OBJECTIVE: To set a standard of routine goal setting with patients within their package of care at the Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. We hope goal setting will improve communication with our patients and health professional colleagues, focus outcome and improve targeting of problems. We therefore explored motivation for and expectation of hospital attendance from a patient perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaire based pre-audit survey. The questionnaire was administered to 110 consecutive patients attending outpatients and 20 parents of children attending with asthma and eczema to gain understanding of motivation and expectation and more specific information for two of the commonest conditions. RESULTS: Seventy percent of patients had used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), 35% had used homeopathy and only 10% had specialist homeopathic care, the majority of use being over the counter. The majority of patients had been encouraged by their General Practitioners, themselves and by word of mouth with family and friends. Few patients cited the media as a major influence. "Pull" factors such as "treating the whole person" were given greater emphasis except for parents of children with asthma and eczema for whom "push" factors such as fear of steroid side effects predominated. In the main patient expectations were reasonable with the majority hoping to see improvements in their conditions. A fifth of patients hoped to reduce conventional medications. CONCLUSIONS: Patients had used CAM in general but not homeopathy in particular. Encouragement from doctors, self motivation and word of mouth most motivated patients to come and might suggest more direct communication with General Practitioners would be worthwhile. Being treated as a whole person was the most significant motivating factor, with a significant number of patients wishing to reduce medication. Goal setting and direct communication with other healthcare professionals is essential for safety, to focus outcome, and to value the role of homeopathy in a patient's healthcare. As a result we have set a standard whereby treatment goals are agreed with patients and communicated to referring health care professionals at each outpatient visit. This could be audited.

Homeopathy. 2007 Oct;96(4):243-6. Thompson E, Dahr J, Susan M, Barron S. Bristol Homeopathic Hospital, Cotham Hill, Bristol, UK.

Larry Garrett is a Certified Hypnotist with the N.G.H. He has been in practice since 1968, operating the largest and most sophisticated hypnosis center in Chicago. He received the 1991 Metzinger Award (which has only been presented six times).

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Two high resolution methods solving inverse problems potentially ill-posed, named 4-MUSIC and 4-RapMUSIC, are proposed. They allow for localization of brain current sources with unconstrained orientations from surface electro-or magneto-encephalographic data using spherical or realistic head geometries. The 4-MUSIC and 4-RapMUSIC methods are based on i) the separability of the data transfer matrix as a function of location and orientation parameters and ii) the fourth order (FO) virtual array theory. In addition, 4-RapMUSIC uses the deflation concept extended to FO statistics accounting for the presence of potentially but not totally coherent sources. Computer results display the superiority of the 4-RapMUSIC approach in different situations (two closed sources, additive Gaussian noise with unknown spatial covariance, ...) especially over classical algorithms.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:4498-501. Albera L, Ferreol A, Cosandier-Rimele D, Merlet I, Wendling F. Lab. Traitement du Signal et de 1'Image, Rennes I Univ.

This study expanded the inference and story recognition literature by investigating differences within the older age range, differences as a result of cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND), and applying signal detection procedures to the analysis of accuracy data. Old-old adults and those with more severe CIND showed poorer ability to accurately recognize inferences, and less sensitivity in discriminating between statement types. Results support the proposal that participants used two different recognition strategies. Old-old and CIND adults may be less able to recognize that something plausible with an event may not have actually occurred.

Exp Aging Res. 2007 Jul-Sep;33(3):295-322. Bielak AA, Hultsch DF, Kadlec H, Strauss E. Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. abielak@uvic.ca

Aleya Dao is the founder of the Dao Institute in Carpinteria, California. Aleya Dao is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine in New Mexico and a Licensed Acupuncturist in Colorado. She is a Reiki Master and is also trained in Crystalline Consciousness Technique, craniosacral therapy. Aleya reads her clients energy fields using her clairvoyant, clairaudient, and empathic skills. She identifies their blocks, imbalances, fragments, and limiting belief systems that cause pain, suffering and stunted spiritual growth. Using directed intention, sound toning, tuning forks, she enables her clients to connect with the wisdom of their higher self. Through this process pain and suffering is alleviated, energetic balance and harmony is restored.

