TOPIC: Ericksonian hypnosis conceptual framework. PURPOSE: To acquaint psychiatric-mental health nurses with hypnotic principles and how these can be integrated into their practice. SOURCES: Published literature and author's clinical experience. CONCLUSIONS: Ericksonian hypnosis offers an array of potential interventions for psychiatric-mental health nurses to integrate into their practices in a framework familiar to nurses: holism, honoring and respecting individuality, and capitalizing on an individual's strengths.

Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2002 Jan-Mar;38(1):15-22. Zahourek RP. New York University, Division of Nursing, New York, USA. rorryz@aol.com

This Rogerian study examined how traditional and Ericksonian hypnotherapeutic support groups facilitated self-defined health-promoting goals and power as knowing participation in change for 49 participants with chronic physical illness. The participants were randomly assigned to either a traditional support group or an Ericksonian hypnotherapeutic support group. Measurements of power and self-defined health-promoting goals were obtained seven times over a 10-week period. The results indicated that both the traditional support groups and the Ericksonian hypnotherapeutic support groups experienced significantly enhanced power and progressed significantly toward their health-promoting goals. Correlations for the self-defined health-promoting goals and power progressively and significantly increased through time. This study supports Barrett's claim that power relates to health.

Nurs Sci Q. 2007 Oct;20(4):357-69. Larkin DM. The College of New Rochelle, School of Nursing, New Rochelle, New York, USA.