Deutsches Institut für Klinische Hypnose
October 10 – 12 & 14 – 17, 2026; Live in Magdeburg, Germany.
TWO Three-Day Workshops – Hypnosis for Pain Relief: Practical, Ethical, Neurologically Powerful
Dr. Mau will present two three-day intensive workshops live in English in Germany (live translation provided into German).
Physical pain relief may be the most effective use of hypnosis, and provides a tremendous benefit for your clients. Hypnosis is recognized in the United States not only as a medical standard-of-care therapy, but also as a best practice for nonpharmacological pain relief. The neurology of hypnotic pain relief is now well understood via neuroimaging. Dr. Fredric Mau has taught hypnotic pain relief for years to physicians, medical and mental health professionals, and clinical hypnotists. His two day workshop provides you with a neurological understanding of how hypnosis operates in the brain to eliminate the experience of physical pain, as well as practical techniques you can use with your clients to help them. The workshop focuses on developing practical skills you can use immediately in your practice to help your clients. Physical pain also makes all other medical and mental health issues more difficult, so this is a substantial benefit even for clients who come to you for other purposes.
Up to today I have listened to the audiorecording of your session every day. And I’m impressed.
The session is very professionally done, very skillful and with a pleasant voice that could belong to a professional speaker. Only even better.
This is the best session I’ve ever heard. The best in every respect. Honestly.
I will be pleased to support you and your seminars. They really ARE good. And yes, your one on one session is exceptionally well done. I’m every day impressed. Please use my quote.
Best,
Dr. Norbert Preetz
UK Hypnosis Convention
November 13-15, 2026, Live in London, England
Epigenetics: Nurture, Nature, Change, and Hope
Dr. Mau will present a one hour workshop.
Nurture wins so hard it tells nature what to do – for a long time we knew about inheritance via genes and memes, but 2004 marked the discovery of another way to inherit, and understanding how this works can give your clients a real sense of hope.
Behaviors and emotional orientation can be physically inherited. This soft inheritance is not via genetic changes; epigenetics refers to heritable chemical modifications to DNA that alter gene activity without changing nucleotide sequence. Your clients may believe that they have inherited a family curse like trauma or addiction. The good news that, unlike genetic inheritance, epigenetic inheritances are not destiny can be changed. We will review the current state of behavioral epigenetics with a focus on ways to help and encourage your clients as they create change.
Master Class Specialist Certification in Hypnotherapy to Treat Trauma and Physical Pain
A special invitation for licensed counselors, mental health and medical professionals, as well as certified hypnotists – please join me for a Master Class in Hypnosis, which leads to a Specialist Certification in Hypnotherapy to Treat Trauma and Physical Pain
I believe we are at the point where neuroimaging studies of brain function can help us align therapeutic modalities with particular mental health diagnoses, and that, based on neurological and genetic factors, hypnosis in particular is the optimal choice to treat posttraumatic responses and physical pain.
This Master Class will provide participants with:
- a working understanding of the genetic basis of high hypnotizabilty;
- a working understanding of the neurology of hypnosis;
- an understanding of the current status of hypnotherapy as a standard of care treatment (particularly for physical pain relief);
- the ability to use appropriate hypnotic techniques to treat various posttraumatic presentations by clients;
- a working understanding of the neurology of hypnotic pain relief and the emotional basis for chronic pain;
- the ability to use appropriate hypnotic processes to treat trauma;
- the ability to use appropriate hypnotic processes to treat physical pain; and
- the ability to use appropriate hypnotic processes to treat cooccurring anxiety and depression.
The class is designed exclusively for participants who are licensed mental health and medical practitioners (and associated graduate students), as well as participants who are already certified hypnotists.
Because licensed participants who are not certified hypnotists will be in the class, core hypnosis skills including hypnotic induction will be taught. As well, the class will be designed to help participants who are certified hypnotists (but not licensed) to communicate more effectively with medical and mental health professionals.
The class will focus on solid skill development in the hypnotic arts, as well as providing state of the art research findings related to hypnotherapy.
This is an entirely new course, and a first of its kind certification. Certification will be provided by the International Association of Counselors and Therapists and the International Medical and Dental Hypnosis Association. CEs will be provided by the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensure of Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors and Psycho-Educational Specialists.
The course provides up to 40 CEs (including 6 Ethics CEs and 1 Suicide Prevention CE), and a specialist certification in hypnotherapy. This course will be open to professional counselors and other licensed mental health and medical professionals, as well as clinical hypnotists who already hold a certification in hypnosis. In person seating is limited (virtual attendance is unlimited). Noncontact hours are available for Social Workers.
The class will be taught on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. EST, January 16-17, 23-24, 30-31, and February 6-7, and 13-14, 2027. Live in Columbia SC (live virtual participation also available: 7:00 a.m. PST Los Angeles, 9:00 a.m. EST New York, 15:00 BST London, 16:00 CET Zürich).
Dr. Fredric Mau contributed the sections on hypnotherapy, as well as postmodern, humanistic, and existential therapies to Essential Psychopathology & its Treatment (Kilgus & Badre, 2026). This is the 5th edition of a medical textbook used in training physicians who are getting their specialization in psychiatry. It is published by Norton. Dr. Mau is one of only three contributors, and the only one who is not a medical doctor. He is an investigator in a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of virtual reality guided imagery for physical pain relief for patients with active cancer. Dr. Mau has served as Core Faculty for a Graduate Medical Education – Psychiatry Residency Training Program teaching this same material to psychiatric residents (physicians). A popular speaker, he regularly speaks internationally, and has given keynote addresses at various conferences in four countries on three continents. He is the author of three books. Dr. Mau has received several professional awards given in Switzerland and the United States, including recognition by the SC Counseling Association for Distinguished Professional Service in 2024 and as Outstanding Counselor in South Carolina in 2019.