For more information visit http://www.DaoInstitute.com

The purpose of this study was to acquire a theoretical understanding of what it is like to work as a tactile massage therapist (TMT). There is insufficient knowledge in this area-despite increasing demand and implementation of tactile massage; so 26 female TMTs were interviewed (6 interview groups in Stockholm County). Grounded theory was used to analyse the data. The analysis resulted in a theoretical model that explains how TMTs individually underwent a transformation in which they learned about the energy-controlling system (energy takers, energy returners, and energy controllers) and managed to implement this demanding treatment, while maintaining health and inner balance in order to have total presence during treatment sessions. Results showed that total presence was crucial for implementing high-quality treatment, and inability to control energy may pose a risk to inner balance and health among TMTs.

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2007 Nov;13(4):258-65. Andersson K, Wändell P, Törnkvist L. Center for Family and Community Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.

The current study addressed how the timing of interviews affected children's memories of unique and repeated events. Five- to six-year-olds (N=125) participated in activities 1 or 4 times and were misinformed either 3 or 21 days after the only or last event. Although single-experience children were subsequently less accurate in the 21- versus 3-day condition, the timing of the misinformation session did not affect memories of repeated-experience children regarding invariant details. Children were more suggestible in the 21- versus 3-day condition for variable details when the test occurred soon after misinformation presentation. Thus, timing differentially affected memories of single and repeated events and depended on the combination of event-misinformation and misinformation-test delays rather than the overall retention interval.

Child Dev. 2007 Jul-Aug;78(4):1137-52. Roberts KP, Powell MB. Wilfrid Laurier University, Department of Psychology, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. kroberts@wlu.ca

Research over the last decade has identified Internet addiction as a new and often unrecognized clinical disorder that impact a user's ability to control online use to the extent that it can cause relational, occupational, and social problems. While much of the literature explores the psychological and social factors underlying Internet addiction, little if any empirical evidence exists that examines specific treatment outcomes to deal with this new client population. Researchers have suggested using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as the treatment of choice for Internet addiction, and addiction recovery in general has utilized CBT as part of treatment planning. To investigate the efficacy of using CBT with Internet addicts, this study investigated 114 clients who suffered from Internet addiction and received CBT at the Center for Online Addiction. This study employed a survey research design, and outcome variables such as client motivation, online time management, improved social relationships, improved sexual functioning, engagement in offline activities, and ability to abstain from problematic applications were evaluated on the 3rd, 8th, and 12th sessions and over a 6-month follow-up. Results suggested that Caucasian, middle-aged males with at least a 4-year degree were most likely to suffer from some form of Internet addiction. Preliminary analyses indicated that most clients were able to manage their presenting complaints by the eighth session, and symptom management was sustained upon a 6-month follow-up. As the field of Internet addiction continues to grow, such outcome data will be useful in treatment planning with evidenced-based protocols unique to this emergent client population.

Cyberpsychol Behav. 2007 Oct;10(5):671-9. Young KS. Center for Online Addiction, Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Melissa J. Roth CHt., PhD(c) is CEO and Founder of Alabama Hypnotherapy Center and Hypnosis Associates. She is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and is a PhD candidate through the American Pacific University. She is a member of both the American Board of Hypnotherapy and the National Guild of Hypnotists.

