Use Of Hypnosis Research Articles

Toward a Neurophysiological Model of Hypnotic Memory Effects

In the early 1980s the use of hypnosis to “refresh” eyewitness memory was increasing with little opposition. While there was some evidence that hypnosis could produce confabulation, the mechanisms underlying this effect were poorly understood. A central hypothesis was that hypnosis simply altered response criterion such that hypnotized individuals were more likely to report as memories information in which they had little confidence. It was in this context that Dywan and Bowers first approached the topic of hypnosis and memory. Paying attention to the importance of experiential data in the experimental context allowed for the development of an alternate perspective, i.e., the “illusion of familiarity.” Meanwhile, factors involved in the fallibility of recollection have received considerable research attention and these data are consistent with the view that the experience of remembering can be altered in ways far more complex than can be captured by a simple report criterion perspective.

Factors Predicting Hypnotic Analgesia in Clinical Burn Pain

The use of hypnosis for treating pain from severe burn injuries has received strong anecdotal support from case reports. Controlled studies provide less dramatic but empirically sound support for the use of hypnosis with this problem. The mechanisms behind hypnotic analgesia for bum pain are poorly understood with this patient population, as they are with pain in general. It is likely that, whatever the mechanisms are behind hypnotic pain analgesia, patients with burn injuries are more receptive to hypnosis than the general population. This article postulates some variables that may account for this enhanced receptivity including motivation, hypnotizability, dissociation, and regression.

The Use of Hypnosis in the Treatment of Psychogenic Oral Pain

Psychogenic pain has been described in many parts of the body such as limbs, digestive system, respiratory organs, and obstetrics. Computer searches have not found a single published case of psychogenic pain of dental origin. Two such cases are described within this paper, which describes pain severe enough to interfere with normal daily activity. The first describes a situation which resulted in 5 operations being performed before an adequate diagnosis was made and treatment started with hypnosis. The second was an inability to work, sleep, and lead a normal existence because of pain which had no organic origin. Hypnosis treatment allowed the patient to have a proper diagnosis before any operative treatment was given and resume normal activity.

Participating in the culture of cancer: a demilitarized approach to treatment

AbstractThis case study describes the use of hypnosis with an anthropologist diagnosed with breast cancer. The therapist utilized the client's sense of identity as a qualitative researcher, as well as her knowledge of and respect for indigenous cultures, to help her actively engage in her chemotherapy treatment and to help her better tolerate the side‐effects of the medication. He also used hypnosis to attempt to improve the functioning of her immune system, employing, at her request, an alternative approach to standard military‐based images. Considering immunity to be a cognitive process, the therapist designed metaphors that focused on improving the immune system's ability to perceive, learn, and achieve balance. Copyright © 1997 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

Multiple identities & false memories: a sociocognitive perspective

Preface - John F. Chaves and Bill Jones About the Author Introduction I. The Use of Hypnosis as a Therapeutic Tool Hypnosis: Mythology Versus Reality High Hypnotizability and Dramatic Behaviors Hypnotic Amnesia, Posthypnotic Response, and Brainwashing II. Creating False Memories Distortions of Memory The Seduction Theory: Old and New Versions Child Sexual Abuse and the Fate of Abuse Memories Hypnosis, Age Regression, and Memory Complex False Memories, Body Memories, and Hypnosis UFO Abduction: An Example of Complex False Memory The Experimental Creation of Multiplicity III. Multiple Identities in Other Cultures and Times Cross-Cultural Studies of Spirit Possession Historical Manifestations of Demonic Possession The Social Functions of Possession From Possession to Dual Consciousness From Dual Consciousness to Multiple Personality The History of Dissociation IV. The Theory of Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder and Social Learning Correlates of Multiple Personality Disorder Child Abuse and Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder, Recovered Memories, and Sociopolitical Considerations V. Conclusion Final Thoughts References Author Index Subject Index

The use of hypnosis in the treatment of post‐traumatic stress disorder in a survivor of multiple childhood trauma

