The spirit of hypnosis is reflected in the belief that people are more resourceful than they realize and through hypnosis can create meaningful possibilities. Thus, it is puzzling why hypnosis isn't better regarded. Do we present as too internally conflicted to inspire others' confidence? Do we overstate the dangers of hypnosis and scare people away? Do we define hypnosis as such a unique approach that others don't see its relevance for their work? Self-exploration is important if we want to ensure we are not unwittingly adding to our image problems as a field. Beyond these considerations, the novel and spirited application of hypnosis in the context of captive elephant breeding is discussed, as is a personal acknowledgment of some of the pioneers who manifested the spirit of hypnosis.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2014 Jan;56(3):234-48. Yapko MD.

Hypnotherapy can address the biopsychosocial aspects of disability-related pain, although the available evidence is limited in quality and quantity. Meta-analytic techniques were utilised to evaluate 10 controlled studies. Hypnotherapy produced significant short-term improvements in fatigue, pain experience and affect. However, a lack of significance was noted at 3- to 6-month follow-up. A beneficial effect size (dw = 0.53; confidence interval = 0.28-0.84) in comparison to control conditions was reported, although comparability with other cognitive-behavioural treatments could not be confirmed across the few studies reporting this data (dw = 0.06; confidence interval = -0.33 to 0.45). The findings highlight the need for further controlled and longitudinal research in this area.

J Health Psychol. 2014 May 1. Bowker E(1), Dorstyn D. Author information: (1)University of Adelaide, Australia.

Dr. Paulsen is a clinical and consulting psychologist. He has helped numerous people on their extraordinary healing journeys. She is a senior practitioner and instructor of advanced EMDR procedures and ego state therapy. She has trained hundreds of mental health professionals in these procedures.

Within the hypnosis field, there is a disparity between clinical and research worldviews. Clinical practitioners work with patients who are dealing with serious, often unique, real-world problems-lived experience. Researchers adhere to objective measurements, standardization, data, and statistics. Although there is overlap, an ongoing divergence can be counterproductive to the hypnosis field and to the larger professional and social contexts. The purpose of this article is: (1) to examine some of the major assumptions, the history, and the philosophy that undergird the definition of science, which was constructed in the mid-17th century; (2) to discover how science is a product of prevailing social forces and is undergoing a paradigm shift; and (3) to understand the more encompassing, holistic paradigm with implications for the hypnosis field.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2014 Jan;56(3):216-33. Osowiec DA.

Full title: Digital detection for tobacco control: online reactions to the 2009 U.S. cigarette excise tax increase.

INTRODUCTION: The Internet is revolutionizing tobacco control, but few have harnessed the Web for surveillance. We demonstrate for the first time an approach for analyzing aggregate Internet search queries that captures precise changes in population considerations about tobacco. METHODS: We compared tobacco-related Google queries originating in the United States during the week of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 2009 cigarette excise tax increase with a historic baseline. Specific queries were then ranked according to their relative increases while also considering approximations of changes in absolute search volume. RESULTS: Individual queries with the largest relative increases the week of the SCHIP tax were "cigarettes Indian reservations" 640% (95% CI, 472-918), "free cigarettes online" 557% (95% CI, 432-756), and "Indian reservations cigarettes" 542% (95% CI, 414-733), amounting to about 7,500 excess searches. By themes, the largest relative increases were tribal cigarettes 246% (95% CI, 228-265), "free" cigarettes 215% (95% CI, 191-242), and cigarette stores 176% (95% CI, 160-193), accounting for 21,000, 27,000, and 90,000 excess queries. All avoidance queries, including those aforementioned themes, relatively increased 150% (95% CI, 144-155) or 550,000 from their baseline. All cessation queries increased 46% (95% CI, 44-48), or 175,000, around SCHIP; including themes for "cold turkey" 19% (95% CI, 11-27) or 2,600, cessation products 47% (95% CI, 44-50) or 78,000, and dubious cessation approaches (e.g., hypnosis) 40% (95% CI, 33-47) or 2,300. CONCLUSIONS: The SCHIP tax motivated specific changes in population considerations. Our strategy can support evaluations that temporally link tobacco control measures with instantaneous population reactions, as well as serve as a springboard for traditional studies, for example, including survey questionnaire design.

