Author: Marijo Kržic, IHA Regional Advisor to the Central Balkan Region
Hypnotherapy is Growing in the Central Balkans
The Central Balkan region is mainly made up of the countries that were created after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
Although the spirit of socialism can still be felt, development follows Western trends and principles.
Some of the countries in this region have managed to develop more than others, such as Croatia for example, which is a member of the European Union.
Is Hypnosis Taboo in the Central Balkan Region?
Belgrade. Famous Skadarlija old cobbled streets in historic Beograd
Hypnosis was almost a taboo subject in this region until about twenty years ago.
Prejudices, wrong beliefs and even fear made it impossible for hypnotherapy to reach the public eye.
Fortunately, the picture has changed a lot in the last twenty years, and especially in the last ten years.
The increasing number of active hypnotists and educators, the interest of psychotherapists to master hypnotic methods, and finally the increasing interest of the media have led to the fact that people today rely more and more on hypnosis to help them achieve the desired changes.
Of course, the market is still not developed anywhere near the way it is in Western countries.
There is still a lot of room for people to become familiar with the benefits of hypnotherapy, but what is pleasing is the fact that therapists in this region can make a living from hypnosis today.
What would definitely change the picture is support from the states and relevant ministries, which still largely ignore hypnosis as one of the alternative approaches in therapeutic work.
NLP in the Central Balkan Region
On the other hand, the picture is different when we talk about NLP.
Primarily due to its popularity and because it is "in", a large number of courses are held and a large number of people are trained.
Unfortunately, the average student of these courses does not fully understand the benefit and purpose of the NLP philosophy and skills they are studying. This is an expected consequence of "trends" and "fashion".
What is a pity is that far fewer people are trained in NLP techniques as a therapeutic approach in psychology and psychotherapy, but more for reasons of business application.
Restored medieval Golubac Castle, Djerdap Gorge, Serbia
Hypnotherapy Trends in the Central Balkan Region
Let's move back to hypnotherapy subject. Although today the market is much bigger than ten years ago, it is still too early to talk about statistics, but only about trends when it comes to the topics for which clients come to sessions. In addition to universally popular topics such as losing weight and quitting smoking, topics related to anxiety (fear and panic disorders) and problems with teenagers are currently quite prevalent.
All of this is a consequence of life difficulties and a different lifestyle (primarily referring to young people who spend more time online than in reality). Of course, there are also other topics (that are common in countries where hypnosis is practiced much more).
All in all, hypnosis is no longer a boogeyman in the Central Balkans. The high-quality work of the hypnotists and the results they achieve promise that hypnotherapy will develop even more and thus be able to help more and more residents of this region.
This post was written by Marijo Kržic, the IHA's Regional Advisor for the Central Balkan Region. For our Serbian readers, here it is in its original language:
Hvar city, Hvar island, Croatia
Region Centralnog Balkana
Region Centralnog Balkana je uglavnom sastavljen od država koje su nastale raspadom nekadašnje Jugoslavije. Iako se i dalje može osetiti duh socijalizma, razvoj prati zapadne trendove i principe, a neke od zemalja u ovom region su se uspele razviti više od drugih, kao na primer Hrvatska, koja je clanica Evropske Unije.
Hipnoza je do pre dvadesetak godina bila gotovo tabu tema u u ovom region.
Predrasude, pogrešna uverenja pa cak i strah su onemogucavali da se hipnoterapija probije do ociju javnosti. Srecom, slika se dosta promenila poslednjih dvadeset, a pogotovo poslednjih deset godina.
Sve veci broj aktivnih hipnotizera i edukatora, zainteresovanost psihoterapeuta da savladaju hipnoticke metode, a na kraju i sve veca zainteresovanost medija su doveli do toga da se ljudi danas sve više oslanjaju na hipnozu kako bi im pomogla da dostignu željene promene.
Naravno, tržiše još uvek nije razvijeno ni blizu onome kako je to u zapadnim zemljama. I dalje ima mnogo prostora da se ljudi upoznaju sa benefitima hipnoterapije, ali ono što raduje jeste cinjenica da terapeuti u ovom regionu mogu danas da žive od hipnoze. Ono što bi definitivno promenilo sliku jeste podrška od strane država i odgovarajucih ministarstava, koji još uvek uglavnom ignorišu hipnozu kao jedan od alternativnih pristupa u terapeutskom radu.
Sa druge strane, slika je drugacija kada govorimo o NLP-u. Prvenstveno zbog popularnosti i zbog toga što je to “in”, održava se veliki broj kurseva i obucava Veliki broj ljudi. Na žalost, prosecan polaznik ovih kurseva ne razume u potpunosti korist i svrhu NLP filozofije i veština Kojima on proucava, ali to je vec ocekivana posledica “trendova” i “mode”. Ono što je šteta jeste to što se daleko manje ljudi obucava NLP tehnikama kao terapeutskom pristupu u psihologiji i psihoterapiji, vec više iz razloga poslovne primene.
No, da se vratimo na hipnoterapiju (pa i NLP koji se prakticno iz nje razvio). Iako je danas tržište daleko vece nego pre desetak godina, još uvek je rano govoriti o statistici vec iskljucivo o trendovima kada su u pitanju teme zbog kojih klijenti dolaze na seanse. Pored svuda popularnih tema kao što su mršavljenje I ostavljanje cigareta, trenutno dosta preovladavaju teme povezane sa anksioznošcu (strahovi I panicni poremecaji) i problemi sa tinejdžerima. Sve ovo je posledica životnih poteškoca i drugacijeg stila življenja (prvenstveno pri tome misleci na mlade ljudi koje više vremena provode onlajn nego u realnosti). Naravno, zastupljene su i druge teme koje su uobicajene u zemljama gde se hipnoza mnogo više praktikuje. Sve u svemu, hipnoza nije više bauk na Centralnom Balkanu. Kvalitetan rad hipnotizera i rezultati koje postižu obecavaju da ce se ona razvijati još više a samim tim moci da pomogne sve vecem broju stanovnika ove regije.
About the Author
Marijo Kržic is an experienced researcher and practitioner in hypnosis, NLP, and related fields. He has developed techniques for personal improvement, which he shares through seminars, courses, and books.
Marijo’s books include "Strength is within us" and "Steps to Success,". He has been involved in education since 1993, and has actively exchanged knowledge with international experts, developed new approaches to hypnosis and NLP, and trained future practitioners since 2009. Marijo is the IHA Regional Advisor to the Central Balkan Region, and a lifetime member of the IHA.
Whoever wanted to have a real insight into the development, application and impact of hypnotherapy and NLP techniques in the area of the central Balkans, got the most qualified person to show and explain it – Mr. Marijo Krzic. I confirm this as a long-term user of his skills. Thank you, Mr. Krzic!