International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis最新文献

An online survey of 103 clinicians using hypnosis was conducted to gain a broad real-world view of current practices, experiences, and perspectives on clinical hypnosis in Brazil. This research replicated a form focused on identifying clinical hypnosis practices across 31 countries, contributing to a global perspective on this intervention modality. The present study employed descriptive statistics in its data analysis. According to respondents, among the 36 most common uses of hypnosis, improving well-being, enhancing self-esteem, reducing stress, and controlling specific phobias and anxiety were reported as the most clinically effective applications. In Brazil, 90.3% of hypnotherapists do not consider hypnotizability relevant to the success of hypnotherapy. Concerns were raised about the technical-professional training of Brazilian hypnotherapists. This is the first investigation into hypnosis practices in Brazil. Although hypnosis has been regulated for over two decades by professional health councils, such as the Federal Council of Medicine and the Federal Council of Psychology, efforts to promote evidence-based practices must be made to address the identified gaps.

Ankle sprains are one of the more common musculoskeletal injuries in active populations and can develop into chronic ankle instability (CAI), a condition with uncertain etiology and symptoms that include poor dynamic balance, the ability to maintain balance during movement. The components of CAI are psychophysiological and biomechanical, indicating mind-body connections that can influence the development and persistence of this condition. Preliminary evidence suggests that self-hypnosis, a mind-body therapy, can restore physical performance in conditions like CAI. Twenty-four participants with CAI participated in this experimental pilot study, with a crossover design, to investigate the relationship between self-reported measures of ankle instability and other psychological factors with performance-based measures of dynamic balance and heart rate variability (HRV). Participants also received an 8-minute, self-hypnosis session to determine its influence on balance performance. Perceived ankle instability and dynamic balance were not associated with enhancement-based (interoceptive awareness, self-efficacy) or limit-based (kinesiophobia, anxiety) psychological factors. Perceived anxiety was not associated with HRV. Hypnosis was modestly effective in improving direction-specific (lateral) dynamic balance.

The main objective of this systematic review is to comprehensively describe and evaluate the evidence on hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Included studies were comprised of adults, had measurable objective/subjective data reflecting smoking cessation, hypnosis or hypnotherapy studied alone or as part of a multicomponent intervention, and at least ten participants. A total of 745 nonduplicate publications were screened, and 63 papers were included for analysis. Based on 33 of these studies, 66.7% reported a positive impact of the hypnosis intervention for smoking cessation. Positive impact studies had longer average treatment duration, greater number of hypnotherapy sessions, and utilized both self-report and objective measures of smoking cessation outcome (40.9% of positive studies using both vs 20% of no impact studies). The efficacy of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation is positive; however, more studies using biologically confirmed abstinence and reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked are needed. Hypnotherapy is a useful approach for smoking cessation that warrants additional inquiry. Future studies are needed that assess treatment fidelity and hypnotizability, provide information on race/ethnicity, and report on side effects and adverse events.

For over a decade, the growing use of smartphone apps provided a way to make hypnotherapy more widely accessible. However, available apps vary widely in the quality of hypnosis provided to users. This study systematically reviewed apps delivering some form of hypnotherapy intervention and summarized their characteristics. Using hypnosis-related search terms, a list of apps was generated, yielding 679 unique hypnosis apps across both Android and iOS stores, and 168 apps met inclusion criteria for this review. The most common app targets were sleep (k = 94, 56.0%), relaxation/meditation (k = 92, 54.8%), and stress (k = 62, 36.9%). Only 34 (20.2%) of the apps indicated that the developer or person providing hypnosis was trained in hypnosis. Thirteen (7.7%) apps included some claim of evidence-based treatment. Only four apps reported inclusion in a clinical efficacy trial. Relationships between key app characteristics were explored using chi-square analysis. Though hypnotherapy apps have much potential in health care, apps based upon evidence-based protocols and empirical research are limited at this time.

The objective of this study was to determine the model fit of a standardized hypnotizability measure in a targeted clinical sample. The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C) was administered to 168 post-menopausal women aged 39 to 75 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, and comparative fit index (CFI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were used to determine goodness of fit. Results indicated that the single-factor structure modeled with twelve indicators based on the individual items on the SHSS:C provided the best description of fit. Results of the present study demonstrate that the SHSS:C has a single-factor structure. These findings suggest that new scales of hypnotizability can be optimized by focusing on the use of items that correlate highly with the overall score representing the unidimensional construct of hypnotizability. The findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, and further research is needed with other populations to clarify generalizability.

