journal that members receive on a premiere basis prior to distribution to the general public.
Members of the Society of Experiential Trance are eligible for certain discounts in products, services, and trainings from approved resources.
As the Society of Experiential Trance grows, other resources and benefits will likewise grow. In addition to members-only resources, the Society operates as an honors society aimed at community growth with an aim is to foster a sense of inclusive open community through excellence and competence among members rather than through exclusion. For instance, the Society forums are open both to members and to interested members of the public.
As the Society of Experiential Trance is an open community organization with positive outreach goals, Hypnotist Membership in the Society is open to anyone who can demonstrate competence in the required basic skillsets. However, those under the age of eighteen must have signed parental consent to join the Society or to participate in Society events or trainings. For trainings, it is up to the individual instructor whether or not to allow minors to attend any particular training (for trainings where minors are welcome, signed parental consent is always required; trainings with a focus stricly in hypnotherapy are typically not open to minors while those with a focus in adult-related themes are never open to minors). Please note that at this time, minors are not eligible for specialization certificates. Minors may or may not be welcome to such trainings (based upon individual instructor policy for a course), but course participants may not receive a certificate unless they are eighteen years of age or older. The Society encourages instructors and others to organize youth-oriented programs that teach young people the power of their minds and how to use hypnosis and focused trance to improve their lives as well as the application of hypnosis in other aspects of their lives ranging from self-improvement, to education enhancement, to sports or other performance related enhancements, to entertainment, recreation and other contexts within a model of responsible, safe, sharing, open community guided training and mentorship. Minors and Society Membership
Society of Experiential Trance : Main Page
