IS it useful to induce a hypnotic trance? a hypnotherapist's view on recent neuroimaging results

Abstract

The effectiveness of hypnosis and hypnotherapy has been proved in several fields of psychotherapy. An attempt will be made to explain this effectiveness. Three theses will be discussed and illustrated with relevant data from neurosciences: (1) hypnotic trance is essential to experiencing an ‘alternative reality’; (2) involuntariness is important to induce the feeling that one is hypnotized; (3) hypnotic phenomena are similar to psychopathological symptoms, the difference between the two, however, is crucial. New data from PET- und fMRI-research on brain activity during hypnosis support this. The consequences for the application of hypnosis in psychotherapeutic practice are discussed. The role of hypnosis is emphasized. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.