Art Leidecker is a Board Certified Hypnotherapist/Instructor with the National Guild of Hypnotists, a Certified Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) Instructor, and President of the International Association of Medical and Therapeutic Specialists.

Along with teaching Certification Courses to new hypnotists, he has also trained doctors, psychologists, counselors, and hypnotherapists.

He has worked extensively with group workshops in self-esteem, motivation, and weight loss, as well as individual counseling.

He has received the National Guild of Hypnotists Instructor of the Year award and the Mid-America Hypnosis Conference Hypnotist of the Year award. He has presented workshops at: the National Guild of Hypnotists Convention, the Mid-America Hypnosis Conference for Hypnotists, the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Convention, and is available for public speaking engagements, corporate programs, and international consulting.

Art has studied and researched in: Egypt, China, Turkey, Cypress, Israel, Greece, Europe, Central America, South America, and throughout the U.S. He's been a consultant to Paramount Pictures, MGM Studios, Columbia Pictures, HBO Cannon, and Embassy Pictures. He has appeared on TV and radio and has also been recognized in Time Magazine.

Art's an active presenter for Chicago Marriage Encounter and other spiritually directed organizations. For the past twenty years he has worked with recovering alcoholics and addicts, with couple relationships in a variety of 12-step programs, and cancer patients. He is currently on the Illinois Legislative Committee for Hypnotherapists and a board member for the Mid-America Conference.

For more information, visit www.brightfuture.org

The use of estrogen and progesterone to manage vasomotor symptoms (ie, hot flashes and night sweats) has declined because of concerns about their risks, and there is an increased interest in alternate, effective, and low-risk treatments. This study reports the results of a randomized controlled trial of clinical hypnosis for treating vasomotor symptoms among postmenopausal women. This is a randomized, single-blind, controlled, clinical trial involving 187 postmenopausal women reporting a minimum of seven hot flashes per day (or at least 50 hot flashes a week) at baseline between December 2008 and April 2012. Eligible participants received five weekly sessions of either clinical hypnosis or structured-attention control. Primary outcomes were hot flash frequency (subjectively and physiologically recorded) and hot flash score assessed by daily diaries on weeks 2 to 6 and week 12. Secondary outcomes included measures of hot flash-related daily interference, sleep quality, and treatment satisfaction. In a modified intent-to-treat analysis that included all randomized participants who provided data, reported subjective hot flash frequency from baseline to week 12 showed a mean reduction of 55.82 (74.16%) hot flashes for the clinical hypnosis intervention versus a mean reduction of 12.89 (17.13%) hot flashes for controls (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 36.15-49.67). The mean reduction in hot flash score was 18.83 (80.32%) for the clinical hypnosis intervention as compared with 3.53 (15.38%) for controls (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 12.60-17.54). At 12-week follow-up, the mean reduction in physiologically monitored hot flashes was 5.92 (56.86%) for clinical hypnosis and 0.88 (9.94%) for controls (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 2.00-5.46). Secondary outcomes were significantly improved compared with controls at 12-week follow-up: hot flash-related interference (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 2.74-4.02), sleep quality (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 3.65-5.84), and treatment satisfaction (P < 0.001; 95% CI, 7.79-8.59). Compared with structured-attention control, clinical hypnosis results in significant reductions in self-reported and physiologically measured hot flashes and hot flash scores in postmenopausal women.

Menopause. 2013 Mar;20(3):291-8. doi: 10.1097/GME.0b013e31826ce3ed. Elkins GR, Fisher WI, Johnson AK, Carpenter JS, Keith TZ. Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA. Gary_Elkins@baylor.edu

by Tim Brunson, PhD

Albert Einstein once said that you can never solve a problem while being in the same state in which you created it. While he most likely was not talking about helping therapy clients or the treatment of medical patients, he very well could have been. When people seek professional help for resolving a mental or physical condition they often seem to be mired in excessive negativity. Somehow they expect respite despite their obsession with associating fully into the condition that they are hoping to escape. Unfortunately, what they are doing is further reinforcing their problems. Breaking this pattern is the major role of the healer.

Recently I saw a very interesting lady. She was morbidly obese and had breathing problems as well as a host of stress-related issues and a plethora of medical concerns. Although she was several years younger than me, she appeared to be my senior by at least a decade. She was officially drawing disability payments. On top of that she had a life-long severe smoking addiction – which was the presenting problem that prompted the appointment.

