American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis最新文献

Hypnosis, traditionally studied as a psychological phenomenon, is increasingly explored through electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor alterations in brain activity associated with the hypnotic state. This study provides a bibliometric analysis of EEG-based hypnosis research, mapping key trends, contributors, and emerging themes. A Scopus-based bibliometric analysis was conducted on January 24, 2025, retrieving 135 publications using relevant keywords. The study examined publication trends, leading authors, institutions, contributing countries, journal sources, and keyword co-occurrence networks using VOSviewer. Findings show a publication upwelling from 2013 to 2015, followed by stable growth (2016-2024). The United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the most prominent institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed four primary research clusters: (1) neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, (2) clinical applications in pain management and anesthesia, (3) EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and (4) intersections with sleep and consciousness. Emerging themes include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), neurofeedback, and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The findings suggest that hypnosis is increasingly conceptualized as a quantifiable neurophysiological process. However, methodological inconsistencies - particularly in EEG protocols and hypnotic induction techniques - limit cross-study comparability. Future research should prioritize methodological standardization to improve cross-study comparability and reproducibility, international collaboration to address geographic disparities, and the incorporation of advanced neurotechnology to enable real-time monitoring and personalized hypnotic interventions.

Gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTTs) encompass a spectrum of neoplastic conditions, including invasive mole, choriocarcinoma, placental site trophoblastic tumor, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor. Invasive mole, which frequently develops following a complete hydatidiform mole, represents the most common form. A cancer diagnosis constitutes a profoundly destabilizing experience, often resulting in considerable psychological distress. Moreover, while chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of treatment, it is frequently associated with adverse effects that compromise both quality of life and psychological well-being. In this context, clinical hypnosis has recently emerged as a promising complementary therapy to mitigate such symptoms. We report the case of a patient with invasive mole who received five clinical hypnosis sessions over 8 weeks, in conjunction with standard chemotherapy. Symptom evolution was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the SF-12 Health Survey. Pain levels were monitored using a 0-10 numerical rating scale. The patient demonstrated marked improvements: Quality of Life Index increased from 29 to 41, pain intensity decreased from 7 to 2, and PSQI scores showed significant improvement in sleep quality. This case highlights the potential of clinical hypnosis as a supportive intervention in the management of gestational trophoblastic tumors. By modulating psychological and physiological responses, hypnosis contributed to improved symptom control and enhanced treatment tolerance. These findings support a more holistic cancer care model, although further controlled studies are needed to validate these outcomes.

Hypnosis has increasingly been used in recent years to relieve labor pain, yet little is known about the emotional and psychological aspects of women's experiences with hypnosis during childbirth. This qualitative study aimed to explore women's lived experience of hypnosis in natural childbirth using Van Manen's phenomenological approach from 2016. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with women, using open-ended questions about their experiences of hypnosis in natural childbirth. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling, with initial recruits and their hypnotherapists referring other eligible women. Data saturation was reached after seven interviews lasting between 35 and 55 minutes. The data were coded and analyzed using Van Manen's six-step method. The analysis revealed one core theme: "Eagerness to embrace the turbulence of the childbirth journey," along with four sub-themes - "success and control," "optimum readiness," "receptiveness," and "enjoyment." The findings showed that Iranian women who experienced hypnosis during natural childbirth found it a pleasant experience associated with physical, mental, and emotional preparation for challenges associated with the childbirth experience. This reframing of childbirth as part of the natural life process invited less fear and anxiety regarding the physical and emotional challenges encountered during childbirth. They also reported the enthusiasm and passion they experienced in the process of giving birth to a new human being. Thus, hypnosis in natural childbirth for the participants was experienced as a passionate engagement characterized by a sense of success and control, optimum readiness, emotional receptiveness, and enjoyment amidst the turbulence of the childbirth journey.

Current evidence-based therapies considered efficacious for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) include Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), and medication treatments. Hypnosis, one of the first mind-body therapies known to Western medicine, has been used for mind-body problems such as conversion reactions, medication-less anesthesia, and wound healing. Because PTSD is a mind-body problem, hypnosis seems especially suited for its treatment. Hypnosis is a state-based treatment that can move PTSD patients into a state of calm, downregulate their emotional reactivity, and facilitate altering maladaptive beliefs. Combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches, hypnosis may magnify their effects. In this article, we present hypnotic techniques applicable to PTSD based on the PTSD symptom clusters they treat. We describe the goals, similarities, and differences between hypnosis and mindfulness, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. We describe how adding hypnosis to PTSD treatment protocols such as PE and CPT boosts their impact. We encourage the use of hypnotic techniques which can enhance the therapeutic palette of the CBT practitioner treating PTSD.

The use of hypnosis as an alternative for controlling stress and anxiety in patients undergoing surgical treatment has been discussed in recent years. The aim of this study was to critically review Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) on the clinical efficacy of hypnosis in controlling anxiety related to third molar extraction. The PICO strategy was adopted: Population (Patients undergoing third molar extraction), Intervention (Hypnosis), Comparator (Other therapies to control anxiety) and Outcome (Reduced anxiety). The descriptors "Hypnosis," "Anxiety," "Dental treatment," "Third Molar" and "Oral Surgical Procedures" were used, combined or not, in the following databases: Medline (via PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane and Embase. Of the 255 articles found, only 1 met the inclusion criteria. Therefore, the first 100 articles from the Gray Literature (Google Scholar) were consulted, from which 2 studies were included. Although the three articles evaluated were RCTs, they were all classified as level III evidence with a high risk of bias. In two studies, the group that received hypnosis had a lower anxiety index, a statistically significant result (p < .05), according to the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory. These data show that, despite the advantages of hypnosis in controlling anxiety in patients undergoing third molar extraction, the literature is still limited. There is therefore a need for more RCTs, using a rigorous methodology that can support reliable clinical results.

