International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis最新文献

This scoping review examines the role of hypnotizability in human adaptation to life in space and successful reconditioning upon return to Earth. Hypnotizability displays a few physiological correlates that can be used to counteract microgravity-induced alterations in sensorimotor functions, interoception, immunity, and the experience of pain. The most important of these is the efficacy of mental imagery, which is better in individuals with high hypnotizability but can also be improved by mental training in individuals with low/medium hypnotizability. Mental imagery can compensate for reduced sensory information and improve impaired motor control in microgravity. Moreover, high hypnotizables' ability to respond to suggestions can be used to reduce increased sympathetic activity and pain, which has beneficial immunological and psychological effects. The reported findings highlight the relevance of hypnotic assessment to the development of personalized training to counteract psychophysiological changes occurring in astronauts during and after spaceflights.

At the time Milton Erickson began his clinical practice, the field of psychotherapy was in its infancy and was heavily influenced by psychoanalytic theory and methods, generally a past-oriented approach. Hypnosis was not commonly used, and, when it was, it tended to be rigidly formulaic in method and based on the belief that the success of hypnosis was determined more by an individual's hypnotizability and less by the methods of the clinician or quality of the therapeutic relationship. Erickson diverged sharply from those methods and perspectives in evolving his strategic approaches. While there are many contributions Erickson made to our understanding of the potentials of clinical hypnosis in treatment, this article describes four contributions the author considers to be key to Erickson's singlehandedly transforming the fields of clinical hypnosis and strategic psychotherapy. These include: 1) Shifting from an intrapersonal to interpersonal view of hypnosis and psychotherapy; 2) emphasizing the importance of utilization of client attributes; 3) characterizing people's problems as evidence of rigidity rather than pathology; and 4) focusing on future possibilities rather than analyzing the past.

As Milton Hyland Erickson told us, "Each person is a unique individual. Hence, psychotherapy should be formulated to meet the uniqueness of the individual's needs, rather than tailoring the person to fit the Procrustean bed of a hypothetical theory of human behavior." Erickson's mastery and creative genius have invited clinicians to imitate and emulate his style of working and identify themselves as "Ericksonian." But what does it mean to be Ericksonian? Utilizing the microdynamics of trance induction, and the six "core competencies" Ericksonian therapy as the foundation, this paper notes how the confluence of embodiment, influence, vivification, unconscious thought, spread activation, gestures, and "being hypnotic" rather than "doing hypnosis," form what is here being defined as, Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy. Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy (HIP) is offered as an alternative to the poorly defined, yet frequently employed, term, "hypnotherapy." In its most rudimentary form, the hypnotically informed clinician is attuned to the impact of the palette of communication - verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal - and harnesses it with strategic intent. Understanding and appreciating the ways in which we respond without being aware of what it is that invites our responsiveness (i.e. influence) is at the core of hypnotically informed psychotherapy. Inherent in this approach is a recognition of both conscious and unconscious "thinking." How the clinician utilizes the domains of self, other, and circumstances, to facilitate what has been characterize as a movement from the "rational system" to the "experiential system," is central to HIP. Being hypnotically informed is independent of one's theoretical orientation. When one begins to engage in the therapeutic encounter from a posture of utilization and with an eye towards the microdynamics of the moment, one is engaged in or poised for Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy.

Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition that often responds well to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), though many patients fail to achieve full remission. Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (EH) has been proposed as a promising alternative. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of CBT and EH against a waitlist control in 99 adults with OCD. Participants received 12 weekly online therapy sessions. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment using the Padua Inventory-Revised, Yale - Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale - Self-Report (Y-BOCS-SR), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Both CBT and EH led to large, statistically and clinically significant reductions in OCD symptoms compared to waitlist. CBT was more effective for compulsive behaviors such as washing, while EH produced greater reductions in obsessive rumination and general anxiety. No serious adverse events occurred. These findings suggest that EH is a viable and comparably effective treatment to CBT, with distinct therapeutic benefits. EH may offer a particularly useful option for patients with obsession-dominant symptom profiles or comorbid anxiety.

This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Brief Remote Elkins Alldredge Test of Hypnotizability (BREATH). The BREATH is a brief adaptation of the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) based on prior confirmatory factor analysis of the EHS. One hundred college students at Baylor University's department of psychology and neuroscience were recruited for this study. Hypnotizability levels were normally distributed across participants for both scales. The BREATH had a significant correlation with the EHS-CF (rs = .505, p < .001), and good internal consistency. Therefore, there is empirical evidence that supports the reliability and validity of the BREATH, affirming its utility for digital assessment.