Nicotine Tob Res. 2014 May;16(5):576-83. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntt186. Ayers JW(1), Althouse BM, Ribisl KM, Emery S. Author information: (1)Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA;

by Tim Brunson PhD

Over the past several centuries there have been multiple definitions of the word hypnosis. Yet these definitions too often reflect empirical observations rather than a true understanding the nature of hypnosis.

Looking at how history allowed the concept of hypnosis to evolve can provide at least a partial understanding of its essence. Unfortunately, the history of hypnosis normally starts off with an inaccurate myth. Many accord Anton Mesmer, MD, as the "Father of Modern Hypnosis" (Mesmer, 1980). Yet after reading his original works, it is fairly obvious that his activities can be more closely explained by the present practice of energy psychology and energy medicine rather than what is known as hypnosis today. Even though his patients responded to suggestion and many went into some type of altered state, this does not necessarily qualify him for his esteemed place in the history of hypnosis.

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Christine Clarke-Swift is a speaker, trainer, Certified Hypnotist, Life Strategist Coach, Certified HypnoBirthing(R) Practitioner and a NGH Certified Instructor . She achieved a MS in Community Psychology and BS in Human Services. Christine draws on her 16 years experience in the field of Human Services as well as 20 years of experience in the world of business to fortify her career as a Certified Hypnotist, Coach and business co-owner of OnTrac Hypnosis and Wellness Center.

Her passion for empowering people and her many years of personal development enriches the value she brings to being a Certified Hypnotist and Life Strategist Coach. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College School of Human Services, Northern Essex Community College and conducted training to local organizations in the areas of Communication, Conflict, Stress Management and Self-Development. Christine is dedicated to helping people enhance their quality of life through education and raising awareness that life is about choices and we choose how we want to live.

Dental anxiety can be a hindrance to treatment. It is prevalent, so helping patients to overcome it should not be regarded as the province of a specialist. Hypnosis can be effective but is underused. A comparison of the conscious, alert state and hypnosis/nitrous oxide sedation is shown by electroencephalogram examples. The benefits and drawbacks of the use of hypnosis are discussed and suggestions of ways of learning and using hypnosis outlined.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This paper is an overview of the common problem of dental anxiety and a pragmatic approach to overcoming it using hypnotherapy.

Dent Update. 2014 Jan-Feb;41(1):78-80, 83. Griffiths M.

Full title: The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background/Aims: Hypnotherapy is considered as a promising intervention for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the evidence is still limited. The aims of this study were to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the efficacy of hypnotherapy for the treatment of IBS. Methods: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL database). Only randomized controlled trials that compared hypnotherapy with any other conven-tional treatment or no treatment in patients with IBS were included. Studies had to report outcomes as IBS symptom score or quality of life. The mean change in outcome score was used to pool these outcomes for the meta-analysis. Data were syn-thesized using the standardized mean difference for continuous data. Results: Seven randomized controlled trials (6 papers) involving 374 patients with IBS were identified. Performance bias was high in all trials because it was impossible to blind participants and therapists in this type of intervention. The outcomes in this meta-anal-ysis were evaluated at 3 months for short-term effects and at 1 year for long-term effects. The change in abdominal pain score at 3 months was significant in the hypnotherapy group (standardized mean difference, -0.83; 95% CI, -1.65 to -0.01). Three of the 4 trials showed greater improvement in overall gastrointestinal symptoms in the hypnotherapy group. Conclusions: This study provides clearer evidence that hypnotherapy has beneficial short-term effects in improving gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with IBS.

