Tim Brunson DCH

Welcome to The International Hypnosis Research Institute Web site. Our intention is to support and promote the further worldwide integration of comprehensive evidence-based research and clinical hypnotherapy with mainstream mental health, medicine, and coaching. We do so by disseminating, supporting, and conducting research, providing professional level education, advocating increased level of practitioner competency, and supporting the viability and success of clinical practitioners. Although currently over 80% of our membership is comprised of mental health practitioners, we fully recognize the role, support, involvement, and needs of those in the medical and coaching fields. This site is not intended as a source of medical or psychological advice. Tim Brunson, PhD

Chronic low-back pain modulation is enhanced by hypnotic analgesic suggestion...



FULL TITLE: Chronic low-back pain modulation is enhanced by hypnotic analgesic suggestion by recruiting an emotional network: a PET imaging study.

This study aimed to characterize the neural networks involved in patients with chronic low-back pain during hypnoanalgesia. PET was performed in 2 states of consciousness, normal alertness and hypnosis. Two groups of patients received direct or indirect analgesic suggestion. The normal alertness state showed activations in a cognitive-sensory pain modulation network, including frontotemporal cortex, insula, somatosensory cortex, and cerebellum. The hypnotic state activated an emotional pain modulation network, including frontotemporal cortex, insula, caudate, accumbens, lenticular nuclei, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Direct suggestion activated cognitive processes via frontal, prefrontal, and orbitofrontal cortices, while indirect suggestion activated a widespread and more emotional network including frontal cortex, anterior insula, inferior parietal lobule, lenticular nucleus, and ACC. Confirmed by visual analog scale data, these results suggest that chronic pain modulation is greater with hypnosis, which enhances both activated networks.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jan;59(1):27-44. Nusbaum F, Redouté J, Le Bars D, Volckmann P, Simon F, Hannoun S, Ribes G, Gaucher J, Laurent B, Sappey-Marinier D. University of Lyon II, Laboratoire Santé-Individu-Société, 5 avenue Pierre Mendès France – Bâtiment K – 69500 Bron, France. f.nusbaum@wanadoo.fr

Acupoint stimulation device using focused ultrasound.



Acupuncture is used widely in oriental medicine. But it is difficult to stimulate continuously or intermittently in daily life with conventional acupuncture. An acupoint stimulation device using focused ultrasound has been developed. Because the device size is about 6 mm in diameter, it can be easily put on the skin during daily life. Appropriate stimulation intensity and pattern can be chosen by changing driving voltage and pattern. In this paper, we stimulated acupoints with this device and measured the blood flow volume of brachial artery. As a result, the blood flow volume increased significantly as well as acupuncture. Because the device stimulate acupoints with intactness of skin, advantages of this device is free from infection and fear and pain by insertion of acupuncture needles.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2010;1:1258-61. Tsuruoka N, Watanabe M, Seki T, Matsunaga T, Hagaa Y. Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

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