“The training style was very top down, I was criticized and condemned during the training for questioning.”

“Another person in the class that had moved here from Mexico was having some problems understanding the training, Dr. Georgina Cannon looked at him and said “do you know anything about the Chakra System” which he replied “no”  she then told him that “your problem is your third eye chakra is closed.””

“This is the worst training I have ever had in my 10 years of studying hypnosis.”

We would like to mention that our personal experiences with OHC staff have been positive, and that these reviews do not mention practitioners at the OHC other than Georgina Cannon. The complaints were directed specifically against the OHC’s hypnosis certification program.

Founded by Luke Chao, Morpheus describes itself as “humanistic” and “results-based,” which sets it apart from hypnosis centres that incorporate New Age spiritual concepts into their work.

The location is above a vacant store near Yonge and Dundas, which can make it hard to spot, but the office is comfortable and inviting once you get upstairs.

Their claim to fame is that that they provide a full money-back guarantee with no strings attached. To be fair, they do emphasize that the final results are mostly your responsibility. Their guarantee is based on your satisfaction with your sessions.

Price: $140 per session, with discounts for packages.

Recommended. Because of the emphasis placed on client satisfaction, Morpheus is our top choice for problems requiring tangible results, such as weight loss, smoking cessation or fear of public speaking. It would not be a good choice for past-life regression.

Positive Changes Hypnosis

Originally an American franchise, Positive Changes has several locations across the GTA. They advertise heavily in radio and newspaper.

Positive Changes is unique in their use of light and sound machines, which can help an analytical client enter into a trance state, but which is controversial because of the risk that it might trigger epilepsy. The company is often maligned among industry insiders for this reason, and because they sell clients long-term contracts (like a gym). However, they have broken new ground and increased opportunities for hypnotists everywhere.

Price: $225 for the first session.

Like Morpheus, Positive Changes does not promote New Age approaches to hypnosis. The remainder of Toronto hypnosis centres reviewed here do.

Ontario Hypnosis Centre

Founded by former corporate executive Georgina Cannon, the Ontario Hypnosis Centre has been operating out of a modern office building in Yorkville for many years. They have several hypnotists on staff and a variety of courses in hypnotherapy. The OHC has trained most hypnotists in Ontario, which has resulted in a strong trend toward past-life regression in the province.

Price: $150 for the first session, $100 thereafter.

HypnosisWorks lists the same address and phone number as the Ontario Hypnosis Centre. We assume that it is, in effect, the same business.

Metaphysique

Lisa Marvin’s creation is an upscale spiritual centre in Yorkville that includes hypnosis among its many services. As its name implies, Metaphysique takes a distinctly New Age approach to hypnosis. Lisa and her associates also perform past-life regression, channeling, reiki and seances.

Price: $120 per session with discounts for a package.

The Hypno-Healing Institute

Founded by Debbie Papadakis, the Hypno-Healing Institute is a long-standing Toronto institution that is often featured in the media. Because Debbie is the sole hypnotist working at this business, we will include it in a separate review of independent practitioners.

Price: $200 per session, with a $400 minimum.

The National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) has about 400 members in Ontario, making it the most prominent organization in the province. Their standards for membership are 75+ hours of classroom instruction and 15 hours of continuing education per year; after taking the course, certification is all but guaranteed (”everybody passes the test”). Despite this requirement, the NGH was one of the organizations exposed a few years ago for certifying a pet cat as a hypnotherapist.

The Association of Registered Clinical Hypnotherapists (ARCH) Canada is an independent certifying body. ARCH requres its members to have 150+ hours of classroom training, a criminal background check, a 80% or higher grade on the ARCH exam, and 30 hours of continuing education a year. Here’s a list of ARCH members in Ontario. Most members practice independently; the only prominent ARCH-based centre in Toronto is The Morpheus Clinic for Hypnosis.

The Ontario Association of Hypnotherapists was once an active, thriving organization that served the interests of both hypnotherapists and consumers in Ontario. Unfortunately, they are now defunct. They are not accepting members and have ceased communication with members since 2008.

“Master” titles have very little meaning. A couple of prominent schools in Toronto certify students as “Master Hypnotherapist” after a four- or five-day workshop. Caveat emptor.