Contemporary HypnosisVolume 14, Issue 2 p. 100-104 Main Paper The use of hypnosis in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in a survivor of multiple childhood trauma Marcia D. Degun-Mather, Corresponding Author Marcia D. Degun-Mather Consultant Clinical Psychologist BHB Community and Mental Health Care Trust, HornchurchBHB Community and Mental Health Care Trust, Harrow Lodge House, Hornchurch, Essex, UKSearch for more papers by this author Marcia D. Degun-Mather, Corresponding Author Marcia D. Degun-Mather Consultant Clinical Psychologist BHB Community and Mental Health Care Trust, HornchurchBHB Community and Mental Health Care Trust, Harrow Lodge House, Hornchurch, Essex, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 16 February 2006 https://doi.org/10.1002/ch.90Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume14, Issue2June 1997Pages 100-104 RelatedInformation

Stuttering modification using hypnosis: an experimental single‐case study

AbstractThis experimental single‐case study examines hypnosis as an anxiety management and ego‐strengthening technique for stuttering modification. The fluency of a 29‐year‐old male with a severe overt stutter was measured in controlled conditions over a baseline period, 12 hypnosis sessions and five follow‐up sessions, using standardized reading material. In hypnosis the subject was taught anxiety management and self‐hypnosis techniques alongside covert rehearsal of coping with stressful situations. Fluency improved immediately during hypnosis and a steady increase in fluency was seen over sessions on the standardized materials when tested both before and after hypnosis. On the basis of post‐hypnotic suggestion and directed practice, these marked improvements in speech production seen in the laboratory were generalized to everyday situations. The subject also reported a considerable improvement in his general physical and mental well‐being. The significance of these results for the use of hypnosis as an adjunct to speech therapy are discussed. Copyright © 1997 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

The Use of Hypnosis to Induce Creative Problem Solving: Potential Applications in Public Sector Management Training

The Use of Hypnosis to Induce Creative Problem Solving: Potential Applications in Public Sector Management Training

Power in the hypnotic relationship: therapeutic or abusive?

The unique relationship between hypnotist and subject has been theorized as one explanation for the effectiveness of hypnosis. This relationship carries a power differential, present in most therapeutic relationships, but accentuated by hypnosis. The power differential is sometimes perceived as the ability of the hypnotist to control the subject. Perceptions of hypnosis offered by stage hypnotists, the popular media, and some clinicians perpetuate the notion that the hypnotist has the ability to exert undue influence upon the client. The present article examines the relationship between hypnotist and subject focusing on issues of power and control. The authors examine the unique dynamics accompanying the use of hypnosis and their impact on the therapeutic dyad. Evidence is offered demonstrating the power differential, and how this differential can serve as either a positive or negative agent of change. Therapists should be aware of the dynamics created by using hypnosis. Implications for training therapists in the use of hypnosis are suggested.

Illusory safeguards: Legitimizing distortion in recall with guidelines for forensic hypnosis-two case reports

Two amnesic automobile accident victims remembered the information needed for their ongoing lawsuits during hypnosis. Meeting the recording requimments of the Hurd safeguards led to the admission of hypnotically influenced testimony in court in one case, whereas failure to record led to exclusion in the other. In both cases, closed-head trauma almost certainly prevented long-term memory consolidation. Thus adherence to guidelines for forensic hypnosis legitimized distortions in recall instead of preventing them. Hypnosis used to facilitate hypermnesia alters expectations about what can be remembered, makes memory more vulnerable to postevent information, and increases confidence without a corresponding increase in accuracy. Distortion of recall is an inherent problem with the use of hypnosis and hypnotic-like procedures and cannot be adequately pre vented by any set of guidelines.

Hypnosis for children and adolescents with cancer: an annotated bibliography, 1985-1995.

This annotated bibliography reviews the professional literature published in English, from 1985 to 1995 inclusive, on the subject of the use of hypnosis with pediatric cancer patients. Books, chapters, and journal articles are included; dissertation, theses, and unpublished material are not. This bibliography contains 37 items organized into three categories: (1) General Discussions; (2) Case Reports or Case Studies: and (3) Experimental and Nonexperimental Group Designs. The brief annotations provided are not intended to be reviews or to be evaluative, but, rather, to inform the reader about the content and focus of the publication. This is an update of a previously published annotated bibliography, also presented in this Journal, which explored the relationship between hypnosis and pediatric cancer in journal articles published from 1960 to 1985.