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He is perhaps best known for his book Tai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate and as a senior student of the great tai chi teacher Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing.

Lawrence Galante is also known in the healing arts as one of the founders, directors, and teachers of the Atlantic Academy of Classical Homeopathy, which offered classes and certification in homeopathy, as well as lectures by internationally renowned homeopaths.

He has taught, studied and practiced martial and healing arts for over 40 years and has a deep understanding for how these disciplines complement each other. As a result, in consultations and workshops he frequently uses more than one discipline depending on the needs of the client.

Currently, he offers Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Homeopathy, Hypnosis, and Reiki classes, workshops, and consultations in New York City as well as at conferences throughout the United States. He is a Certified Instructor for the National Guild of Hypnotists, the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, and the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and a member of the New York State Homeopathic Association and the American Polarity Therapy Association. In addition, he is a Certified Stress Management Consultant.

For more information, visit www.Holistic-Arts.com.

Chronic pain is a common presentation to general practice. This article explores the role of the mind in the experience of pain and describes how mind-body techniques can be used in the management of chronic pain. The mind, emotions and attention play an important role in the experience of pain. In patients with chronic pain, stress, fear and depression can amplify the perception of pain. Mind-body approaches act to change a person's mental or emotional state or utilise physical movement to train attention or produce mental relaxation. They are occasionally used as a sole treatment, but more commonly as adjuncts to other therapies. Mind-body approaches include progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, laughter, mindfulness based approaches, hypnosis, guided imagery, yoga, biofeedback and cognitive behavioural therapy. Studies have shown that mind-body approaches can be effective in various conditions associated with chronic pain, however levels of evidence vary. Group delivered courses with healthcare professional input may have more beneficial effects than individual therapy. General practitioners are well placed to recommend or learn and provide a range of mind-body approaches to improve outcomes for patients with chronic pain.

Aust Fam Physician. 2013 Mar;42(3):112-7. Hassed C. MBBS, FRACGP, is Senior Lecturer, Department of General Practice, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria.

by Tim Brunson, PhD

During my training as a professional hypnotherapist and during the many years that led to my instructor status involving Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I constantly heard my teachers espousing the wonders of Dr. Milton H. Erickson. Yes, it was Erickson, who has been called the Father of American Hypnotherapy, who gave us tremendous insights into permissive approaches to hypnosis. However, as the cult of Ericksonian followers emerged, it seems that an entire universe of very effective hypnosis was completely whitewashed from the realm of clinical application. Indeed, many authors and self-styled experts – to include international associations that claim the authority to certify hypnotherapists – fail to recognize the power of relatively rapid and direct approaches to using suggestion and imagination to heal the mind and body.

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Meta-analyses consistently reveal that most of the response to antidepressant treatment can be obtained by placebo, and the difference between response to the drug and the response to any treatment is not clinically significant for most individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Furthermore, the best predictor of antidepressant efficacy is the response to placebo during the so-called placebo run-in period. It can also be shown that a significant portion of the placebo effect is expectancy. These data thus indicate that suggestion is a central factor in treating depression. Therefore, the use of hypnosis, which is based on suggestion, as a treatment adjunct can be expected to enhance treatment outcome.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2013 Jan;55(3):221-9. Kirsch I, Low CB. University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom. i.kirsch@hull.ac.uk

Joyce Fern Glasser is licensed in Florida as a Mental Health Counselor with hundreds of hours of training in the use of hypnosis and almost 20 years of experience using it.

Dr. Glasser specializes in the use of a powerful form of psychotherapy called "Systematic Neuro Linguistic Reprogramming", referenced here more simply as "Core Healing".

Dr. Glasser is a member of the Florida Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

For more information, please go to: http://www.drjoyceglasser.com.

Eros, as few only would doubt about it, takes part in the deepest and most intimate area of the human being. Our contemporaries attach great importance to sexuality, but feed the illusion that mastering it could lead to miracles in the couple. We suggest that giving up control and committing himself to fully listening to the patient, the physician will be able to orient him in the blind rules of desire and to accept fortuity. Unexpected (?) accident, dream, hypnosis, often powerfully catalyze changes. Some clinical situations are described in this article with their evolution as consultations develop, without foreseeing their interpretation.

