International Hypnosis Research Institute - Applications

Mastering Golf by Watching Others

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:22:00 -0500

by Tim Brunson, PhD The first step to mastering anything is to load your brain with as much relevant information regarding that endeavor. This is especially true for mastering the game of golf. While practice appears to be the key, it takes a tremendous dedication to the sport to spend sufficient time on the golf course to attain a respectable level of expertise. So, if you are a business professional who can only play a round once or twice a week, you may find yourself constantly lagging behind many of your friends. Fortunately, there are other solutions. This is where I come in.

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Ericksonian hypnosis in tinnitus therapy: effects of a 28-day inpatient multimodal treatment concept

Fri, 18 May 2007 01:45:00 -0500

For the first time, the therapeutic effects on subacute and chronic tinnitus of an inpatient multimodal treatment concept based on principles of Ericksonian hypnosis (EH) were examined by standardized criteria of the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) and Health Survey (SF-36) within a controlled prospective, longitudinal study. A total of 393 patients were treated within an inpatient closed-group 28-day-setting based on a resource-oriented, hypnotherapeutic concept. The severity of tinnitus was assessed by TQ at times of admission, discharge and also at a 6- and 12-month follow-up. Health-related quality of life was evaluated before and after therapy using the SF-36. After therapy, a decrease in TQ score was seen in 90.5% of the patients with subacute tinnitus and in 88,3% of those with chronic tinnitus. Assessment of the TQ score at the end of therapy revealed highly significant improvements of 15.9/14.1 points in mean. Effect sizes in the treatment groups (0.94/0.80) were superior to those in the waiting-list controls (0.14/0.23). The TQ score remained stable in the follow-up controls. Significant improvement in health-related quality of life has been observed within the treatment groups depending on initial level of tinnitus serverity I-IV according to TQ. Using a multimodal treatment concept with emphasis on resource-activating approaches of EH the annoyance of tinnitus can be significantly reduced while health-related quality of life is enhanced within a comparatively short treatment period of 28 days. Practice for Otorhinolaryngology and Psychotherapy, Luisenstrasse 6, 79098, Freiburg, Germany, Dr-Ross@web.de. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2007 May;264(5):483-8. Epub 2007 Jan 6

The Effects of Music Intervention on Anxiety in the Patient Waiting for Cardiac Catheterization

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 04:52:00 -0500

W J Hamel explored the effects of music therapy on the anxiety levels, heart rate and blood pressure of patients waiting for their scheduled cardiac catheterization. 101 (63 men and 38 women) patients were randomly assigned to listen to 20 minutes of pre-selected music or to a standard care control group. Measurements were taken during the waiting period and just prior to departure for the lab. The intervention group had a significant reduction in anxiety (p = 0.003) and when compared to the controls (p = 0.004). Where the heart rate and systolic blood pressure dropped in the music therapy group, it increased in the control group. This held up whether the patient was male or female, but the men as a group had higher diastolic scores than the women, and the women had higher anxiety scores than the men.

Hypnosis Affects on Immunity

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 08:00:00 -0500

Our body's health is dependent largely upon a delicate balance of our immune system. While in some instances, such as AIDS, an immune system may be deficient, in others, such as rheumatism and various liver disorders, the system may be over active. There is considerable evidence that emotional traits, both negative and positive, my influence this balance and thus affect one's susceptibility to infection or a hyperactive immune system. Stress levels and negative moods often precede the onset of both minor and major illnesses. Fortunately, the opposite is also true. [More]

Hypnotic Interventions and Disease

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:06:00 -0500

Over the past 20 years, there as been considerable evidence that psychological factors can play a substantive role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease. There is evidence that hypnosis can be effective in the treatment of coronary artery disease, enhancing the effect of standard cardiac rehabilitation in reducing all-cause mortality and cardiac event recurrences for up to 2 years. [More]

Surgical Preparation

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:37:00 -0500

Hypnotic interventions are being tested to determine whether they can help prepare patients for the stress associated with surgery. Initial randomized controlled trials--in which some patients received audiotapes with hypnotic techniques (guided imagery, music, and instructions for improved outcomes) and some patients received control tapes--found that subjects receiving the mind-body intervention recovered more quickly and spent fewer days in the hospital. Behavioral interventions have been shown to be an efficient means of reducing discomfort and adverse effects during percutaneous vascular and renal procedures. Pain increased linearly with procedure time in a control group and in a group practicing structured attention, but remained flat in a group practicing a self-hypnosis technique. The self-administration of analgesic drugs was significantly higher in the control group than in the attention and hypnosis groups. Hypnosis also improved hemodynamic stability.