BACKGROUND: Hypnosis treatment in general practice is a rather new concept. This pilot study was performed to evaluate the effect of a standardized hypnosis treatment used in general practice for patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP). METHODS: The study was designed as a randomized control group-controlled study. Sixteen patients were randomized into a treatment group or a control group, each constituting eight patients. Seven patients in the treatment group completed the schedule. After the control period, five of the patients in the control group also received treatment, making a total of 12 patients having completed the treatment sessions. The intervention group went through a standardized hypnosis treatment with ten consecutive therapeutic sessions once a week, each lasting for about 30 minutes, focusing on ego-strengthening, relaxation, releasing muscular tension and increasing self-efficacy. A questionnaire was developed in order to calibrate the symptoms before and after the 10 weeks period, and the results were interpolated into a scale from 0 to 100, increasing numbers representing increasing suffering. Data were analyzed by means of T-tests. RESULTS: The treatment group improved from their symptoms, (change from 62.5 to 55.4), while the control group deteriorated, (change from 37.2 to 45.1), (p = 0,045). The 12 patients who completed the treatment showed a mean improvement from 51.5 to 41.6. (p = 0,046). One year later the corresponding result was 41.3, indicating a persisting improvement. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that hypnosis treatment may have a positive effect on pain and quality of life for patients with chronic muscular pain. Considering the limited number of patients, more studies should be conducted to confirm the results. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and released 27.08.07 Reg nr NCT00521807 Approval Number: 05032001.

BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2008 Sep 18;9:124. Grøndahl JR, Rosvold EO. Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. janrob@c2i.net

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of opiate drug addicts on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) continue using heroin and additional street drugs simultaneously. They constitute the most difficult to treat population in MMT centers as they present extremely difficult and negative behaviors as well as medical problems. Medical hypnosis is a proven effective medical intervention to alleviate pain, lessen anxieties, as well as being partially effective in treating nicotine addiction. One of its advantages is the ability to bypass the critical conscious drug addict's reluctance to the treatment process. AIMS: This article aims to describe a group hypnosis treatment of drug addicts and to present a clinical description of its outcomes and effectiveness in lessening simultaneous use of heroin and other street drugs among addicts on an MMT program. METHODS: The article describes the group hypnosis therapy for 10 methadone patients who continued street drug use, in two 5 patient groups consisting of 10 weekly sessions. Urine drug tests were checked at 3 points of time, before intervention, half a year after termination of hypnosis, and two years after. Follow-up also consisted of a semi-structured interview immediately after treatment termination to evaluate changes in emotional and functional status. RESULTS: One patient did not complete treatment due to a major operation, the remaining 9 (90%) completed treatment. All patients (100%) completely stopped use of any street drugs and results remained stable for 6 months after end of treatment. Two years after end of intervention, 7 out of the 9 (78%) remained clean of use of heroin, but 2 (22%) returned to partial use; 6 (67%) of the patients returned to partial use of benzodiazepines, none (0%) showed permanent use of marijuana or cocaine. CONCLUSIONS: As this article is a clinical description of an intervention on a small selected group of patients, the initial and partial results point to the possible potential of group hypnosis in the reduction of street drug use. Additional controlled research is needed in order to check the effectiveness of such an intervention on this specific group of patients.

Harefuah. 2008 Aug-Sep;147(8-9):679-83, 751. Kaminsky D, Rosca P, Budowski D, Korin Y, Yakhnich L. Department for the Treatment of Substance Abuse, Israel Ministry of Health.

To describe a formal process designed to determine the nature and extent of change that may enhance the depth of student learning in the pre-professional, clinical chiropractic environment. METHODS: Project teams in the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) School of Health Sciences and the Division of Chiropractic explored questions of clinical assessment in several health care disciplines of the School and the issue of implementing change in a manner that would be embraced by the clinicians who supervise student-learning in the clinical environment. The teams applied to RMIT for grant funding within the Learning and Teaching Investment Fund to support two proposed studies. RESULTS: Both research proposals were fully funded and are in process. DISCUSSION: The genesis of this work is the discovery that the predominant management plan in the chiropractic teaching clinics is based on diagnostic reductionism. It is felt this is counter-productive to the holistic dimensions of chiropractic practice taught in the classroom and non-supportive of chiropractic's paradigm shift towards wellness. A need is seen to improve processes around student assessment in the contemporary work-integrated learning that is a prime element of learning within the clinical disciplines of the School of Health Sciences, including chiropractic. CONCLUSION: Any improvements in the manner of clinical assessment within the chiropractic discipline will need to be accompanied by improvement in the training and development of the clinicians responsible for managing the provision of quality patient care by Registered Chiropractic Students.

J Chiropr Educ. 2008 Fall;22(2):152-60. Ebrall P, Draper B, Repka A. Division of Chiropractic RMIT University.

Theodore A. Benton, a liberal arts graduate from St. Edward's University and Boston University, is the founder of the original Benton's Hypnosis Clinic in Winchester, Massachusetts. He originally trained as a clinical hypnotherapist with the American Board of Hypnotherapy (ABH), the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT), and is a Certified Instructor for basic hypnotherapy certification programs with the American Board of Hypnotherapy. Benton also regularly undertakes APA-approved clinical hypnotherapy CEU's with Daniel Brown Ph.D., following his appointment at Winchester Hospital as staff clinical hypnotherapist. He also serves as a therapist-provider at the Department of Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston.

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