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CAM therapies have become increasingly popular in pediatric populations. Yet, little is known about children's preferences for CAM. This study examined treatment preferences in chronic pediatric pain patients offered a choice of CAM therapies for their pain. Participants were 129 children (94 girls) (mean age = 14.5 years +/- 2.4; range = 8-18 years) presenting at a multidisciplinary, tertiary clinic specializing in pediatric chronic pain. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships between CAM treatment preferences and patient's sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as their self-reported level of functioning. Over 60% of patients elected to try at least one CAM approach for pain. The most popular CAM therapies were biofeedback, yoga and hypnosis; the least popular were art therapy and energy healing, with craniosacral, acupuncture and massage being intermediate. Patients with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (80%) were the most likely to try CAM versus those with other pain diagnoses. In multivariate analyses, pain duration emerged as a significant predictor of CAM preferences. For mind-based approaches (i.e. hypnosis, biofeedback and art therapy), pain duration and limitations in family activities were both significant predictors. When given a choice of CAM therapies, this sample of children with chronic pain, irrespective of pain diagnosis, preferred non-invasive approaches that enhanced relaxation and increased somatic control. Longer duration of pain and greater impairment in functioning, particularly during family activities increased the likelihood that such patients agreed to engage in CAM treatments, especially those that were categorized as mind-based modalities.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2007 Sep;4(3):367-74. Tsao JC, Meldrum M, Kim SC, Jacob MC, Zeltzer LK. Pediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, John C. Liebeskind History of Pain Collection, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA and Department of History, UCLA USA.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been reported to reduce anxiety in a broad range of clinical populations. However, its efficacy in alleviating core symptoms of specific anxiety disorders is not well established. We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate how well MBSR compared to a first-line psychological intervention for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Fifty-three patients with DSM-IV generalized SAD were randomized to an 8-week course of MBSR or 12 weekly sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT). Although patients in both treatment groups improved, patients receiving CBGT had significantly lower scores on clinician- and patient-rated measures of social anxiety. Response and remission rates were also significantly greater with CBGT. Both interventions were comparable in improving mood, functionality and quality of life. The results confirm that CBGT is the treatment of choice of generalized SAD and suggest that MBSR may have some benefit in the treatment of generalized SAD.

Behav Res Ther. 2007 Oct;45(10):2518-26. Koszycki D, Benger M, Shlik J, Bradwejn J. Stress and Anxiety Clinical Research Unit, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1Z 7K4. dkoszyck@rohcg.on.ca

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a meditation training program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), on depressive symptoms, psychological status, and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a randomized, waitlist-controlled pilot study. METHODS: Participants were randomized to either an MBSR group, where they attended an 8-week course and 4-month maintenance program, or to a waitlist control group, where they attended all assessment visits and received MBSR free of charge after study end. Participants received usual care from their rheumatologists throughout the trial. Self-report questionnaires were used to evaluate depressive symptoms, psychological distress, well-being, and mindfulness. Evaluation of RA disease activity (by Disease Activity Score in 28 joints) included examination by a physician masked to treatment status. Adjusted means and mean changes in outcomes were estimated in mixed model repeated measures analyses. RESULTS: Sixty-three participants were randomized: 31 to MBSR and 32 to control. At 2 months, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in any outcomes. At 6 months, there was significant improvement in psychological distress and well-being (P = 0.04 and P = 0.03, respectively), and marginally significant improvement in depressive symptoms and mindfulness (P = 0.08 and P = 0.09, respectively). There was a 35% reduction in psychological distress among those treated. The intervention had no impact on RA disease activity. CONCLUSION: An 8-week MBSR class was not associated with change in depressive symptoms or other outcomes at 2-month followup. Significant improvements in psychological distress and well-being were observed following MBSR plus a 4-month program of continued reinforcement. Mindfulness meditation may complement medical disease management by improving psychological distress and strengthening well-being in patients with RA.

Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Oct 15;57(7):1134-42. Pradhan EK, Baumgarten M, Langenberg P, Handwerger B, Gilpin AK, Magyari T, Hochberg MC, Berman BM. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. epradhan@compmed.umm.edu

Previous studies have demonstrated that attempts to suppress thoughts about using substances may actually lead to increases in substance use. Vipassana, a mindfulness meditation practice, emphasizes acceptance, rather than suppression, of unwanted thoughts. A study by Bowen and colleagues examining the effects of a Vipassana course on substance use in an incarcerated population showed significant reductions in substance use among the Vipassana group as compared to a treatment - usual control condition [Bowen S., Witkiewitz K., Dillworth T.M., Chawla N., Simpson T.L., Ostafin B.D., et al. (2006). Mindfulness Meditation and Substance Use in an Incarcerated Population. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.]. The current study further examines the mediating effects of thought suppression in the relationship between participation in the course and subsequent alcohol use. Those who participated in the course reported significant decreases in avoidance of thoughts when compared to controls. The decrease in avoidance partially mediated effects of the course on post-release alcohol use and consequences.