J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Apr 30;20(2):152-162. doi: 10.5056/jnm.2014.20.2.152. Lee HH(1), Choi YY(2), Choi MG(1). Author information: (1)Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. (2)Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Maltz was an American cosmetic surgeon. He authored Pscho-Cybernetics in 1960. His book contained a system of ideas that he claimed could improve a person's self-image and lead to a more successful and fulfilling life. He influenced many subsequent self-help instructors and helped develop the self-help genre. Dr. Maltz died in 1975.

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a perceptual experience where graphemes, letters or words evoke a specific color, which are experienced either as spatially coincident with the grapheme inducer (projector sub-type) or elsewhere, perhaps without a definite spatial location (associator sub-type). Here, we address the question of whether synesthesia can be rapidly produced using a hypnotic color suggestion to examine the possibility of "hypnotic synesthesia", i.e., subjectively experienced color hallucinations similar to those experienced by projector synesthetes. We assess the efficacy of this intervention using an "embedded figures" test, in which participants are required to detect a shape (e.g., a square) composed of local graphemic elements. For grapheme-color synesthetes, better performance on the task has been linked to a higher proportion of graphemes perceived as colored. We found no performance benefits on this test when using a hypnotic suggestion, as compared to a no-suggestion control condition. The same result was found when participants were separated according to the degree to which they were susceptible to the suggestion (number of colored trials perceived). However, we found a relationship between accuracy and subjective reports of color in those participants who reported a large proportion of colored trials: trials in which the embedded figure was accurately recognized (relative to trials in which it was not) were associated with reports of more intense colors occupying a greater spatial extent. Collectively, this implies that hypnotic color was only perceived after shape detection rather than aiding in shape detection via color-based perceptual grouping. The results suggest that hypnotically induced colors are not directly comparable to synesthetic ones.

Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Apr 28;8:220. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00220. Anderson HP(1), Seth AK(2), Dienes Z(1), Ward J(1). Author information: (1)School of Psychology, University of Sussex Brighton, UK ; Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex Brighton, UK. (2)School of Psychology, University of Sussex Brighton, UK ; School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex Brighton, UK.

A young male patient was successfully treated for parasomnia overlap disorder (POD) using hypnosis. In 2006, this 16-year-old patient underwent a clinical evaluation for episodes of sleep talking, sleepwalking, and dream enactment. This initial assessment was followed by polysomnographic evaluation, a brain MRI, and three sessions of treatment using hypnosis. From the beginning, until the last contact in December 2011, benefits from the hypnotic suggestions were noted and documented.

Behav Sleep Med. 2014 Apr 16:1-10. Kohler WC(1), Kurz PJ, Kohler EA. Author information: (1)a Florida Sleep Institute , Spring Hill.

by Tim Brunson PhD

Transformation is the act of nullifying dysfunctional or unwanted patterns and replacing them with functional and desired ones. For transformation to occur, both processes must be considered. One without the other will assure failure. For instance, the strength of neuro-physiological patterns related to smoking must first be disempowered. Then the clinician or a person doing self-treatment will quickly notice that the opportunity for success will be greatly improved when they replace them with more powerful ones having a more pronounced emotional/feeling intensity. Indeed, neurophysiologists specializing in Transcranial Magnetics (TCM) realize that the virtual lesions that they create in the brains of their virtual patients will quickly get filled in by surrounding neurons or brain functions (Walsh & Pascual-Leone, 2003). Likewise, when an unwanted neuro-physiological pattern loses its strength there is a natural tendency for it to reappear – or be replaced with another dysfunctional one such as overeating – should it not be quickly replaced with a stronger one of the subject's choosing.

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Jacob Bimblich is a Life Member of the National Psychiatric Association, and a Fellow and Charter Member of the Academy of Scientific Hypnotherapy for his meritorious contributions to hypnotherapy. He was also past president of the New York Society for Ethical Hypnosis. For the past 17 years he has been a faculty member of the National Guild of Hypnotists. He is also the president of the National Guild Of Hypnotists' New York City Chapter.

