The American Board of Hypnotherapy

What The American Board of Hypnotherapy does

The American Board of Hypnotherapy (ABH), founded in 1982 by Dr. A. M. Krasner as The California Board of Hypnotherapy, is a private professional certification body headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. It certifies hypnotherapy practitioners and, through its 1996 spin-off ABNLP (American Board of NLP), certifies Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioners across a seven-tier pathway ranging from NLP Associate to NLP Master Trainer. The organization operates a digital certification platform that issues date-stamped digital certificates and badges with LinkedIn integration, replacing its prior paper certificate system. Members gain access to a library of hypnosis scripts, induction techniques, stage inductions, and an annual virtual conference held on Zoom, which also generates direct registration revenue.

The business model is built on three revenue streams: non-refundable annual membership fees (manual renewal, no auto-renew), tiered certification enrollment fees across multiple practitioner levels, and conference registration revenue priced at $59 (early bird) and $89 (regular). Distribution is entirely self-serve through the organization's website, supplemented by a public trainer directory that functions as a referral platform connecting certified practitioners with prospective clients and students. The organization reports over 1,000 approved training institutes worldwide and tens of thousands of certified members across 40+ countries. With 1-10 employees and no disclosed funding, the operation is lean and founder-led, relying on its 40+ year brand history, voluntary compliance from training institutes with its standardized training levels, and member-driven organic distribution via digital badge sharing as its primary growth mechanisms rather than paid acquisition.

Name

The American Board of Hypnotherapy

Legal name

The American Board of Hypnotherapy

Website

https://abh-abnlp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Board of Hypnotherapy is a private professional certification body founded in 1982 that certifies hypnotherapy and NLP practitioners across seven career levels, serving tens of thousands of members and over 1,000 approved training institutes in 40+ countries through a digital credentialing platform, annual conference, and membership-based revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL)

Keywords

• Hypnotherapy certification
• NLP certification
• Professional board certification
• Continuing education credits
• Practitioner credentials

Headquarters

HQ city

Henderson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for both ABH (American Board of Hypnotherapy) and ABNLP (American Board of NLP). Memberships do not auto-renew; members must renew online via the website. Annual fees are non-refundable.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from the annual ABH Hypnosis Conference, offered at early bird ($59) and regular ($89) rates. Board members receive free admission.
3. Certification Enrollment Fees: One-time or recurring fees associated with enrolling in certification programs at various levels (NLP Associate, NLP Practitioner, NLP Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, NLP Master Coach, NLP Trainer, NLP Master Trainer).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The American Board of Hypnotherapy (ABH) and its sister organization the American Board of NLP (ABNLP) issue internationally recognized professional certifications for hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioners across multiple credentialing levels. Membership provides access to digital certificates and badges with LinkedIn integration, a public trainer directory, an annual virtual conference offering continuing education credits, and a member-only library of hypnosis scripts and induction techniques.

Product overview

The American Board of Hypnotherapy (ABH) and American Board of NLP (ABNLP) offer a comprehensive professional certification ecosystem for hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioners. The core offerings consist of ABH certification for hypnotherapists and ABNLP certification for NLP professionals, with multiple certification levels including Practitioner, Master Practitioner, Coach, Trainer, and Master Trainer. The organization provides complementary resources including a library of hypnosis scripts and hypnotic induction techniques for member use, as well as stage induction methods. Digital certificates and badges with LinkedIn integration are provided to certified members. Annual conferences offer continuing education and professional development opportunities. The ABNLP establishes global standards for NLP training that are voluntarily followed by approved institutes worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABH Certification (American Board of Hypnotherapy) Professional certification for hypnotherapists providing credentials that reflect professional excellence and ethical standards recognized globally, with membership delivered after training at an ABH Recognized or Approved Institute.
• ABNLP Certification (American Board of NLP) Professional certification for Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioners, coaches, and trainers, offering credentials recognized across the globe across multiple credentialing levels.
• NLP Associate Certification Entry-level NLP associate membership covering foundational NLP techniques and behavioral competencies for practitioners beginning their NLP studies.
• NLP Associate Practitioner Certification Second-tier NLP associate practitioner certification advancing foundational skills toward full practitioner-level competencies.
• NLP Practitioner Certification Full NLP practitioner certification covering foundational NLP techniques and behavioral competencies required to practice at practitioner level.
• NLP Coach Certification Certification for NLP-based coaching methodologies and practices, validating practitioners' coaching-specific competencies.
• NLP Master Practitioner Certification Advanced NLP certification covering master-level skills and techniques in Neuro-Linguistic Programming beyond practitioner-level competencies.
• NLP Master Coach Certification Senior-level coaching certification for NLP-based coaching mastery, building on the NLP Coach credential.
• NLP Trainer Certification Certification authorizing qualified practitioners to deliver NLP training programs, requiring minimum 120 hours of advanced training under a certified Master Trainer with at least 15 hours of direct supervision.
• NLP Master Trainer Certification Highest tier of NLP trainer certification requiring demonstrated leadership, mentorship, and successful delivery of multiple NLP training programs.
• Digital Certificates and Badges Date-stamped digital certificates and badges issued to certified members, shareable to websites, social media, email signatures, and LinkedIn profiles with live credential display, with PDF versions available for printing.
• Annual ABH Hypnosis Conference Annual virtual conference featuring keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking events, and CEU fulfillment opportunities for hypnosis and NLP professionals, with non-member registration at $89 regular and $59 early bird.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members in over 40 countries hold ABH-ABNLP certifications
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists (NBCCH): Offers clinical hypnotherapy certification for healthcare professionals. Directly comparable to ABH but with a more clinical/medical focus, competing for healthcare-practitioner members.
• International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association (IMDHA): Specializes in medical and dental hypnotherapy certification, overlapping with ABH on clinical hypnotherapy credentials. Targets a more clinical subset but competes for the same practitioner audience.
• NLP Comprehensive: A long-established NLP training institute that issues its own practitioner and trainer certifications. Competes with ABNLP both as a training provider and a credentialing authority in the NLP space.
• Society of NLP (Dr. Richard Bandler): Founded by the co-creator of NLP, the Society of NLP issues NLP Practitioner and Trainer certifications. Directly competes with ABNLP for legitimacy and recognition in the NLP training market.
• International Association of NLP (IANLP): International NLP certification and accreditation body that provides practitioner and trainer certifications with a global network. Directly comparable to ABNLP as a competing NLP standards and credentialing organization.
• National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH): The largest and oldest hypnosis organization in the United States, NGH is a direct peer offering certification and membership for hypnotists and hypnotherapists. It competes head-to-head with ABH for practitioner credentials and continuing education.
• American Hypnosis Association: Provides hypnosis training and certification including CHt credentials, with active membership and CE offerings. Directly overlaps with ABH's hypnotherapy certification segment.

Regional players

• Association for Integrative and Complementary Medicine: Regional professional association for integrative and complementary medicine practitioners. Comparable to ABH in providing credentialing and member resources within the broader alternative-medicine practitioner ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• International Coaching Federation (ICF): The dominant global coach credentialing body offering ACC, PCC, and MCC credentials. Adjacent to ABNLP's NLP Coach certification, ICF represents a more mainstream alternative for coaches and competes for the same practitioner mindshare.
• American Holistic Health Association (AHHA): Membership and referral organization in the holistic health space that overlaps with ABH's wellness-adjacent positioning. Comparable as a broader wellness practitioner membership body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-board-of-hypnotherapy

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The American Board of Hypnotherapy