Addict Behav. 2007 Oct;32(10):2324-8. Bowen S, Witkiewitz K, Dillworth TM, Marlatt GA. University of Washington, Department of Psychology, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. swbowen@u.washington.edu

Jazz music and jazz musicians have often been linked for better or worse to the world of addictive substances. Many talented jazz musicians either had their careers sidetracked or prematurely ended due to their addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. The rigors of nightly performances, travel, and for many musicians a disapproving society exacted a toll that impacted the creativity of many artists of the genre. The fact that drug and alcohol use had a significant impact on the performance levels of numerous jazz musicians in the 1940's and 1950's has been much discussed, but more study of that impact is warranted. While recent research has provided new information regarding this challenging topic, there is still much to learn. Indeed, a number of questions for inquiry may be posed. Among those questions are the following: Was the work of these jazz artists truly inspired? Would their creative output have been enhanced had they not been addicted to substances? What was the impact of the addictive substances on their ability to function as creative artists and is there evidence to refute or verify that impact? Are there identifiable traits in certain artists that allowed them to be creative in spite of their addictions? This examination presents an evaluation of the evidence of the link between creativity and substance abuse especially as it relates to selected jazz artists during this time period and how they remained creative and actually prospered in their careers in spite of addictions to controlled substances.

Int J Law Psychiatry. 2007 Oct 25;30(6):530-536 Tolson GH, Cuyjet MJ. Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program, School of Music, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, United States.

Provide an orientation to psychoneuroimmunology, a rationale for including assessments of immune function in intervention studies of pediatric chronic illness, review the current literature, and provide recommendations for future research. METHODS: Using electronic searches and previous reviews, selected and reviewed published studies in which immunological changes related to psychological interventions were assessed in pediatric samples. RESULTS: Eight studies were identified and included in the review. These utilized a range of interventions (e.g., disclosure and hypnosis) and included a variety of pediatric samples (e.g., those with asthma, HIV infection, or lupus). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that psychological intervention can influence immune function in pediatric samples. Recommendations for advancing our knowledge by studying populations for whom the immune system plays an active role in disease pathophysiology, measuring disease-relevant immune mediators, studying pediatric patients under times of stress, and focusing on interventions aimed at altering the stress system are provided.

J Pediatr Psychol. 2007 Sep 10 Nassau JH, Tien K, Fritz GK. Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and The Walter Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.

The HomBRex database indexes basic research on homeopathy (www.carstens-stiftung.de/hombrex). It includes research on effects of homeopathic preparations in bioassays and physico-chemical effects of the homeopathic preparation process (potentization). At the end of 2006 it contained more than 1100 experiments in more than 900 original articles, including 1014 biological studies. The types of organisms used as laboratory "model" organisms in fundamental homeopathic research include animal, human, plant, fungi and microbial organisms. Most animal studies (607) were with rats (209) or mice (171). Most plant studies (171) were with wheat (52). The database catalogues whether the experiment was performed on intact organisms or in organs or cells, isolated and analyzed for changes in structure, function and subcellular composition. The database might be especially useful to facilitate a search for experimental models that have been used in the study of both proving and therapeutic experiments-ultimately in the research on the homeopathic similia principle.

Homeopathy. 2007 Oct;96(4):247-51. Van Wijk R, Albrecht H. Faculty of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Devra Ann Jacobs One of the most Influential "Now Age" Leaders

Devra Ann Jacobs is an author, speaker, and businesswoman. She founded and serves as editor-in-chief of Mystic Pop Magazine, the world's fastest growing publication in the Spirituality arena. Devra Ann Jacobs is also a literary agent with Waterside Productions a leading literary agency, as well as a public relations specialist representing both mainstream and higher consciousness authors at www.devrajacobs.com.

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Psychotherapist Belleruth Naparstek is a nationally recognized pioneer in the field of guided imagery and intuition. She is also the creator of the popular, Time Warner, twenty-title Health Journeys guided imagery audio tape series, which has sold nearly 700,000 copies. Her best selling first book, Staying Well with Guided Imagery, is a widely used primer for medical professionals and health consumers. Her second book, Your Sixth Sense, now out in soft cover, has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Polish, Turkish and Chinese, and has been called one of the more comprehensive and thoughtful looks at the nature of intuition.

