ARTICLE 1. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The membership in the International Society of Hypnosis (the International Society) shall consist of Members, Affiliate Members, and Honorary Members. The Membership year shall be the calendar year, January to December.

Section 2. All applicants desiring to become Members shall be approved by a Credentials Committee appointed by the Board of Directors, subject to the following provisions:
(a) Any applicant from a Constituent Society (as defined in Article III of these By-Laws) shall automatically be eligible and shall be approved to become a Member in the International Society upon presenting a statement from an officer of the Constituent Society that he is a member in good standing, and upon the payment of dues.
(b) Individual applications will be accepted from nations in which one or more Constituent Societies exist only if the applicant is excluded from membership in a Constituent Society solely because of the profession to which he belongs. In such a case his application will be judged according to the standards of the International Society relative to his profession. Otherwise his application will be referred back to a Constituent Society to which he may be eligible. An individual applicant, if approved, will be admitted as a member upon the payment of dues.
(c) A member of a National Constituent Society of a country other than the one in which the member is licensed/registered/resides can join ISH only if eligible for membership of their own national Constituent Society, unless they are excluded from this by virtue of their specific profession.
(d) Individual applications will be received and reviewed from any individual in a nation without a Constituent Society, provided the appropriate application forms are completed. In such a case the application will be judged according to the standards of the International Society relative to the applicant's profession. An individual applicant, if approved, will be admitted to membership upon the payment of dues, unless admitted as an Affiliate Member (See Section 3).

Section 3. The class of Affiliate Member is reserved for those who meet the standards of acceptability and have a serious interest in becoming colleagues but are unable to meet the dues requirement because of national restrictions upon currency exchange. When approved by the Credentials Committee they will be accepted as Affiliate Members, without dues.

Section 4. Honorary Members shall be elected, upon special invitation and without application, by the Board of Directors, and shall be limited to distinguished scientific contributors to hypnosis. They shall have all the privileges of membership, but shall be free of the obligation to pay membership dues.

Section 5. Members, Affiliate Members, and Honorary Members may all vote in the election of officers and on all matters put to a vote of the Members, but the right to hold office or to be a director is restricted to Members.

Section 6. In the event of unethical or unprofessional behaviour of a member (in any membership status), formal
complaint shall be made in writing to the Chairman of the Committee on Ethical Practices. If that Committee deems necessary it may recommend that the Board of Directors take official discretionary action, which may be in the form of warning, suspension, or expulsion from the International Society. Appeal of such a decision may be made, and the appellant may request a hearing by a special committee appointed by the Board of Directors for that purpose.

Section 7. Except where the context indicates a reference to a member of the Council of Representatives as such, any reference to Member or Members (Capitalised) in these By-Laws shall be reference to a full member of the International Society under Section 1 of this Article 1 and not to an Affiliate Member or an Honorary Member, and any reference to member or members (non-Capitalised) in these By-Laws shall be reference to any member of the International Society whether a Member, Affiliate Member, or Honorary Member.
Section 8. The Membership year shall be from 1st January to 31st December the following year.

ARTICLE II. DUES
Section 1. The annual dues will be set by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. For those who do not subscribe to the official journal of the International Society, notices of dues will be sent in sufficient time, and if the dues have not been paid by the member within six (6) months of the date on which they are due, such member will be declared in arrears and his name dropped from the membership rolls. His membership can be reinstated by paying in full the dues for the year or years delinquent, and the dues for the current year in which the membership is reinstated.

Section 3. For those who subscribe to the official journal of the International Society, the renewal of subscription to the Journal will be included in the notice of Society dues. If dues have not been paid by the membership within a 6-month time of the date on which they are due, he will be declared in arrears and his name dropped from the membership rolls. In addition, his journal subscription will lapse. Both his membership and subscription are subject to reinstatement, as in Section 2.

Section 4. For those countries in which there are restrictions upon currency exchange and travel, the special class of membership called Affiliate Membership has been established (see Article 1. Section 3). The Affiliate Member is free of any obligation to pay dues.

Section 5. Constituent Societies will pay dues annually in the amounts set by the Board of Directors. If dues have not been paid by the Constituent Society within a six (6) month time of the date on which they are due, they will be declared in arrears and its name dropped from the membership rolls, and its representatives to the Council of Representatives will be ineligible to vote on Council business. An individual Member will, of course, remain a member of the International Society if his own dues have been paid. Constituent Society membership can be reinstated by paying in full the dues for the year or years delinquent and the dues for the current year in which membership is reinstated. At such time of reinstatement, the Constituent Society's Representatives to the Council of Representatives will be eligible again to vote on Council business.

