Clinical Hypnosis in Health Care and Treatment.

Abstract

This issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (IJCEH) further expands our understanding of hypnosis and use in health care. Results from a randomized clinical trial on the efficacy of a hypnosis intervention to reduce pain and improve quality of life in patients undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer provides encouraging support for the integration of hypnosis in health care. Additionally, research on the feasibility of a brief hypnosis intervention delivered via audio recording for stress reduction and effect on hypertension is presented. However, more needs to be done to educate health care providers, including nurses, on the benefits of clinical hypnosis in patient care. Hypnotizability and scales that may be associated with response to hypnosis interventions are also an important area of research. Additional articles examine the Thought Impact Scale; dispositional self-consciousness; and hypnotizability. Taken together these articles provide important findings on clinical hypnosis research.