Contemporary hypnosis : the journal of the British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis最新文献

Mindfulness, an old Buddhist practice, has gained an importance in psychotherapy such as in Hakomi, cognitive therapy or in ‘Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction’.

Mindfulness is described as being composed of four essential components: (1) attention, concentration, meta-awareness, (2) the internal observer and disidentification, (3) attention to the present moment and beginner's mind, (4) acceptance, equanimity and nonjudging. Hypnosis and mindfulness relate to each other in a complementary way in many dimensions and create spectrums between: (1) absorption – open awareness, (2) dissociation – disidentification, (3) suggestibility – consensus consciousness – awakening, (4) goal- and change-orientation – exploration – equanimity and acceptance, (5) lack of consciousness – hidden observer – internal observer, (6) regression – progression – experiencing the present moment, (7) top-down-interventions – bottom-up-interventions, (8) doing-mode – being-mode. In hypnosis these full spectrums can be used. Moreover, in the dimension of the therapeutic relationship, a mindful therapist can be beneficial for the therapeutic process, for example to support mindfulness and the internal observer and acceptance in the client and for the creation of corrective experiences. Aspects of interpersonal neurobiology of mindfulness and difficulties in making a comparison between hypnosis and mindfulness at the neurophysiological level are discussed. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The field of spiritual and transpersonal psychotherapy and hypnotherapy can be divided into three major categories: research of near-death and out-of-body experiences; past life experiences; and spiritual interpretations in accordance with the patient's beliefs. The present article suggests a fourth category, spiritual interpretations not in accordance with the patient's beliefs. Three cases are reported, and the curative force of the interpretations is discussed. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Although the concept of ‘lucid dreaming’ was first coined by Frederik Willems van Eeden, a Dutch psychiatrist, and introduced at the meeting of The Society for Psychical Research held on 22 April 1913, the phenomenon of lucid dreaming was already known in earlier historical periods and its descriptions can be found in writings of Aristotle. However, modern lucid dreaming research was established only after LaBerge introduced his method for physiological investigation of lucid dreaming through eye signals in 1980. Current attempts in the field are directed at defining the neuro-physiological correlates of lucid dreaming, an aim that still has yet to be achieved. One of the possible applications of lucid dreaming is in the field of psychotherapy where it is usually used in treating nightmares. However, other possible therapeutic potentials of lucid dreaming are still in the process of being discovered and therefore constitute a fertile area for future researchers. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Light and sound effects have frequently been used for the induction of altered states of consciousness. Turning on and off light or sound leads to short-term excitation of the central nervous system, while longer lasting stimulation has led to drowsiness and mixed alpha-theta activity and to bodily relaxation with increased skin resistance, decreased EMG activity and a decreased salivary cortisol level; though an increased salivary IgA level and output of the salivary chaperone Hsp70 have also been reported. At the same time a strong trance inducing ability of photic stimulation (10 min) has been demonstrated. In open clinical studies orofacial psychosomatic patients have been treated: Atypical facial pain (n = 20) recovered in 34.9 %, improvement occurred in 40.4 %, with no effect in 24.7 %. Initial psychogenic denture intolerance (n = 9) symptoms recovered in 44.4 %, improvement occurred in 33.3 %, with no effect in 22.2 %. Chronic denture intolerance (n = 14) symptoms recovered in 21.4 %, improvement occurred in 50.0 %, with no effect in 28.6 %. In hyposalivation cases (n = 4), a significant increase of salivary flow rate and protein concentration occurred in 2/4. However, randomized controlled trials that might support the application of photo-acoustic stimulation are still lacking. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hypnosis may play an important role in reducing preterm labour for patients who have higher levels of psychosocial stress. This study examines the rate of late-preterm birth in a hypnosis group (directed to all women) and a historical control group. From July 2007 all women (n = 64), who were in their 28^th to 34^th weeks' gestation, were offered self-hypnosis training using the hypnoreflexogenous protocol after Hüsken-Janßen and Schauble. Expectant mothers with uncertain anticipated days of delivery were excluded. All women who delivered after 31 weeks' gestation served as a control group (n = 2135) from January 2006 till June 2007. In the hypnosis group there were three preterm deliveries (4.7%) (before 37 + 0 weeks' gestation) whereas in the control group there were 220 preterm deliveries (10.3%) (p = 0.01). Average cigarette usage during the current pregnancy was lower in the hypnosis group (p = 0.02). Higher work-educated employments (p = 0.01), higher age of the mother (p < 0.001) and fewer previous pregnancies (p < 0.03) were found in the hypnosis group. Preterm birth correlated with the number of previous pregnancies (−0.38; p < 0.001) but not with smoking. Hypnosis was shown to be effective therapy without side-effects, which can reduce preterm delivery. This clinical study showed a significant prevention of preterm delivery. Prospective randomized controlled studies are required to evaluate fully the preventive value of clinical hypnosis. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clinical depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders treated by psychiatrists and psychotherapists. It also poses special problems to therapists as it is a complex disorder that affects the whole person – emotions, bodily functions, behaviours and thoughts. Although depression is treated successfully with antidepressant medication and psychotherapy, a significant number of depressives do not respond to either medication or existing psychotherapies. It is thus important for clinicians to continue to develop more effective treatments for depression. This article describes Cognitive Hypnotherapy (CH), an evidence-based multimodal treatment for depression, which can be applied to a wide range of patients with depression. The components of CH are described in sufficient detail to allow for their replication and validation. Moreover, CH for depression provides a template for studying the additive effect of hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment with other medical and psychological disorders. Although this article emphasizes evidence-based practice, this approach should not limit the scope of therapists' creativity in the application of hypnosis to the management of depression. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neuroscientific evidence interprets both hypnotic trance induction and different meditation traditions as modified states of consciousness that emphasize attention, concentration and the letting go of thoughts, but they differ in terms of sensory input, processing, memory, and the sense of time. Furthermore, hypnosis is based on the suggestibility of a person and meditation on mindfulness; therefore it is not surprising to find differential brain plasticity changes. We analysed shared and non-shared neural substrates using electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Most pronounced EEG changes were in deep as compared to light hypnosis (step-by-step induction) and in arm levitation where suggested movement was perceived as external. In a within-subject-design changes in brain activity during hypnosis and Tibetan Buddhist meditation were compared. High amplitudes in alpha frequency bands were most pronounced with meditation at frontal positions and with hypnosis in central and temporal locations. Significantly greater activity in theta 2 band was observed only with hypnosis in both hemispheres. PET cerebral activation patterns of imagery-mediated learning were analysed in hypnosis in a within-subject-design. Compared with baseline the learning of high-imagery words was associated with (i) more pronounced bilateral activation in the occipital cortex and prefrontal areas and (ii) improved memory performance. Visual illusion in hypnosis was studied with fMRI, analysed with Granger Causality Mapping, showing changes in the effective connectivity relations of fusiform gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and intraparietal sulcus. Little is known about the neurobiological basis of the process of enhancing cognitive and emotional traits in meditation. In a longitudinal fMRI study attention abilities through intensive Soto-Zen meditation were investigated before (baseline), after training (6 months) and at follow-up (9 months). After six months differences were observed in the left inferior and left superior frontal gyrus; after 9 months activations in the left precuneus. Taken together, the findings advance understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie hypnosis and meditation. Further studies with a greater sample size are needed to explore the differences and commonalities of hypnosis and different meditation techniques. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.