For More Information visit: www.HealthJourneys.com

Five experiments tested the idea that instructing a witness to close their eyes during retrieval might increase retrieval success. In Experiment 1 participants watched a video, before a cued-recall test for which they were either instructed to close their eyes, or received no-instructions. Eye-closure led to an increase in correct cued-recall, with no increase in incorrect responses. Experiments 2-5 sought to test the generality of this effect over variations in study material (video or live interaction), test format (cued- or free-recall) and information modality (visual or auditory details recalled). Overall, eye-closure increased recall of both visual detail and auditory details, with no accompanying increase in recall of false details. Collectively, these data convincingly demonstrate the benefits of eye-closure as an aid to retrieval, and offer insight into why hypnosis, which usually involves eye-closure, may facilitate eyewitness recall.

Law Hum Behav. 2007 Sep 25 Perfect TJ, Wagstaff GF, Moore D, Andrews B, Cleveland V, Newcombe S, Brisbane KA, Brown L. School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK, tperfect@plymouth.ac.uk.

Listening to classical and self-selected relaxing music after exposure to a stressor should result in significant reductions in anxiety, anger, and sympathetic nervous system arousal, and increased relaxation compared to those who sit in silence or listen to heavy metal music. Fifty-six college students, 15 males and 41 females, were exposed to different types of music genres after experiencing a stressful test. Several 4 x 2 mixed design analyses of variance were conducted to determine the effects of music and silence conditions (heavy metal, classical, or self-selected music and silence) and time (pre-post music) on emotional state and physiological arousal. Results indicate listening to self-select or classical music, after exposure to a stressor, significantly reduces negative emotional states and physiological arousal compared to listening to heavy metal music or sitting in silence.

Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2007 Oct 27 Labbé E, Schmidt N, Babin J, Pharr M. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA, elabbe@usouthal.edu.

PURPOSE: A dietitian-administered, shortened form of the Apple and Agras cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) method was evaluated in a group setting to determine its effect on improving obese women's self-esteem and reducing binge-eating behaviours, depression, and negative body image. METHODS: Participants were recruited through newspaper and radio advertisements. Respondents who met study selection criteria were randomly assigned to either a CBT group (n=13) or a delayed group (D-CBT) (n=9). The treatment was administered over six weekly sessions to the CBT group, and then twice weekly over three weeks to the D-CBT group. Two measures of bingeing behaviour (severity and frequency), three measures of mood (depression, body image, and self-esteem), and body weight were assessed. RESULTS: The intervention did not result in any changes in body weight. There were statistically significant and clinically important changes after treatment (p<0.05) for all five measures. Binge-eating severity and frequency decreased, depression decreased, body image improved, and self-esteem improved. All changes were greater in the six-week treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The dietitian-administered, group setting CBT program is effective for reducing binge eating and improving emotional state in obese women.

Can J Diet Pract Res. 2007 Autumn;68(3):139-42. Shelley-Ummenhofer J, MacMillan PD. Integrated Health Centre, Penticton, BC.

This paper attempts to make use of brain computer interface (BCI) in implementing an application called the media communication center for the paralyzed people. The application is based on the event-related potential called P300 to perform button selections on media and communication programs such as the mp3 player, video player, photo gallery and e-book. One of the key issues in such system is the usability. We study how various tasks affect the application operation, in particular, how typical mental activities cause false trigger during the operation of the application. We study the false acceptance rate under the conditions of closing eyes, reading a book, listening to music and watching a video. Data from 5 subjects is used to obtain the false rejection rate and false acceptance rate of the BCI system. Our study shows that different mental activities show different impacts on the false acceptance performances.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:2954-7. Teo E, Huang A, Lian Y, Guan C, Li Y, Zhang H. Nat. Univ. of Singapore.

Lynda Cormier is first and foremost, an authentic, passionate coach. Her definition of "COACH" is someone who brings out the best in others, teams and opportunities. Lynda's inspiration comes from her genuine, uncompromising belief in people and their unlimited potential. As one of her clients has said "Meeting Lynda is like a breath of fresh air, listening to her is enlightening, participating in any one of her programs is an experience that impacts you immediately and yet stays with you forever."

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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.