He has met all the qualifications and became a member of the American Guild of Hypnotists, Hypnotist Examining Council, American Board of Hypnotherapy, National Society Of Clinical Hypnotherapists, World Congress of professional Hypnotists, American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists, National Board for Hypnotic Anesthesiology, New York State Hypnotherapy Association, Association For Past Life Research And Therapy, Guild of Ethical Hypnotists, American Association of Professional Hypnologists, AAPHR Hypnosis Hall Of Fame and the Greater New England Academy of Hypnosis.

He is the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Hypnosis and Holistic Sciences. In addition, a thirty year member of Mensa and past member of its Board of Directors.

For the past 19 years, he has been a faculty member of the National Guild of Hypnotists' Conventions. He is also president of the NYC Chapter of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, and member of its convention faculty.

For more information, visit jacobbimblich.com

by Tim Brunson, PhD

This article discusses the relevance of hypnotherapy in the Age of Science while covering the rationale behind incorporating hypnotherapy into counseling techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

As individuals and as societies, we live in a subjectively delusional world of our own making while simultaneously claiming that we have the ability to remove the rough edges that come in the form of suffering. Due to the limits of our perceptual abilities, the fact that our memories are constantly being updated, and coupled with our constant desire to paint our future in our minds, we exist in a cocoon that we only believe to be real. Yet this existence is often fraught with feelings of inadequacies or physical and mental suffering. Those who consider themselves to be professionals in the healing and helping fields seek to move their subjects toward a stasis of reality that is likewise subjectively delusional. They call the process therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is widely considered one of the most capable methods for achieving these therapeutic goals. It is in this environment that if looked at appropriately, there is a high probability that the proper use of the hypnotic process can enhance mental health interventions.

In the Western world, the history of mankind has always been dominated by a desire to discern truth and reality. Before the 1300's, this effort was largely a religious one. However, since the Black Death, the belief that empiricism and rationality (i.e. science) alone could help us find a reality to which we must align has been our predominant mindset. This bias decries the fact that historical epistemological tendencies also include historical, idealism, and constructivism, which leads me to believe that science may in fact not have all the answers. While scientific thinking predominates at the moment, it is limited by human sensory capabilities and the current state of perceptual instrument technology in conjunction with the restrictions of contemporary rational methodologies. Therefore, scientists are most likely not seeing a complete picture while too often pontificating what is good science and what is pseudoscience. Nevertheless, as science is the predominant mode of analysis when it comes to discovering reality, it must be respected.

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Abstract Myths or misconceptions concerning hypnosis are regarded among the major barriers to effective implementation of hypnosis. Contemporary hypnotherapists are expected to elicit patients' misconceptions and to provide explanations that distinguish between mystical and scientific perceptions of hypnosis and that offer a picture of the state of the art of hypnosis. Dealing with misconceptions on a rational and cognitive level seems to have the ability to change a patient's conscious knowledge and understanding of hypnosis. Nevertheless, deeply rooted and emotionally saturated misbeliefs with historical-cultural origins still prevail. This article focuses on the prehypnotic phase of therapy and proposes remythification to deal with the myth of hypnosis. This approach aims to promote the hypnotherapeutic process by utilizing myth-related misconceptions.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(3):378-93. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.901090. Meyerson J. Author information: a Tel Aviv University , Israel.

Full title: A systematic review: non-pharmacological interventions in treating pain in patients with advanced cancer.