Hypnotic enhancement of a cognitive behavioral treatment for public speaking anxiety

The effectiveness of a multidimensional cognitive behavioral treatment for public speaking anxiety was compared with that of the same treatment supplemented by hypnosis. The hypnotic treatment included all components of the cognitive behavioral treatment. It differed from the nonhypnotic treatment only in that relaxation training was presented as a hypnotic induction, automatic thoughts were referred to as self-suggestions, and explicit hypnotic suggestions for improvement were added. Participants in both treatment conditions improved more than those in a wait-list control group. Moreover, labeling the treatment “hypnotic” appeared to enhance treatment effectiveness. The hypnotic treatment generated expectancies for greater change among participants than did the nonhypnotic treatment, and these expectancies were correlated with treatment outcome. Implications for the use of hypnosis in treatment are discussed.

Hypnosis for children and adolescents with cancer: An annotated bibliography, 1985–1995

This annotated bibliography reviews the professional literature published in English, from 1985 to 1995 inclusive, on the subject of the use of hypnosis with pediatric cancer patients. Books, chapters, and journal articles are included; dissertations, theses, and unpublished material are not. This bibliography contains 37 items organized into three categories: (1) General Discussions; (2) Case Reports or Case Studies; and (3) Experimental and Nonexperimental Group Designs. The brief annotations provided are not intended to be reviews or to be evaluative, but, rather, to inform the reader about the content and focus of the publication. This is an update of a previously published annotated bibliography, also presented in this Journal, which explored the relationship between hypnosis and pediatric cancer in journal articles published from 1960 to 1985.

A Symptom-Focused Hypnotic Approach to Accessing and Processing Previously Repressed/Dissociated Memories

ABSTRACT Although the use of hypnosis in the treatment of sexual abuse survivors is controversial, many clinicians have found it to be a valuable tool, especially for accessing and processing previously repressed/dissociated memories. The kinesthetic track back technique asks for the origins of current symptoms and may access previously repressed/dissociated material, if such material exists in the client's unconscious mind, is relevant to the symptoms, and is information the client is ready to process consciously. Case examples are given to illustrate proper use of this technique and precautions are outlined that minimize the risks of destabilization and memory distortion. In clinical practice, this technique has been a reliable and effective tool.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

ABSTRACT Outcome resulting from the integration of hypnosis with management for reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is reported in forty-one patients considered to be refractory to treatment. Eighty-five percent demonstrated a high hypnotic capacity. Fifteen percent had a low hypnotic capacity. None demonstrated average hypnotic capacity. Patients with high hypnotic capacity were able to alter labile features and other physical manifestations of the disease. With continued use of hypnosis as part of an integrated treatment program, 60% of the sample gained long-term remission. Remission is defined here as absence of pain, or presence of mild intermittent pain that patients were able to relieve using self-hypnosis. Patients in remission were able to return to work. Results show patients grouped at either end of the scale ofhypno-tizability. Since people at these two extremes characteristically suffer from widely differing psychological problems, this outcome report supports the absence of psychological prec...

The use of hypnosis with an injecting heroin user: brief clinical description of a single case

AbstractThis paper describes the use of hypnosis with an injecting heroin user. This client was finding it very difficult to keep to his methadone prescription and was frequently using heroin ‘on top’. He received three sessions of hypnosis in order to facilitate relaxation and visualization, and resolution of ambivalence concerning his drug use. The results suggest the client has responded well to treatment. Details both of the client and of the three hypnosis sessions are given and the outcome is discussed. Copyright © 1996 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

Clinical training in self-regulation and practical pediatric hypnosis: what pediatricians want pediatricians to know.

A survey was taken of graduates of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics' (SDBP) Pediatric Hypnosis Course to describe the impact of the course on participants' practical knowledge of self-regulation and hypnosis, the acquisition through direct experience of a realistic understanding of hypnosis, their estimation of the value of the course to their practice of pediatrics, their use of techniques learned, what they would communicate to peers in pediatrics about training in this area, and their beliefs concerning barriers to professional interest in learning hypnotic techniques for primary care. Forty-eight percent (126) of course graduates responded to the survey. Sixty-five percent of these were physicians; almost all were pediatricians. The overwhelming positive response of these pediatricians to the value of the course (4.4 on a scale of 5), the utility of hypnosis, its ease of use, and its practicality for primary care were conveyed richly in survey comments. Sixty-three percent reported that their practice satisfaction increased as a result of this training, and 64% recommended a course like this to all general pediatricians. Course graduates were concerned that the widespread mythology and strong feelings surrounding the term "hypnosis" eclipsed its empirical validation and its practical uses and was a significant barrier to interest in learning hypnotic techniques; 75% thought that the term should be de-emphasized in continuing medical education communications.

