Enhancing safety in hypnosis workshops is an issue of significant concern in the progress and promulgation of hypnosis as a facilitator of treatment. In general, hypnosis is a safe modality, but occasional adverse effects are encountered in its use in clinical, research, and professional workshop settings. To develop and implement modifications designed to reduce the number and/or severity of such unfortunate incidents in workshop settings, it is necessary to establish an awareness of the nature and implications of these adverse events. This article describes 9 categories of problem presentations known to have been generated in workshop settings. It also discusses a particular constellation of factors that--without imputing blame to either faculty or to workshop participants--creates powerful forces that minimize the likelihood that adverse effects will either be recognized by faculty or reported by workshop participants.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2012 Jan;54(3):213-32. Kluft RP. Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. rpkluft@aol.com