Recent studies suggest that months to years of intensive and systematic meditation training can improve attention. However, the lengthy training required has made it difficult to use random assignment of participants to conditions to confirm these findings. This article shows that a group randomly assigned to 5 days of meditation practice with the integrative body-mind training method shows significantly better attention and control of stress than a similarly chosen control group given relaxation training. The training method comes from traditional Chinese medicine and incorporates aspects of other meditation and mindfulness training. Compared with the control group, the experimental group of 40 undergraduate Chinese students given 5 days of 20-min integrative training showed greater improvement in conflict scores on the Attention Network Test, lower anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue, and higher vigor on the Profile of Mood States scale, a significant decrease in stress-related cortisol, and an increase in immunoreactivity. These results provide a convenient method for studying the influence of meditation training by using experimental and control methods similar to those used to test drugs or other interventions.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Oct 23;104(43):17152-6. Tang YY, Ma Y, Wang J, Fan Y, Feng S, Lu Q, Yu Q, Sui D, Rothbart MK, Fan M, Posner MI. Institute of Neuroinformatics and Laboratory for Body and Mind, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, China.

Despite music's prominence in Western society and its importance to individuals in their daily lives, very little is known about the memories and emotions that are often evoked when hearing a piece of music from one's past. We examined the content of music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) using a novel approach for selecting stimuli from a large corpus of popular music, in both laboratory and online settings. A set of questionnaires probed the cognitive and affective properties of the evoked memories. On average, 30% of the song presentations evoked autobiographical memories, and the majority of songs also evoked various emotions, primarily positive, that were often felt strongly. The third most common emotion was nostalgia. Analyses of written memory reports found both general and specific levels of autobiographical knowledge to be represented, and several social and situational contexts for memory formation were common across many memories. The findings indicate that excerpts of popular music serve as potent stimuli for studying the structure of autobiographical memories.

Memory. 2007 Oct 26;:1-16 Janata P, Tomic ST, Rakowski SK. University of California, Davis, CA, USA.

Hypnosis has had a gradual conceptual emergence from an alleged mystical experience, to sleep, to a psychological shift in concentration that activates a preexisting neuro-physiological circuitry. Data are presented to support the thesis that hypnotizability exists on a spectrum that has biological as well as psychosocial components. When there is synchrony between the bio-psychosocial components of hypnotizability as measured by the Hypnotic Induction Profile (an intact flow), psychotherapy is the primary treatment strategy, with medication secondary or not at all. When measurement reveals a lack of synchrony between biological factors as measured by the Eye-Roll sign and psychosocial responsivity (a nonintact flow), medication will be primary, with different degrees of psychosocial support.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2007 Oct;55(4):387-410. Spiegel H. College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.

The mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm that is an indicator of preattentive processing was used to study the effects of concentrative meditation. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga meditation is a yogic exercise practiced in an ordered sequence beginning with breathing exercises, and ending with concentrative (Sahaj Samadhi) meditation. Auditory MMN waveforms were recorded at the beginning and after each of these practices for meditators, and equivalently after relaxation sessions for the nonmeditators. Overall meditators were found to have larger MMN amplitudes than nonmeditators. The meditators also exhibited significantly increased MMN amplitudes immediately after meditation suggesting transient state changes owing to meditation. The results indicate that concentrative meditation practice enhances preattentive perceptual processes, enabling better change detection in auditory sensory memory.

Neuroreport. 2007 Oct 29;18(16):1709-12. Srinivasan N, Baijal S. Centre for Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India.

This study investigated the ongoing effects of participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on quality of life (QL), symptoms of stress, mood and endocrine, immune and autonomic parameters in early stage breast and prostate cancer patients. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with breast cancer and 10 with prostate cancer enrolled in an eight-week MBSR program that incorporated relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga and daily home practice. Demographic and health behaviors, QL, mood, stress symptoms, salivary cortisol levels, immune cell counts, intracellular cytokine production, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were assessed pre- and post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Fifty-nine, 51, 47 and 41 patients were assessed pre- and post-intervention and at 6- and 12-month follow-up, respectively, although not all participants provided data on all outcomes at each time point. Linear mixed modeling showed significant improvements in overall symptoms of stress which were maintained over the follow-up period. Cortisol levels decreased systematically over the course of the follow-up. Immune patterns over the year supported a continued reduction in Th1 (pro-inflammatory) cytokines. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from pre- to post-intervention and HR was positively associated with self-reported symptoms of stress. CONCLUSIONS: MBSR program participation was associated with enhanced quality of life and decreased stress symptoms, altered cortisol and immune patterns consistent with less stress and mood disturbance, and decreased blood pressure. These pilot data represent a preliminary investigation of the longer-term relationships between MBSR program participation and a range of potentially important biomarkers.