AIMS: To assess and synthesize the evidence of the effects and safety of non-pharmacological interventions in treating pain in patients with advanced cancer. BACKGROUND: Pain is a common symptom experienced by patients with advanced cancer; the treatment of such pain is often suboptimal. To manage it, non-pharmacological interventions are recommended after pharmacological treatments have been re-evaluated and modified. However, there remains a lack of knowledge about the effects and safety of such interventions. DESIGN: A systematic review was conducted based on the procedure of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. DATA SOURCES: Research papers published between 2000-2013 were identified from the following databases: CINAHL, MEDIC, MEDLINE (Ovid) and PsycINFO. The references in the selected studies were searched manually. REVIEW METHODS: The studies selected were reviewed for quality, using Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Review Group risk of bias assessment criteria. RESULTS: There was limited evidence that some of the non-pharmacological interventions were promising with respect to reducing cancer pain. Relatively, few adverse events were reported as a result of using such interventions. CONCLUSION: It was not possible to draw conclusions about the effects and safety of the non-pharmacological interventions in reducing cancer pain. Some interventions showed promising short-term effects, but there is a need for more rigorous trials. Qualitative studies are required to collect information about patients' perceptions. There are several research gaps: we found no studies about music, spiritual care, hypnosis, active coping training, cold or ultrasonic stimulation.

J Adv Nurs. 2014 Apr 15. doi: 10.1111/jan.12424. Hökkä M(1), Kaakinen P, Pölkki T. Author information: (1)Institution of Health Sciences, University of Oulu, Finland.

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mental Health, Medical, and Personal Coaching Practitioners:

Earn your Advanced Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (ACCH) professional certification by completing our Advanced Neuro-Noetic Hypnosis Certification Program.

$200 ANNH tuition discount through July 31, 2014

Also, if you are a Licensed Professional Counselor and need continuing education for your NBCC NCC (or other NBCC certifications), you may earn up to 84 NBCC CE Clock Hours through this program. CE Clock Hours are incrementally awarded each time that you complete one of the 12 ANNH courses. Courses are taught on line in Distance Learning format. You may complete lessons at your convenience within six months of applying for a particular course. This program is flexible. Therefore, you may easily delay taking subsequent courses if your professional schedule dictates that you need to pause your progress between courses.

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Full title: Effects of hypnotic analgesia and virtual reality on the reduction of experimental pain among high and low hypnotizables.

Abstract This research compared a no-treatment control condition and 3 experimentally induced pain treatment conditions: (a) virtual reality distraction (VRD), (b) hypnotic analgesia (HA), and (c) HA + VRD in relieving finger-pressure pain. After receiving baseline pain stimulus, each participant received hypnosis or no hypnosis, followed by VRD or no VRD during another pain stimulus. The data analysis indicated that, overall, all 3 treatments were more effective compared to the control group, irrespective of whether it involved hypnotic analgesia, virtual reality distraction, or both (hypnosis and virtual reality). Nevertheless, the participants responded differently to the pain treatment, depending on the hypnotizability level. High hypnotizables reported hypnotic analgesia, but low hypnotizables did not show hypnotic analgesia. VR distraction reduced pain regardless of hypnotizability.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(3):360-77. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.901087. Enea V(1), Dafinoiu I, Opri? D, David D. Author information: (1)a "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Ia?i , Romania.

This case study details how hypnosis aided fixed role therapy (HAFRT) was employed in the successful treatment of a case of social phobia with a history of refractory outcomes to previous therapy trials. The treatment consisted of 10 office sessions, scheduled every two weeks, of HAFRT along with twice a day self-hypnotic sessions where the patient performed multiple visualization rehearsals of the vignettes that were successfully mastered in hypnosis during office visits. The results indicated that this patient was able to engage in social and professional affairs that were impossible prior to treatment. The patient retained the therapy gains at follow up 6 months later.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2014 Apr;56(4):405-12. Iglesias A, Iglesias A.

by Tim Brunson PhD

Previously I've discussed resistance as a systemic concept involving all humans. This belies the fact that resistance may be of a subjective nature since the intensity varies between individuals. For instance, neuroimaging has clearly shown that the predominant locus of brain activity is different from one person to the next. This could mean that due to damage, the environmental situation, or personality, certain substrates may be used or function more frequently than others. However, differences in predominate subjective substrate organization may be more simplistic. The issue is whether the locus of predominant brain activity is in the frontal lobe – the seat of uniquely human intelligence – or the more primitive, pattern-driven limbic system.