ARTICLE III. CONSTITUENT SOCIETIES
Section 1. A Society may become a Constituent Society of the International Society upon application to the Board of Directors. Such an application shall include a copy of the Society's constitution and by-laws, code of ethics (if any), and a current membership list and an indication of the qualifications for membership.

Section 2. If upon the review of a Society's application, and upon recommendation of the Council, the Board of Directors decides to admit the Society as a Constituent Society, its officers shall be so notified, and thereafter the individual members of the Constituent Society shall become eligible for membership in the International Society upon application and payment of dues, without further review of the individual's applications.

Section 3. A Constituent Society shall elect members to serve on the Council of Representatives, as indicated in Article VI, Section 1, with the proviso, however, that these Representatives shall be chosen from among the Society members who are members of the International Society.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
To be nominated for office, a candidate must have been a member in good standing in the International Society for at least three (3) years prior to nomination.

Section 1. The election of officers shall be held every three years, the election usually to be completed prior to the International Congress so that the newly elected officers who are to take office can be announced and recognized at the International Congress. (Article V. Section 2).

Section 2. A President-Elect shall be elected every three years for a term of three years, except that the President-Elect shall serve another term of three years as President, and another term of three years as immediate Past-President. The President-Elect shall not serve more than one term as President-Elect.

Section 3. A Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected for a three year term, and may be subject to re-election. (See Article V. Section 4).

Section 4. The Board of Directors will become the Committee for Nominations and Elections and the immediate Past-President of the Society will be the Chairman of this Committee. This Committee will solicit by mail from the Council of Representatives, nominations for the positions of President-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer.
The notarized summary of these nominations is to be made available to each member of the Committee (Board of Directors) who will add any new nominations of their own and rank (preferential order of choice) all the nominations.
These ranked nominations are to be forwarded unopened to an independent auditor appointed by the Secretary-Treasurer. The auditor will open them in the presence of the Secretary-Treasurer and the Secretary-Treasurer will be responsible for recording the voting. The notarized summary will be sent to each member of the Committee.
When the weighted rankings have been made available, the Committee shall obtain from those candidates receiving the two highest ratings for each office their agreement to stand for the office, or, in case of a tie for the second place, both of these candidates will be asked to agree to stand for that office. If any candidate is unwilling to stand for office, the one next in rank shall be asked to agree to stand for that office. The process will be repeated as necessary until there are two candidates (or three in case of ties) for each office, prior to the preparation of the ballots.
A ballot shall then be prepared and mailed to all members of the Society; this Ballot is to include detailed biographical information on the candidates. Space is to be allowed on the ballot for members to write in other names if they wish.
To be valid, votes of the membership must be returned to the independent auditor appointed by the Secretary-Treasurer, by the date specified on the ballot, which shall be not less than 60 days of the date of mailing by air mail. The independent auditor will open and tabulate the votes in the presence of the Secretary-Treasurer or his/her nominee who shall be a member of the Board of Directors.

Section 5. If an individual's name is written in by members, on more than 10 percent of the ballots returned, a second ballot shall be prepared, after the write-in candidates have been reviewed by the Committee and providing they meet the membership requirements for nomination and have agreed to their nomination.

Section 6. The candidates who receive the largest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote, the Chairman of the Committee on Nominations and Elections shall decide by lot between the two candidates. This shall be done in the presence of witnesses.

Section 7. The new officers shall be notified of their elections by mail, and shall take office at the time of the International Congress after completion of the business of the existing Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.

ARTICLE V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers plus a number of Members from the Council of Representatives. The number of Members from the Council of Representatives to serve on the Board shall be designated by the Board of Directors, but at no time shall it be fewer than six (6). The Board of Directors shall instruct the Secretary of the Council of Representatives in sufficient time, and not less than a minimum of 60 days* as to the number of its membes to be elected to serve on the Board of Directors. *before the International Congress

Section 2. The members of the Council of Representatives to serve on the Board of Directors shall be elected by the Council of Representatives at the time of an International Congress, and shall serve for three (3) years. They shall take over office after completion of the business of the existing Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.

Section 3. The Board of Directors shall review the financial situation of the International Society at least once a year. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare a budget based on the previous year's audited financial statement. This budget, together with the audited financial statement, shall be presented to the Board of Directors for approval and subsequently to the Council of Representatives for information within 60-90 days of the termination of the fiscal period (but in time for the Congress every third year). The Council of Representatives will in turn, circulate these to the executive of their own Constituent Societies.

Section 4. The Board of Directors shall specify the location of a Central office, where the records of the International Society are kept, and through which the interim business of the International Society is conducted, and may designate at its discretion, an Administrative Officer whether or not a member of the Society, to work in co-operation with the Secretary-Treasurer. The duties of the Administrative Officer, in consultation with the Secretary-Treasurer, shall include being available to assist the local committee in arranging for the International Society Congress.

