Are We Being Too Hard On Scott Sandland?

We received an email today in defense of Scott Sandland, the proprietor behind the HypnoThoughts website. I'd like to share it with our readers and see what you think. We would love your replies. If we decide to publish it, your privacy is assured.

This particular reader, whose privacy we will keep, suggests that Sandland is a good guy, who does not condone the use of fake credentials.  We disagree. Sandland continues to associate with several persons, on both his blog site as well as his HypnoThoughts Live! conference, who falsely claim to have doctorates, including Roy Hunter, Nancy Barwick, Roger Moore, Anne Spencer, Bob Otto, Melissa Tiers, Marla Brucker, William Mitchell, and Shelley Stockwell. If these individuals are truly as good as their word, they would not need to pretend (aka scam other to believe) that they have earned a doctorate.

Here's the email. What do you think?

Hi,

  I'd like to start by saying thank you for creating this site.  I've been in the field for about ten years and can't stand the fake degrees that people promote.  A couple years ago I considered doing something similar to your site, but never followed through.  I don't think I would have put in the research you have.   I hope more people will reconsider their claims because of this movement.

So here is my constructive criticism.  Your posts about Scott Sandland seem personally motivated and seem like a distraction from the good work you are doing.  I re-read his email to you that seems to have upset you, and found it interesting.  He may disagree with your priorities and tactics, but he certainly agrees with and supported your goal.  he even said he was excited about the idea of your site and was dissapointed when he read it.  Disapointed means he wants it to work!  I know hypnothoughts allows people to put their phoney credentials after their name, but that site has slammed conrad adams and alexander regal and a few other people you've mentioned on your blog.

I met Scott two years ago at a conference and was impressed.  He's sincere in his commitment to helping the profession of hypnosis and is willing to take a pay cut to help hypnotists learn.  He's not a fraud like the other people on your site.  He's never received, given, sold, or claimed to have a PHD.  The man seems honest and congruent to me (and I can spot a bull shitter).

So I did a little homework.  His name is not on Alpha University's site.  I don't know when or why or how it was removed, but it isn't there.  I couldn't find the quotes you grabbed from his website either, I didn't do a deep search though.  And let's be honest, that's pretty nit-picking compared to these other people.  I noticed he doesn't use credentials on the site for the hypnothoughts conference and the instructors at his school have legitimate PHDs (except for Roy Hunter, who I think teaches with a psychologist or something like that).  Actually, the school was so impressive that after looking into it I'm now thinking about taking the neurology class.

what he's doing may not be the way you would do it, but he's solving a lot more problems than he causes.  he's not a fraud.   I wonder if you resented his email and have been going after him -more than anyone else on this site- as retaliation for his email or something like that.  Of all the people to focus on, you've picked a person who is actually on your side.

I don't think I'm out of line in saying all this.  My goal is the same as yours.  I want you to keep naming and shaming the people who lie and deceive others about their credentials.  when you slip in the comments about scott it comes across as personal and out of place.  Please don't be distracted away from the liars.  There's plenty more for you to expose.

thanks for taking the time to read this,

How Many FAKE Doctorates Will Be Presenting At Scott Sandland's HypnoThoughts Live?

Over the next few days, we will be pointing out those with FAKE doctorates who are scheduled to present at Scott Sandland's HypnoThought's Live. Could THIS be the reason why he shut down any discussion about fake doctorates on his website? Could this be part of that self-serving agenda we wrote about earlier?

To quote Romper Room's Miss Sally and her Magic Mirror...And I see the following people who are SO FANTASTIC AT WHAT THEY DO, THEY HAVE TO LIE ABOUT HAVING A DOCTORATE....there's Roy Hunter, Nancy Barwick, Roger Moore and Anne Spencer (remember Scott Sandland's testimonials?), Robert Otto, Melissa Tiers, Marla Brucker, William Mitchell, Shelley Stockwell, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Interestingly, there are at least three individuals with real, bonafide doctorates presenting here. How must Kweethia Neill, Don Pelles, and Brian David Phillips, who actually did the legitimate doctoral work, feel about their cohorts who LIE about their academic credentials?

Anne Spencer, Royal Oak, MI, FAKE PhD - UPDATED!

Anne Spencer of the Infinity Institute Hypnosis Training School in Royal Oak, MI, is the founder of the allegedly "ethical" hypnosis organization, the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association is yet another degree fraud. Anne claims to have earned a PhD and has numerous, too many to count, references about "Dr. Anne Spencer, PhD" all over the web. Our research shows that she participated master's level coursework in education at Marygrove College, but, very conveniently, there are no references to where she may have earned her PhD or in what field. She was even inducted into the National Guild of Hypnotist's highest order, the Order of Braid. So much for an ethical organization.

We took the following blurb off of Roger Moore's site, who readers will recognize as another PhD Fraud (See http://fakedoctorate.blogspot.com/2012/11/roger-moore-fake-phd.html). These fraudsters love to stick together.

Response to Scott Sandland of HypnoThoughts

Scott Sandland, founder of the massive Ning-based HypnoThoughts blog community, sent us an email today declaring his disdain for our approach in exposing the degree scammers. He wrote:

Dear Scott Sandland,

None of us here at PhD Scammers care that your removed the "fake PhD" thread from your blog. We were exposing these fakes long before the thread and will continue to do so long after it's gone.

You write, "I'm a big fan of accountability and raising standards." That's a BS statement if I ever heard one, considering your own site is rampant with individuals using false credentials and you have done absolutely nothing to counter it. Thus, you are about as guilty as them because you allow it to go on. But your site is self-serving, isn't it? In providing an outlet for new and prospective people interested in hypnosis so that you can sell your product, training, and enhance your own credibility and exposure. Brilliant concept. So why alienate the frauds that contribute to your community? They only bring your more exposure. Unwitting individuals think that Dr. So and So is an expert and, thus, you have a community of experts (with phony doctorates). Too bad for the few that really have honest to goodness doctoral degrees.

Not to mention, that you have made many professional connections with those purporting to have (fake) doctorates, and you are using their name and title to enhance your own credibility, including the testimonial on your biography from Roger Moore, PhD who alleges holding a PhD in Clinical Hypnosis:

And Anne Spencer's testimonial and articles (which would NEVER be published in a scholarly publication), who is elusive about where she earned her PhD and in what field, but consistently refers to herself as Anne Spencer, PhD:

 and

 

Shame on you, Scott Sandland. You are supposed to be a shining star but you truly are just as guilty as them. Thank you, by the way, for the referrals. We'll be looking at Roger Moore and Anne Spencer on our blog shortly.

Recently, you suggested a discussion about it. A meager discussion won't fix the problem. They have been given an opportunity to redeem themselves and not a single one has taken advantage of this. They would rather go on and take their chances with their phony credentials.

These individuals need to be exposed, if anything, for the wise potential client or student that decides to conduct some background research on their prospective fraud.

We will continue to reference HypnoThoughts, if need be, as long as there are individuals claiming to have (phony) doctorates and posting as experts. We believe that will be for a very long time.