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Dr. Meyers is an internationally known speaker and trainer who has delivered trainings throughout the USA and in 12 countries around the world. Dr. Meyers has trained therapist from 6 of the worlds 7 continents. He has published over 100 scientific articles or chapters and co-authored 5.

The International Hypnosis Research Institute is now an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) for over 50,000 counselors in the United States and internationally. Early last week, the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) informed us that their Continuing Education Committee completed a review of our application and made the decision to allow us to become an official NBCC CE provider. Their committee is made up of several National Certified Counselors who are also state licensed mental health practitioners. Our authorization to serve as an ACEP does not signify NBCC's endorsement of any particular theory or idea promoted by this Institute or any of the authors or instructors with whom we may associate. Rather, receiving this status means that we are qualified to administer a continuing education program within their strict guidelines.

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Full title: Unconscious agendas in the etiology of refractory obesity and the role of hypnosis in their identification and resolution: a new paradigm for weight-management programs or a paradigm revisited?

Abstract Hypnosis has long been recognized as an effective tool for producing behavioral change in the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. Despite many studies from the latter half of the last century suggesting that hypnosis might also be of value in managing obesity situations, the efficacy of hypnotherapy for weight reduction has received surprisingly little formal research attention since 2000. This review presents a brief history of early clinical studies using hypnosis for weight reduction and describes a hypnotherapeutic approach within which a combination of instructional/pedagogic and exploratory therapeutic sessions can work together synergistically to maximize the potential for sustained weight loss. Hypnotic modulation of appetite- and satiation-associated peptides and hormone levels may yield additional physiological benefits in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(3):330-59. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.901085. Entwistle PA(1), Webb RJ, Abayomi JC, Johnson B, Sparkes AC, Davies IG.

Author information: (1)a Liverpool John Moores University , United Kingdom.

Full title: Current issues in the treatment of specific phobia: recommendations for innovative applications of hypnosis.

Specific phobia is the most common and treatable of the anxiety disorders. Exposure-based therapies are the treatment of choice and empirically validated protocols are available that promise rapid and effective results. In many cases, however, patients are reluctant to comply with demanding schedules of exposure, increasing the risk of treatment failure. Furthermore, in clinical practice, patients often present with multiple phobias and other Axis I and Axis II disorders that can further complicate therapy. This article covers four important issues that have been addressed in the literature: (a) managing resistance to treatment, (b) reducing length of treatment, (c) clarifying the optimal application of relaxation training, and (d) applying advances in cognitive neuroscience. These issues are reviewed and recommendations proposed for ways in which to modify current treatments. Specific suggestions are provided for implementing these recommendations including examples of innovative applications of standard hypnotic techniques.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2014 Apr;56(4):389-404. Spiegel SB.

Dr. Weiss is the best-selling author of Many Lives, Many Masters and several other books, He is a psychiatrist and lives in Miami, Florida, where he maintains a private practice.

In addition, Dr. Weiss conducts national and international seminars and experiential workshops as well as training programs for professionals.

Full title: A causal model explaining the relationships governing beliefs, attitudes, and hypnotic responsiveness.

The author developed a new scale aimed at measuring beliefs about "hypnotic states" and investigated the influence of such beliefs and attitudes on hypnotic responses in a large sample of Japanese undergraduate students. Exploratory factor analysis of this new questionnaire examining beliefs about hypnotic states yielded four factors: Dissociative or Depersonalized Experience, Loss of Self-Control, Therapeutic Expectation, and Arousing Extraordinary Ability. The results of structural equation modeling showed that Therapeutic Expectation and Arousing Extraordinary Ability influenced hypnotizability through attitudes toward hypnosis, while also directly affecting subjective experiences without mediating attitudes. Present findings suggest that it is more effective to enhance therapeutic expectations than to correct misconceptions about hypnotic states in modification of patients' beliefs before initiating treatment.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(2):231-50. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.869142. Shimizu T.