ARTICLE VI. COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES
Section 1. Each Constituent Society, in an election year of the International Society, usually the year of the International Congress, shall send to the Secretary-Treasurer not later than June 1, the names of two members of that Constituent Society, who are also members of the International Society, to serve as representatives of the Constituent Society on the Council of Representatives. The appointments shall be for a three (3) year term, commencing at the time of the next International Congress, after completion of the business of the existing Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.
Those Council members elected to the Board of Directors shall concurrently serve their terms on the Council of Representatives while serving on the Board of Directors (Article V. Section 2). A Council Representative may succeed himself in the office. An alternative may be delegated to represent the Constituent Society at any International Congress, in the event that a regular Council Representative finds it impossible to attend.

Section 2. The President and Secretary-Treasurer of the International Society shall be considered ex officio members of the Council of Representatives, to receive its communications and to attend its meetings, but without vote.

Section 3. Service on the Council or as a Council member on the Board does not preclude candidacy for elected office.

Section 4. The Council may conduct its business by mail. Replies from 12 members shall constitute a quorum for purposes of taking action, provided the notification has been by air mail 45 days prior to the date of counting the ballots.

Section 5. A regular meeting of the Council shall be called at the time of each International Congress of the International Society.

Section 6. The Chairman of the Council or his delegate shall be the presiding officer of all meetings of the Council.

ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Board of Directors is responsible for appointing all regular and special committees, except in special instances the responsibility may be delegated to the President by vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. The following regular committees shall be appointed:
(a) Committee on Nominations and Elections.
The Board of Directors shall be the Committee for Nominations and Elections and the immediate Past-President of the Society shall be the Chairman of this Committee. This Committee shall provide nominees and conduct elections in accordance with Article IV.

Section 3.
(b) Committee on Ethical Practices.
This Committee, consisting of not less than three members, shall receive ethical complaints against members, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors, according to Article 1. Section 6.
(c) Committee on Publications.
This Committee, consisting of not less than three members, shall supervise the publications policies of the International Society and make recommendations to the Board of Directors, in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII.

Section 4. Membership on Committees shall be for a term of three (3) years in parallel with the term of the Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.

ARTICLE VIII. PUBLICATIONS
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall appoint a Committee on Publications to recommend to the Board of Directors publication policies for the International Society. Such publications may include Directories of Members, Proceedings of the International Congress, Journals, Newsletters, Symposia, or other publications coherent with the objectives of the International Society.

Section 2. The Committee on Publications, with the approval of the Board of Directors, may from time to time designate an independent journal as the offical scientific publication of the International Society, and the Board of Directors may enter into contractual arrangements with that journal.

ARTICLE IX. INTERNATIONAL CONGRESSES
Section 1. An International Congress of Hypnosis shall be held every three years, with the place of the next Congress announced, if possible, at the time of the prior Congress.
A Congress Committee shall be established which shall include the President of the International Society, a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society (not a member of the Host Society), as well as one of the members of the Council of Representatives of the Hosting Constituent Society.

Section 2. The Congress shall provide opportunities for invited addresses and volunteered papers on issues of mutual interest, covering research on hypnosis and closely related phenomena, and clinical and other applications of hypnotic procedures and knowledge.

Section 3. The Congress shall provide opportunities to deal with the affairs of the International Society. (a) A regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall take place, with an agenda prepared by the President and the Secretary-Treasurer of the International Society. (b) A regular meeting of the Council of Representatives shall take place with an agenda prepared by its Chairman and Secretary. The President of the International Society and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be present ex officio to report on the affairs of the International Society and to reply to inquiries. (c) A plenary session of all members in attendance at the Congress shall be called to hear reports and to discuss such matters as may be pertinent.

ARTICLE X. FISCAL YEAR
Section 1. The fiscal year of the International Society shall begin on the first day of July of each year and end on the last day of June of the following year.

ARTICLE XI. SEAL
The Board shall provide a corporate seal which shall be in the form of the name of the International Society and the words and figures "Corporate Seal 1985, Delaware".

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors, the Council of Representatives, or by petition signed by any one hundred (100) members of the International Society.

Section 2. Amendments to the Constitution require ratification by the membership (see Constitution, Article X. Section 1), but amendments to the By-Laws may be made by a two-thirds affirmative vote by those voting among the members of the Council of Representatives.

Section 3. Proposed amendments to the By-Laws shall be communicated to the members of the Council of Representatives at least 90 days prior to the closing of the vote and the counting of the ballots.

NOTE: Words imparting the masculine gender or the singular number also mean the feminine or neutral gender and the plural number, as the case may be and vice versa