Feedback from participants in Dr. Mau’s previous basic hypnosis certification course:
Would you recommend this to others? “Yes! For sure – the training equips you to implement hypnosis immediately, and with confidence.”
– Emilee Scruggs, LISW-CP
Who might find this workshop valuable?
“Anyone that encounters other human beings. It helps you understand why people behave, and how to empathize and help them permanently.”
“A bunch of other therapists.”
Other comments:
“Still the best course I’ve taken! Changed how I practice social work. Have fun, friend!”
“I believe this training is career-changing for therapists seeking to use solution focused techniques in their practice.”
“This was a fun experiential workshop. This atmosphere was supportive, open, and nonjudgmental. It was safe to share.”
“Dr. Mau is a great instructor and creates a good learning experience in which students can feel comfortable, ask questions, and learn.”
“If you are considering hypnosis Dr. Mau is who you want training you. His experience and knowledge is second to none. The training helped me understand the people I help at a deeper level. I am more equipped and confident to make a positive impact on the people I serve.”
“I loved the idea that this workshop not only taught me a new skill, but also served as a refresher for my therapeutic style. It helped boost my confidence in the therapy space in ways I didn’t know I needed.”
The International Society of Hypnosis
January 20, 2027 live virtual from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. CET (11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST)
ISH Masterclass:
Rapid Hypnotic Induction and Catalepsy to Treat Functional Neurological Syndrome Disorders
Observation in clinical practice indicates that the use of rapid hypnotic induction and hypnotic catalepsy is very effective in quickly eliminating functional neurological disorder FND symptoms.
Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a neurological condition caused by changes in how brain networks operate, rather than by changes in the structure of the brain itself. The cause of FND is unknown, and there are no standard of care treatments for FND (cognitive behavior therapy is recommended for cooccurring depression). The disorder can present in a wide range of physical, medical symptoms (such as psychogenic seizures, weakness or paralysis of limbs, chronic pain, numbness, vision or hearing problems, and difficulty swallowing) where a medical etiology has been ruled out.
Neuroimaging indicates a greater functional connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the salience network is present in both highly hypnotizable individuals and in individuals who exhibit FND. While in FND motor and sensory changes are driven by regions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), an interaction mediated by the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are involved in hypnotic phenomena (the VMPFC is not activated during hypnosis). although the operation of FND and hypnosis differs in terms of brain function, as a common experience both FND and hypnotic phenomena, such as catalepsy, feel outside conscious control, like something that is “happening,” rather than being a chosen behavior.
It is hypothesized that the experience of very fast hypnotic induction and catalepsy, which feel out of control, combined with the experience of control returning (the patient is emerged and the catalepsy is released, and the process is rapidly repeated) disrupts the functional neurological difficulties in the brain, resulting in the elimination of symptoms. The workshop will provide a live demonstration of the treatment technique, as well as a recorded audio example of a patient recovering her ability to speak within a brief therapeutic session. An outline of the proposed neurological considerations relating to hypnotizability and FND will also be provided.
Pee Dee AHEC
January 28 2027, Florence, SC
Matching Diagnosis and Treatment
We have reached the point where neurological studies can indicate more effective means of therapy. Modern neuroimaging has shown exactly how hypnosis operates in the brain, and surprisingly this allows us to relate this treatment to specific diagnoses. While cognitive therapies tend to seek symptom management, hypnosis is about fundamentally altering experience, frequently with a goal of eliminating symptoms. This process is solution-focused, brief, and based on emotional rather than cognitive change. It is a standard of care process, not complimentary or alternative. Generally hypnosis is effective for posttraumatic disorders, anxiety and related disorders (such as tics and phobias), somatic symptom and functional neurological disorders, dissociative disorders and unipolar depression, as well as physical pain relief.
FHHD Annual Conference København
March 4 – 7 2027, live in Copenhagen, Denmark
Hypnosis for Pain Relief: Practical, Ethical, Neurologically Powerful
Hypnosis to relieve physical pain is considered to be a medical best practice (not just a standard of care treatment) in the United States. It is arguably the most effective use of hypnosis. If your client suffers ongoing pain it will make any other issues they are facing worse. Hypnotic pain relief is so powerful that in clinical studies it is effective for even low-suggestible clients. Opioid blockers can block acupuncture- or placebo-based relief, but not hypnotic pain relief. Dr. Mau will demonstrate practical techniques you can use immediately with your clients and describe the neurological basis of pain relief. Hypnosis is a best practice – not complimentary or alternative – treatment for physical pain which can be safely and ethically administered by consulting hypnotists. You can understand it and do it!
Guild of Australian Hypnotherapists
Sunday, April 3, 2026, live virtual at 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. AEDT Sydney, NSW (Saturday, April 2, at 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. EDT Columbia and New York). Three hour virtual workshop. CEs available.
Epigenetics: Nurture, Nature, Change, and Hope
Nurture wins so hard it tells nature what to do – for a long time we knew about inheritance via genes and memes, but 2004 marked the discovery of another way to inherit, and understanding how this works can give your clients a real sense of hope.
Behaviors and emotional orientation can be physically inherited. This soft inheritance is not via genetic changes; epigenetics refers to heritable chemical modifications to DNA that alter gene activity without changing nucleotide sequence. Your clients may believe that they have inherited a family curse like trauma or addiction. The good news that, unlike genetic inheritance, epigenetic inheritances are not destiny can be changed. We will review the current state of behavioral epigenetics with a focus on ways to help and encourage your clients as they create change.