Author information: a Akita University , Japan.

Full title: Childhood anxiety and psychophysiological reactivity: hypnosis to build discrimination and self-regulation skills.

Clinically anxious, worried, and fearful children and teens need clinicians' assistance in reducing their exaggerated psychophysiological stress reactivity. Affective neuroscience finds that chronic activation of the body's emergency response system inhibits neurogenesis, disrupts neuronal plasticity, and is detrimental to physical and mental health. Patterns of faulty discrimination skills, for example, over-estimation of threat and danger and under-estimation of their coping capacity, fuel this over-arousal. Similarly, contributory patterns of reduced self-regulation skills are shown by "stuck" attention to and poor control of their exaggerated psychophysiological reactivity and somatization. This article considers the literature and focuses on cognitive hypnotherapy to enhance these under-developed capacities. A case illustration highlights various hypnotic phenomena and techniques, psychoeducation, and relaxation training that address the goals of interrupting these unproductive, interconnected patterns and fostering new patterns of more realistic and accurate discrimination capacities and sturdier psychophysiological self-regulation skills.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2014 Apr;56(4):343-67. Kaiser P.

by Tim Brunson PhD

Many hypnotists and hypnotherapists as well as others in the integrative health community spend a considerable amount of time writing, communicating, and developing ideas. However, I have never seen any conference or workshop address the nature and dynamics of intellectual property rights. This topic is important for several reasons and therefore should be a mandatory topic for discussion.

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Founder of "The Institute of Mind Sciences" which now has over 7 affiliated branches throughout the country. In his Teaching and training of over 27 years, he has over 20,000 students to his credit from Senior Managers to Doctors, Businessperson, Trainers, Consultants, Students, Lawyers, other Professionals and housewives from over 500 workshops, seminars, lectures and training programs.

He holds two doctoral degree in Clinical Hypnosis, is a faculty member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, USA and The National Federation of Neuro Linguistic Psychology, USA and Licensed Director of Silva Mind Control, USA.

He is the pioneer of YOGA, REIKI, HYPNOSIS, NLP and many such powerful technologies in Pakistan. Founder of the first Yoga Institute in Pakistan. Presently he conducts courses, workshops and seminars in Pakistan, India, UAE, Singapore, UK and USA.

He is the recipient of "Best Instructor" award 1997, "Best Speaker and Presenter" award 1998, 1999 and 2000 at National Guild of Hypnotists, Convention Nashua NH, USA. He is the only Asian to be interviewed and placed on the cover of the prestigious "Journal of Hypnotism" USA.

He is the original master and creator of programs which include "Magnetic Money Mind", "The Fourth Dimension" Level I & II, "Bypass the Bypass", "Aesthetics" "Glow and Grow". "Super Learning Plus", "Visionary Leadership", "Stress Management - a cup of tea" and "Awakening the giant within"

Prof. Moiz Hussain is an authority on Mind Sciences in Pakistan and Abroad.

For more information, visit www.mind-sciences.com

Ontario Hypnosis Centre Director Georgina Cannon, is a Board Certified Consulting Hypnotherapist, Doctor of Metaphysical Counselling, NLP Master, Timeline practitioner, Past Life Regression Therapist and accredited Instructor for the National Guild of Hypnotists, the Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association and the International Board of Regression Therapies. She is also on the Advisory Board of the National Guild of Hypnotists.

Georgina specializes in enabling clients to achieve major life changes, healing personal and emotional issues, and she facilitates Past Life Research and Regression sessions.

For more information, visit www.ont-hypnosis-centre.com.