This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (EH) in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among individuals with subclinical levels of distress. A total of 150 participants were screened, and 45 eligible participants were randomized into three groups: CBT (n = 15), EH (n = 15), and a waitlist control group (n = 15). Interventions consisted of 12 weekly sessions, with assessments conducted at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Both CBT and EH significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to the control group, with no significant differences in efficacy between the two interventions. CBT's structured approach demonstrated consistent improvements across both depression and anxiety, while EH showed a slightly faster reduction in anxiety symptoms at mid-intervention, highlighting its potential for addressing somatic and cognitive dimensions of anxiety. This study extends previous findings by focusing on a non-clinical population, emphasizing the potential of these interventions as early strategies for preventing symptom escalation. Unlike prior work primarily targeting diagnosed populations, this research underscores the applicability of CBT and EH in addressing subthreshold distress. Limitations include a small sample size, lack of follow-up assessments, and reliance on self-reported measures. Future research should explore long-term outcomes, larger samples, and the integration of CBT and EH. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting diverse psychotherapeutic modalities for early mental health intervention.

The article explores the nature of narrative, its impact on key neural circuits in the brain, and the role of those activated circuits as drivers of hypnotically guided personal change. The author views clinical hypnosis as a form of interactive reciprocity that engages clients' neuroplastic potential (i.e. trance). This emergent potential is evoked during the therapeutic interaction between a client and clinician. Furthermore, the author describes clinical hypnosis as using forms of suggestion to facilitate change to the self-reinforcing narratives to which clients subscribe. Suggestions themselves are viewed as activating non-consciously mediated aspects of the self, which are perceived by the conscious mind as non-volitionally facilitating the desired change. The author draws on research supporting the view of the self as a construct maintained by an internalized narrative that remains capable of revision, though not always easily or without external assistance. That self-narrative revision entails the change that hypnosis seeks to enable and enact. The article concludes that deliberate incorporation of forms of narrative, including the use of metaphors, for example, constitutes the essential fuel without which the engine of hypnotic change efforts can languish. This is because narrative processes occupy an indispensable role in energizing - neurologically, psychologically, and socially - the outcomes that hypnosis is intended to evoke. The article uses excerpts from different fictional narrative sources to illustrate the article's main thesis.

Anxiety, pain and poor well-being are major issues in elderly individuals. Complementary interventions, such as music and hypnosis, are increasingly used to address these issues. The objectives of this study were to assess immediate changes in anxiety, pain and well-being during personalized prerecorded music and hypnosis interventions compared to control sessions, and to explore participants' subjective experiences. We employed a multiple time series model with daily measurements with older people living in retirement homes in rural areas (n = 8). The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) evaluated these three dimensions before and after each session, while participants' subjective experience was collected using an unstructured interview. The primary results showed a significant improvement in the composite score of anxiety, pain, and well-being for the music (p < .001), hypnosis (p = .0158), and music/hypnosis (p = .013) intervention sessions compared to the control sessions. The secondary results indicated a reduction in anxiety for both the music and music/hypnosis interventions (p < .05), along with a significant improvement in well-being. These effects may be attributed to mechanisms such as absorption, episodic memory, cognitive agency, positive emotion, rhythmic entrainment, and rapport, which could have modulated the interventions' impact. In conclusion, personalized prerecorded music and hypnosis interventions appear to be effective in enhancing the well-being of older individuals residing in retirement homes. Further studies are needed to assess the generalizability of these results to a larger population from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds, and better understand the subjective experiences that mediate these effects.

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise summary of the scientific literature in the form of a narrative review to highlight areas where the use of clinical hypnosis is supported by scientific evidence in dentistry. A literature review was carried out to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles on PubMed, written in French or in English, with time limitation from 2000 to May 2023, and updated in December 2024. Articles had to be systematic reviews or meta-analysis linked with the management of dental anxiety and acute dental pain, as well as chronic orofacial pain. Twelve articles were selected for analysis, with 8 on dental anxiety, 3 on temporomandibular disorders, and 1 on burning mouth syndrome. Several literature reviews and meta-analyses published on the subject support the use of hypnosis in several clinical contexts, including local anesthesia, dental extraction and dental anxiety in adults and children. Evidence is also presented to improve the condition of patients suffering from pain associated with temporomandibular disorders. However, the literature remains somewhat fragmented because of the diversity of hypnosis techniques applied, and the different dental procedures or conditions explored. Hypnosis can have a considerable impact in the management of dental anxiety and acute dental pain. It also seems promising for the management of orofacial pain, but further research would be necessary. This research highlights that the available evidence is sufficient to encourage the integration of evidence-based hypnosis training to improve the management of acute stress and pain in dental practice.