Hypnosis in a primary care practice: developing skills for the "new morbidities".

Training in hypnotherapy provides the primary care practitioner with skills needed to address increasingly common, significant sources of childhood morbidity: stressful life events, psychophysiological symptoms, chronic disease, and behavioral problems. Although there are many reports on the utility of hypnosis in these areas, there are few on its use within primary care. This paper describes the integration of hypnotherapeutic methods into the continuum of pediatric encounters in a solo general pediatric practice. Specific techniques for approaching and examining young patients and their problems are illustrated. Preliminary data are presented from a prospective chart review of those children and adolescents within the practice who use hypnosis. Guidelines for the application of hypnosis in pediatric primary care are summarized. Emphasis is placed on the necessity and opportunity for research on the efficacy of these methods in the primary care setting.

Hypnotizability and traumatic experience: a diathesis-stress model of dissociative symptomatology.

The authors propose a diathesis-stress model to describe how pathological dissociation may arise from an interaction between innate hypnotizability and traumatic experience. To support the proposition that pathological dissociation may reflect autohypnotic process, the authors highlight clinical and research data indicating parallels between controlled hypnotic dissociative states and uncontrolled pathological dissociative symptoms and summarize evidence of hypnotizability in persons with psychiatric disorders that manifest these symptoms. The authors present this evidence by examining dissociative symptomatology in four psychological domains: perception, behavior and will, affect, and memory and identity. In addition, modern cognitive and neuropsychological models of dissociation are briefly reviewed. Several lines of evidence converge in support of the role of autohypnosis in pathological dissociation. There is considerable evidence that controlled formal hypnosis can produce a variety of dissociations of awareness and control that resemble many of the symptoms in uncontrolled pathological dissociative conditions; and it is possible to discern in dissociative pathology the features of absorption, dissociation, and suggestibility/automaticity that characterize formal hypnotic states. There is also accumulating evidence of high levels of hypnotic capacity in all groups with dissociative symptomatology that have been systematically assessed. In addition, the widespread and successful therapeutic use of hypnosis in the treatment of many dissociative symptoms and conditions (and the potential for hypnosis to induce dissociative symptomatology) also supports the assumption that hypnosis and pathological dissociation share an underlying process. High hypnotizability may be a diathesis for pathological dissociative states, particularly under conditions of acute traumatic stress.

Hypnotizability and traumatic experience: a diathesis-stress model of dissociative symptomatology

OBJECTIVE: The authors propose a diathesis-stress model to describe how pathological dissociation may arise from an interaction between innate hypnotizability and traumatic experience. METHOD: To support the proposition that pathological dissociation may reflect autohypnotic process, the authors highlight clinical and research data indicating parallels between controlled hypnotic dissociative states and uncontrolled pathological dissociative symptoms and summarize evidence of hypnotizability in persons with psychiatric disorders that manifest these symptoms. The authors present this evidence by examining dissociative symptomatology in four psychological domains: perception, behavior and will, affect, and memory and identity. In addition, modern cognitive and neuropsychological models of dissociation are briefly reviewed. RESULTS: Several lines of evidence converge in support of the role of autohypnosis in pathological dissociation. There is considerable evidence that controlled formal hypnosis can produce a variety of dissociations of awareness and control that resemble many of the symptoms in uncontrolled pathological dissociative conditions; and it is possible to discern in dissociative pathology the features of absorption, dissociation, and suggestibility/automaticity that characterize formal hypnotic states. There is also accumulating evidence of high levels of hypnotic capacity in all groups with dissociative symptomatology that have been systematically assessed. In addition, the widespread and successful therapeutic use of hypnosis in the treatment of many dissociative symptoms and conditions (and the potential for hypnosis to induce dissociative symptomatology) also supports the assumption that hypnosis and pathological dissociation share an underlying process. CONCLUSIONS: High hypnotizability may be a diathesis for pathological dissociative states, particularly under conditions of acute traumatic stress.