Ericksonian therapy, distinguished by its adaptive and individualized methods, is simultaneously celebrated for its innovation and critiqued for its lack of theoretical structure. To address this issue, we explore the essence of Ericksonian therapy, emphasizing the need for a structured yet adaptable operational framework to support its application in clinical, educational, and research contexts. Recognizing the challenges posed by the fluid and client-centered nature of Ericksonian methods, we review a framework grounded in six core competencies that are distinct within Ericksonian therapy. The identified competencies: tailoring, utilization, strategic interventions, destabilization, experiential methods, and naturalistic change; aim to balance the therapy's inherent adaptability with the necessity for teachability and empirical validation. Drawing on empirical evidence and theoretical insights, the article underscores the importance of operationalizing Ericksonian therapy to bridge the gap between its dynamic artistry and the structured demands of modern scientific inquiry. By advancing a manualized resource grounded in six core competencies, this article seeks to reconcile Ericksonian therapy's complexity with the demands of research, training, and diverse clinical applications.

The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) provides a brief, pleasant, and safe assessment of the full hypnotizability spectrum, with proven reliability and validity for clinical and experimental use. This paper presents the Standardized Hypnotizability Assessment and Rapport Education (SHARE), a training program developed to teach research assistants-typically psychology or medical students-the administration of standardized hypnotizability scales. The training includes five steps: (1) gaining personal experience with the scales, (2) observing expert administration, (3) studying the scales and learning about hypnosis, (4) attending a seminar on theoretical background, standardized rapport, and safety considerations, and (5) conducting 6 practice sessions with each scale. The article provides a comprehensive guide for managing the training to help its implementation in any research lab. We also discuss the training's safety and benefits for trainees. Findings from focus groups of research assistants working at the Mind-Body Medicine Laboratory (Baylor University) and the Behavioral Medicine and Research Credibility Laboratory (Eötvös Loránd University) are also presented, giving further perspective on each step of the training.

In the 1970s, researchers and theoreticians of states of consciousness jointly discussed hypnosis and psychedelic alterations of consciousness, but recent research has mostly kept these topics apart. This paper discusses the similarities and differences of hypnosis and psychedelic alterations of consciousness, stressing that states of consciousness should not be defined by their preceding contexts. Predictors of positive responses to psychedelics (e.g. absorption and openness to experience) also predict hypnotic responsiveness. Most experiential changes (e.g. changes in bodily sensations and image, increased simple and complex imagery, and transcendent phenomena) produced by psychedelics are also reported within minimal suggestion hypnosis by highly responsive participants. Yet, there are differences in single sessions in that, as compared with hypnosis, psychedelic experiences typically last longer, are less controllable but more intense, and might produce more negative outcomes but also have a greater potential for positive long-term effects. Hypnosis, psychedelic research, and clinical work can enrich each other and should be more integrated than has been the case recently.

The potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic, mystical experiences, and peak spiritual experiences are of increasing interest among clinicians, researchers, and the public. Several studies have proposed potential parallels between the altered states of consciousness associated with psychedelics and hypnosis. Although there has been increased interest in psychedelics, mystical experiences, hypnosis, and non-ordinary states of consciousness, much remains unknown. The present special issue addresses many of these questions, such as: What are the similarities and differences in hypnotic and psychedelic contexts? What is the clinical utility of mystical experiences that may be facilitated without drugs? Do suggestion effects play a role in psychedelics? Can mystical experiences be induced through hypnosis and meditation? What is the potential of psychedelic and hypnosis to enhance creativity and spiritual inspiration/growth? The reader will find thought provoking answers to these questions and deepen knowledge of the intersections among psychedelics, mystical experiences and hypnosis.

The resurgence of interest in psychedelics has led to their widespread, and often uncritical, promotion within both popular media and scientific communities. This heightened enthusiasm complicates assessments of the neurocognitive effects of psychedelics as well as their efficacy as adjuncts to psychotherapy. A key challenge for this nascent field involves understanding how suggestion effects can both act as a significant confound in research on psychedelics but also improve outcomes in therapeutic interventions. By critically examining how suggestion effects operate within psychedelic experiences, we aim to draw greater attention to their role as a source of bias but also as a tool that can be leveraged to maximize therapeutic benefits. We argue for more careful consideration of, and rigorous experimentation into, the role of suggestion effects in response to psychedelics.