A 22-year-old female diagnosed with anorexia nervosa received brief psychotherapy within a span of 1.5 months. Detailed cognitive-behavioral assessment was done and eating attitude was rated. Intervention of eating behavior and cognitive restructuring were initiated along with regular practice of self-hypnosis with ego-strengthening suggestions. Age regression was done to identify conflicts. Significant improvement in eating attitude was noted after 8 sessions without relapse at 3 months. Details of the psychotherapy are discussed.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(2):224-30. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.869140. Roy PK. Author information: a Institute of Psychiatry , Kolkata , India.

Involuntary movements occur in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders and culturally influenced dissociative states (e.g., delusions of alien control and attributions of spirit possession). However, the underlying brain processes are poorly understood. We combined suggestion and fMRI in 15 highly hypnotically susceptible volunteers to investigate changes in brain activity accompanying different experiences of loss of self-control of movement. Suggestions of external personal control and internal personal control over involuntary movements modelled delusions of control and spirit possession respectively. A suggestion of impersonal control by a malfunctioning machine modelled technical delusions of control, where involuntary movements are attributed to the influence of machines. We found that (i) brain activity and/or connectivity significantly varied with different experiences and attributions of loss of agency; (ii) compared to the impersonal control condition, both external and internal personal alien control were associated with increased connectivity between primary motor cortex (M1) and brain regions involved in attribution of mental states and representing the self in relation to others; (iii) compared to both personal alien control conditions, impersonal control of movement was associated with increased activity in brain regions involved in error detection and object imagery; (iv) there were no significant differences in brain activity, and minor differences in M1 connectivity, between the external and internal personal alien control conditions. Brain networks supporting error detection and object imagery, together with representation of self and others, are differentially recruited to support experiences of impersonal and personal control of involuntary movements. However, similar brain systems underpin attributions and experiences of external and internal alien control of movement. Loss of self-agency for movement can therefore accompany different kinds of experience of alien control supported by distinct brain mechanisms. These findings caution against generalization about single cognitive processes or brain systems underpinning different experiences of loss of self-control of movement.

Cortex. 2014 Apr;53:107-19. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.01.004. Deeley Q(1), Oakley DA(2), Walsh E(3), Bell V(4), Mehta MA(4), Halligan PW(5). Author information: (1)Cultural and Social Neuroscience Research Group, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent, UK. Electronic address: q.deeley@iop.kcl.ac.uk. (2)Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, UK. (3)Cultural and Social Neuroscience Research Group, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. (4)Cultural and Social Neuroscience Research Group, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. (5)School of Psychology, Cardiff University, UK.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

by Ted Benton M.Ed., CI

The use of the hypnotic hero is a very creative and successful hypnotic technique. Approximately one third of my therapy practice involves children from four until the late teen years. The majority of children have heroes; these heroic people can be real or imagined. I began using this new technique after a weekend of training with the American Psychological Association ( Hypnotherapy and Personality Disorders ). I strongly recommend HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN by Karen Olness, MD and G. Gail Gardner, PHD for any hypnotherapist who is interested in working with children. Request the third edition from 1996.

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Dr. Fulero was Professor and former Chair of the Psychology Department at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. He received his PhD in social psychology in August 1979, and his JD (law) in December 1979, both from the University of Oregon. He received a respecialization certificate in clinical psychology, with an APA-approved internship, from Wright State University, in 1988. Dr. Fulero was both a licensed psychologist and a practicing attorney. He was a frequent consultant to attorneys on a wide variety of psychology and law issues, including eyewitness reliability, false confessions, and a variety of other matters.

Professor Fulero died April 29, 2011, at the age of 60.

Chronic pain due to disease or injury persists even after interventions to alleviate these conditions. Opiates are not always effective for the patient and have undesirable side effects. Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment and may be enhanced by the use of olfactory stimulation as a posthypnotic cue. The article details 2 case reports that demonstrate the possible benefits of olfactory stimulus as an adjunct to hypnosis for pain relief.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2014;62(2):188-94. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2014.869132. Bubenzer T(1), Huang H. Author information: (1)a Private Practice , Indianapolis , Indiana , USA.