Controlling acute pain for individuals undergoing orthopedic surgery is highly desirable as it is related to various treatment outcomes. Immersive, virtual reality hypnosis (VRH) is one potential treatment modality to aid in pain management. This three-arm, randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of two hypnosis interventions for reducing post-surgical pain and anxiety in addition to evaluating the effects on sleep quality, mental health, and physical functioning. Results indicated no statistically significant main effects associated with intervention groups for pre-post change scores of pain intensity (F(3, 177) = 0.35, p = .71, partial η2 = .004), anxiety (F(3, 177) = 0.20, p = .81, partial η2 = .002) or sleep quality (F(3, 175) = 0.81, p = .45, partial η2 = .009). Additionally, there were no statistically significant group effects of treatment condition on mental health (F(2, 162) = .71, p = .49, η2 = .009) or physical functioning (F(2, 165) = .43, p = .65, η2 = .005). Issues and future directions for this line of research are discussed.

The aim of this study was to test the clinical feasibility of hypnotherapy in the management of fatigue and sleep disturbances among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the south of Iran. Forty patients aged 25-47 were enrolled, and 22 (19 females, 3 males) completed eight 50-minute sessions of hypnotherapy for 10 weeks. Patients were required to practice the hypnotherapy sessions at home throughout the week. Participants completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline and after the final hypnotherapy session. The mean MFI score was significantly reduced by 8.19 points following hypnotherapy (p < .05). The mean PSQI global score following hypnosis treatment significantly decreased from 7.4 ± 3.3 to 5.52 ± 3.12 (p < .05). Our results suggest that MS patients might benefit from hypnotherapy for controlling fatigue and sleep disturbance symptoms. Confirmative assessment is required in a randomized controlled trial after feasibility has been established.

This issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis provides a systematic review of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation as well as a systematic review of hypnosis apps. These reviews are followed by articles that examine hypnotherapy for sleep disturbances in patients with multiple sclerosis, and provide results from a randomized clinical trial of immersive virtual reality to reduce pain and anxiety in individuals undergoing orthopedic surgery. In addition, an important new study, with findings that suggest a "general factor" may best account for hypnotizability is presented. Together, these articles address important emerging research on applications of clinical hypnosis and methods of intervention.

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) stands as an advanced technology embraced by researchers and clinicians to influence thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The prevalent NIBS methods include transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), both proficient in either exciting or depressing neural activities in specific cortical regions. Recently, NIBS has been integrated into hypnosis research with the goal of enhancing hypnotizability. Specifically, the limited existing studies have predominantly focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) due to its significant role in neutral hypnosis. Overall, these studies suggest the fascinating potential to alter hypnotizability and hypnotic phenomena, although the impact on responsiveness to suggestions remains modest. In contrast to psychological and pharmacological methods, NIBS enables alterations in hypnotic experiences that are independent of operators and noninvasive. This grants researchers the chance to employ a causal approach in investigating the brain-behavior relationship associated with suggestibility. The present paper evaluates existing NIBS studies in this domain, delving into the neurocognitive mechanisms at play and their potential implications for hypnosis research and practice.

This paper explores the complex area of so-called unfolding processes and unfolding phenomena in hypnotherapy, emphasizing on unfolding movements and unfolding images, identified as complex involuntary phenomena, which emerge spontaneously without suggestions for these phenomena. Unfolding phenomena are examined as foundational elements of the unfolding process. On the one hand, the study unveils the macro-structure of the unfolding process by categorizing it into involuntary unfolding sets, phases, and unfolding subunits, all of which are analogous among patients and across different organizational levels. On the other hand, detailing the micro-structure aids in elucidating the functionality and elements of the unfolding phenomena. These elements encompass unfolding schemas and instruments. They are emphasized for their role in intrapsychic ideodynamics and responsiveness, aiding recurrent induction aligned and being promoted via an intuitive state of consciousness. Unfolding phenomena elucidate resource elicitation, and adaptation, contributing to the phenotypic organization and reorganization. In this context, the mechanisms of responsiveness, characterized by an unfolding process during hypnotherapy with distinct phases, are examined to help therapists and researchers understand how hypnotherapy can induce phenotypic changes, thereby facilitating treatment, personal growth, and the emergence of a new form of consciousness.