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

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder thought to affect 10% to 20% of the population worldwide. Essentially the paper is in two parts. The first part of the paper investigates the world literature and a variety of up to date treatment approaches which, with the exception of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) which also has beneficial effects on patients' overall mood and bloating, are designed to manage individual symptoms of IBS. The review examines the efficacy of pharmaceutical agents (antispasmodics, antidepressants, antidiarrhoeals and the new serotonergic modifying agonists/antagonists), dietary control (fibre, lactose free products, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, peppermint oil, prebiotics and probiotics), CBT (with or without the use of an audiotape) and the standard gut-directed hypnotherapy approach of the Manchester Model.

In the second half, in sharp contrast to the symptomatic treatments, the authors give a detailed account of a 54-year-old female patient with refractory IBS in a setting of a phobic anxiety state. The treatment approach – a combination of psychotherapy and hypnosis – was designed to effect a complete recovery rather than to manage individual symptoms. This case study exemplifies the complex nature of IBS symptoms in relation to the patient's emotions. It was necessary for her to work through these emotional problems so that she did not need to express her intense hostility through her bowels. These problems were expressed both in the psychotherapy sessions as well as in the hypnotherapy. The patient made a full recovery and this was maintained at the follow-up a year later. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We compared hypnotizability between two samples from different universities in Sweden. One test was administered in Swedish (University of Skövde) using a translated Swedish version of the HGSHS : A (Bergman, Trenter and Kallio, 2003). At Lund University, the original English version of the HGSHS : A (Shor and Orne, 1962) was used and participants also completed the Inventory Scale of Hypnotic Depth (ISHD; Field, 1965). The results suggest that administering the HGSHS : A in English to Swedish University students may only slightly reduce hypnotizability scores. Because the HGSHS : A was designed to be used for the initial screening of hypnotic suggestibility, for most practical purposes the original version seems a valid choice among non-English groups fluent in English. The data also support some recent findings about females exhibiting higher objective and subjective hypnotizability scores than male volunteers. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This is Part II of a commentary which places in the contemporary context, ‘A theory of hypnosis based on principles of conditioning and inhibition (Barrios, 2001).’ Whereas Part I includes evidence both in support of the theory and comparisons with other contemporary theories, Part II presents some of the benefits of the theory which includes: (1) a further understanding of the hallucinogens, biofeedback, higher-order conditioning, placebos and religion; (2) development of more effective methods of hypnotic induction; (3) development of more effective methods for giving post-hypnotic suggestions; (4) and development of Self-Programmed Control (SPC; Barrios, 1973b, 1985), a positive-oriented behavioural improvement programme aimed at producing self-actualization, greater self-efficacy, and higher emotional intelligence. I present the positive results of SPC's application in the areas of: education, welfare, industry, medicine, and drug rehabilitation. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article places in the contemporary context ‘A theory of hypnosis based on principles of conditioning and inhibition’, published earlier in Contemporary Hypnosis (Barrios, 2001). The commentary is in two parts. Here in Part I, following a succinct summary of the theory, there are two sections: (1) contrasting the theory with three other major perspectives in the field, the Sociocognitive, the Dissociation/Neo-Dissociation, and the Response-Expectancy perspectives as well as with Erickson's strategic approach to therapy; and (2) some of the supporting research subsequent to the theory's first evolution (1969) is provided. Part II will present some of the benefits of the theory. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Although hypnosis is now less popular as an interviewing technique in forensic investigations than it used to be, recent evidence suggests that some of the components of hypnotic interviewing might still be useful in the development of brief memory facilitation procedures. Two experiments are described which continue this componential approach to hypnotic interviewing. In the first experiment, the effects on episodic memory of a brief context reinstatement (revivication) procedure were examined together with a focused breathing meditation technique which shares similarities with traditional hypnotic induction. A second experiment investigated the effects of horizontal eye movements which some have also associated with hypnotic responding. Results indicated that a combined context reinstatement and focused meditation procedure was more effective than context reinstatement alone in facilitating memory for an emotional event without the increase in false positive errors familiar to more traditional hypnosis techniques. In contrast, an instruction to perform horizontal eye movements was not effective in facilitating memory and, when combined with a suggestion for improved recall, produced higher confidence in incorrect responses. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Revised Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis – Client Version using a Portuguese sample are presented. Exploratory factor analysis on a Portuguese population of undergraduate college students (N = 444) yielded 8 factors: ‘Interest/Liking’, ‘Memory/Magic’, ‘Help’, ‘Control’, ‘Cooperation’, ‘Marginal’, ‘Fear’ and ‘Automaton’. The overall 8-factor structure is similar to the one found in the therapist version of the scale, and as in the therapist version, each factor of the client version showed good internal consistency and reliability. Differences among participants that had and had not experienced hypnosis previously were also assessed. The results indicated that participants with prior experience of hypnosis scored higher on factors indicating positive attitudes and accurate beliefs (‘Interest/Liking’, ‘Help’, ‘Control’ and ‘Cooperation’), whereas participants that had not experienced hypnosis scored higher in factors indicating misconceptions about hypnosis (‘Memory/Magic’, ‘Fear’, ‘Marginal’ and ‘Automaton’). These results indicate that the scale is sensitive to changes in attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis brought about by the experience of hypnosis in a scientific context. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Advertising is mentioned sometimes as a hypnotizing experience. The present study investigated this claim by developing and implementing a questionnaire for measuring the level of hypnotic-suggestive communication in advertisements. The results demonstrated that this level is a crucial variable for advertising effectiveness and for the evaluations of the advertised brand. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This case study addresses the effect of hypnosis on a range of problems associated with complex trauma (i.e. spouse abuse). It begins by exploring the specific symptoms that were generated in complex trauma and identifying that hypnosis is an appropriate treatment for these problems. A four-phase framework of treatment, taking into consideration the specific features of complex trauma which are distinct from single-episode or non-interpersonal trauma, was adopted. Breast cancer pain, another source of distress to the client, was also discussed. The therapeutic outcomes are described with reference to data collected from pre-, during and post-treatment, as well as from verbal feedback regarding Ms S's feelings about the therapy. The results indicate that hypnosis incorporated in the four-phase treatment framework could effectively eliminate the symptoms of complex trauma. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Imagery plays an important role in hypnotic phenomena. Recent findings have shown, however, that hypnotized subjects with high (Highs) and low (Lows) susceptibility to hypnosis undergoing guided imagery tasks centred on specific sensory modalities share similar visual imagery ability, but Highs obtain better imagery than Lows when tactile instructions are given. The aim of this experiment was to confirm this finding using instructions of globally reduced perception instead of suggestions centred on specific sensory modalities, assuming that the preferred imagery modality would be the least easily suppressed. Changes in body sway (that are sensitive to cognitive activity because postural control requires attention) were used as indices of possible differences in the cognitive task load in Highs and Lows. The results confirmed the hypothesis that Highs and Lows differ in their preferred imagery modalities, and showed that Highs' body sway was not modified by the simultaneous imagery of globally reduced perception, while Lows increased their sway while perceiving the decreased sensory availability. The Discussion focuses on the similar networks involved in imagery and perception and on possible differences between Highs and Lows in the mechanisms of imagery/perception and sensory-motor integration. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.