Brain Behav Immun. 2007 Nov;21(8):1038-49. Carlson LE, Speca M, Faris P, Patel KD. Department of Psychosocial Resources, Tom Baker Cancer Centre Holy Cross Site, Alberta Cancer Board, 2202 Second St. S.W., Calgary, Alta., Canada T3B 0W7; Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has a small but growing database of support. One hundred and one heterogeneous outpatients reporting moderate to severe levels of anxiety or depression were randomly assigned to traditional cognitive therapy (CT) or to ACT. To maximize external validity, the authors utilized very minimal exclusion criteria. Participants receiving CT and ACT evidenced large, equivalent improvements in depression, anxiety, functioning difficulties, quality of life, life satisfaction, and clinician-rated functioning. Whereas improvements were equivalent across the two groups, the mechanisms of action appeared to differ. Changes in "observing" and "describing" one's experiences appeared to mediate outcomes for the CT group relative to the ACT group, whereas "experiential avoidance," "acting with awareness," and "acceptance" mediated outcomes for the ACT group. Overall, the results suggest that ACT is a viable and disseminable treatment, the effectiveness of which appears equivalent to that of CT, even as its mechanisms appear to be distinct.

Behav Modif. 2007 Nov;31(6):772-99. Forman EM, Herbert JD, Moitra E, Yeomans PD, Geller PA. Department of Psychology, Drexel University. evan.forman@drexel.edu.

a review by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

Stress Free Surgery

By Linda Thomson, Ph.D., M.S.N., C.P.N.P

Dr. Linda Thomson describes her two-CD set, Stress Free Surgery, as a "self relaxation program to help you prepare for and recover from surgery." The first CD is for listening prior to and during surgery. The second CD is for listening post-surgery. Each CD is approximately 40 minutes in length and they come packaged in an attractive, sturdy plastic case.

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In order to make a recommendation about the use of hypnosis as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of breast cancer, 2 studies assessing the immunological effects of hypnosis in patients with early stage breast cancer were evaluated: (a) an experiment that taught hypnotic guided-imagery therapy to patients and (b) one that provided participants with home visits and autogenic training. Both investigations demonstrated improvement in depression and increased natural killer (NK) cell counts after 2 months of hypnosis treatment. However, neither study determined the clinical significance of hypnosis in the setting of cancer, and therefore future experiments are needed to relate the immune-mediated effects of hypnosis to hard clinical outcomes like survival rates.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2007 Oct;55(4):411-25. Hudacek KD. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

People in low awareness states following profound brain injury typically demonstrate subtle changes in functional behaviors which challenge the sensitivity of measurement tools. Failure to identify and measure changes in functioning can lead to misdiagnosis and withdrawal of treatment with this population. Thus, the development of tools which are sensitive to responsiveness is of central concern. As the auditory modality has been found to be particularly sensitive in identifying responses indicating awareness, a convincing case can be made for music therapy as a treatment medium. However, little has been recommended about protocols for intervention or tools for measuring patient responses within the music therapy setting. This paper presents the rationale for an assessment tool specifically designed to measure responses in the music therapy setting with patients who are diagnosed as minimally conscious or in a vegetative state. Developed over fourteen years as part of interdisciplinary assessment and treatment, the music therapy assessment tool for low awareness states (MATLAS) contains fourteen items which rate behavioral responses across a number of domains. The tool can provide important information for interdisciplinary assessment and treatment particularly in the auditory and communication domains. Recommendations are made for testing its reliability and validity through research.

NeuroRehabilitation. 2007;22(4):319-24. Magee WL. Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, London, UK Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Kings College, London, UK.

Within the last decade there has been a dramatic increase in the sale and use of herbal supplements and food supplements by Western populations and within the UK. This increased usage has coincided with a resurgence of interest in nutritional therapy and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as herbal medicine, naturopathy and homeopathy, in which therapists may provide dietary advice and advocate the use of food or herbal supplements. The rise in the use of CAM therapies by the UK population can be attributed to several factors, including: promotion via health programmes and the media; a change in public attitudes; training of more nutritional and CAM therapists as a result of the increased availability of courses; a greater use of CAM and food and herbal supplements, particularly by patients with cancer. The aim of the present paper is to identify the pattern of usage of food and herbal supplements in the UK.