Rev Med Suisse. 2013 Mar 20;9(378):620-3. Stauffacher M, Godat A. cestms@bluewin.ch

by Tim Brunson, PhD

The preceding presents a strong case concerning the efficacy of hypnosis to create actual structural changes to the brain and the rest of the body. Of course, this requires the bypass of resistance and the creation of increasingly efficient selective thinking. The latter is the same as the meaning and imagination function found in the R-OFC. It is through the manipulation of carefully selected imagery that the clinician can create appropriate input, which instigates the desired self-learning in the affected patterns. This process transforms neuro-physiological patterns.

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This article considers the controversy over the effectiveness of treatment with antidepressant medication versus placebo. In this journal issue, Kirsch and Low find that antidepressants were not clinically significantly more effective than placebo except possibly for persons with severe depression, as measured by score changes on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). The present article summarizes some selected research studies that reach different conclusions, finding effective treatment outcomes with use of antidepressants, including a different meta-analysis of antidepressant drug trials that showed medication has a small, but nevertheless clinically significant effect over placebo use. Also briefly reviewed are selected studies that compare the effects of combined treatment using anti-depressants and psychotherapy, vs. placebo, compared to the use of medication alone.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2013 Jan;55(3):230-5. Hollander HE. harriethollander@msn.com

Kathryn McGlynn, CHt. is a professionally trained Certified Hypnotist, certified through the National Guild of Hypnotists and the American Board of Hypnotherapy. Additionally, she received certification as a HypnoBirthing childbirth educator in 1998, training personally with Marie Mongan, founder of HypnoBirthing and the HypnoBirthing InstituteSM . Kathryn is an affiliate of the HypnoBirthing Institute.

Kathryn is one of the few HypnoBirthing educators in Massachusetts who is also a practicing professional hypnotist . Additionally, she employs a simple energy therapy, EFT, that blends perfectly with hypnosis.

A member of the American Holistic Health Association, Massachusetts Friends of Midwives, and International Association of Counselors & Therapists, Kathryn's involvement in the field of holistic and complementary health care spans nearly thirty years.

For more information, please visit http://www.joes.com/home/HYPNOBIRTHING/.

Eighty-five smokers chose either a group or individual treatment using manualized hypnosis. Abstinence rates in group treatment at follow-up are 19.6% in comparison to 13.8% in individual treatment. This difference did not reach statistical significance. It is concluded that group treatment is as effective as the better established individual treatment and therefore can be seen as an alternative approach in smoking cessation using hypnosis.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013 Apr;61(2):146-61. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.753824. Riegel B. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. b.riegel@uke.de

by Tim Brunson, PhD

The Tibetan Buddhist meditation system has been used extensively as a subject of scientific study by Benson (2000), Newberg (2001), and others. Like all major meditation systems, there are essentially two components. The first is called shamatha or calm-abiding. This is when the meditator is expected to be able to quite the mind for increasingly longer periods of time. As the ACC is constantly transitioning between thoughts and ideas, the challenge is for the meditator to gradually slow down the thought-switching process. When a meditator detects an intervening thought, the goal is to gently return to the subject of the meditation, such as the breath.

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Rebecca Sadler, LPC, NCC, NBCCH is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Certified Hypnotherapist. Rebecca received her Masters of Arts in Counseling from Gallaudet University and has been a practicing Mental Health Therapist for 15 years. Rebecca has a wide range of expertise due to her intensive experiences in community mental health agencies. Having been an outstanding professional clinician for more than a decade, she has earned the respect and admiration of her clients and colleagues alike. In the course of her clinical work, Rebecca has provided supervision and training to mental health professionals as well as to interns and graduate students in the field of Counseling.

Rebecca provides counseling, hypnotherapy and advocacy to individuals, couples, families, and groups throughout the Metro DC Area. Rebecca helps people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, work/school issues, domestic abuse, adjustment to change, post-traumatic stress disorders, and issues related to substance abuse and sexual orientation. In addition to Counseling techniques, Rebecca uses Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Eye Movement Integration (EMI) in her practice when it is appropriate.

For more information, please go to http://www.deninger.com/