Proc Nutr Soc. 2007 Nov;66(4):479-82. Ritchie MR. The Herbal Medicine Research Unit, School of Life Sciences, Napier University, Edinburgh EH9 2TB, UK.

Pam facilitates transformation and healing for individuals and organizations through life coaching, shamanic practices, workshops and consultations. Her creative tools and practices--including therapeutic photography, writing and ritual--enhance consciousness, creativity, learning, communication and well-being.

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Alfred A. Barrios (B.S. Caltech 1955 in chemistry; Ph.D. UCLA 1969 in psychology) is Director of the Self-Programmed Control. He is the inventor of the Stress Control Biofeedback Card. In 1996, he was nominated for the Norman Cousins Award in Mind-Body Medicine and received the Cancer Federation Award in Psychoneuroimmunology. He is the author of Towards Greater Freedom & Happiness; The Habit Buster and The Stress Test. The latter, rose to number two on the Times best-seller list. His theory of hypnosis was recently published in Contemporary Hypnosis.

For more information visit: www.StressCards.com

Hypnotically assisted treatments have been used to reduce stress, improve gastrointestinal motility, strengthen immune function, and potentially reduce inflammation. Such treatments may also help reduce disease flares and improve quality of life in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The authors report the results of a case series of 8 white female patients with inactive IBD. All participants initiated and completed treatment, supporting the general acceptability of hypnotically assisted treatment among IBD patients. There was a significant improvement in IBD-quality of life scores for the group posttreatment, t(7) = -3.38, p = .01, with a mean improvement in quality of life of 29 points with significant changes in all 4 subscales. No negative effects of treatment were found. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2007 Oct;55(4):457-66. Keefer L, Keshavarzian A. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The study aimed to compare the effects of facial massage with that of foot massage on sleep induction and vital signs of healthy adults and to test a methodology that could be used by a lone researcher in such a study. A randomised within-group crossover pilot study of six healthy female volunteers was conducted. The interventions were a 20min foot and a 20min facial massage using peach-kernel base oil Prunus persica. A drop in systolic blood pressure of 8.5mmHg was recorded immediately after facial massage compared to that of 1mmHg recorded after foot massage. Both treatments were equally effective in reducing subjective levels of alertness during the interventions, with face massage marginally better at producing subjective sleepiness. A lone researcher using these methods would be able objectively to measure vital signs before and after interventions, but not during; and would be able subjectively to measure sleep induction in non-sleep-laboratory contexts.

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2007 Nov;13(4):266-75. Ejindu A. London South Bank University, Faculty of Health and Social Care, LSBU at Havering Campus, Gubbins Lane, Harold Wood, Romford, RM3 0BE, UK.

This article deals with non-pharmacological methods for the treatment of pain in children and adolescents: acupuncture, homeopathy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, massage, relaxation, heat therapy, and hypnosis. These specialized techniques are used separately, either alone or in association with pharmacological methods. They have the specificity of considering the patient as a whole, including the biological and psycho-affective aspects. These methods are being developed more often, increasingly used but are still far from being systematic. Arch Pediatr. 2007 Oct 9 Cunin-Roy C, Bienvenu M, Wood C. Unité d'évaluation et de traitement de la douleur, hôpital Robert-Debré, 48, boulevard Serrurier, 75019 Paris, France.

The mindfulness procedure Meditation on the Soles of the Feet can help individuals with mild mental retardation control aggressive behavior. In this study, our aim was to teach this mindfulness technique, using a multiple baseline design, to 3 individuals with moderate mental retardation who were at risk of losing their community placements because of their aggressive behavior. These individuals initially found the procedure difficult to comprehend because they could not easily visualize past anger-producing situations, but mastery was achieved when we incorporated recreating-the-scene as a prompt and added a discriminative stimulus on the soles of the participants' feet. Aggressive behavior decreased with mindfulness training, and follow-up data showed that they managed their aggressive behavior in the community for at least 2 years and thus were able to retain their community placements. Behav Modif. 2007 Nov;31(6):800-14. Singh NN, Lancioni GE, Winton AS, Adkins AD, Singh J, Singh AN. ONE Research Institute. nirbsingh52@aol.com.