Holism is the philosophy of understanding people by addressing factors that affect people in all situations. The goal of holistic nursing is to help patients integrate appropriate self-care into their lives. By providing holistic care, the perioperative nurse can help surgical patients experience fewer problems (eg, surgical trauma, pain, anesthetic complications), reach discharge more quickly, attain satisfaction with health care, and more easily resume normal activities. Holistic nursing may include the use of music, guided imagery, therapeutic massage, play therapy, touch therapy, and communication skills. Successful surgery for the patient means not only recovering but regaining physical, mental, and spiritual health as a whole.

AORN J. 2011 Apr;93(4):482-7; quiz 488-90. Selimen D, Andsoy II. Surgical Nursing Department, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.

As part of a wider argument that history is essential to psychological understanding because of the reflexive nature of psychological knowledge, this article examines the case of mesmerism in early Victorian Britain as an example of how psychological knowledge is both constructive and constructed. It is argued that the shift from "mesmerism" to "hypnotism" was a change in understanding that created a new kind of psychological experience. It is also argued that demonstrations of mesmerism, far from being self-evident facts, could be framed as evidence either for or against the central claims of mesmerism. It is concluded that the case of mesmerism in early Victorian Britain provides a further example of the need for historical understanding within Psychology.

Hist Psychol. 2010 Nov;13(4):393-408. Lamont P. Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. peter.lamont@Ed.ac.uk

by Tim Brunson, PhD

There is a big difference between the popular use of many terms and their more precise – and correct – usage. While conversations may abound using the former, legal authority and credibility depend upon the latter. And, it is through the precise use of our terminology that we set ourselves apart from others.

Are you a professional practitioner or just a lay person? Are all of your degrees from "fully accredited" universities? Over the years I've heard many of the leaders of numerous international associations talk about their organizations being comprised of professionals despite their having only a vague idea as to what they were saying. And, there are plenty of websites on which practitioners are extremely adamant claiming that the legitimacy of their organizations or their degrees and certifications are more valid than others. Unfortunately, too many people – with numerous initials trailing their names – are excessively quick when it comes to throwing around terms as if they are certain that they know about what they are talking.

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by Joyce-Anne Locking

Nature has a way of renewing our faith in survival. If every tree, plant and flower follows its own season, our own special work surely has a season of its own too. When we learn to trust in our natural abilities, we begin to treat ourselves more gently. We become kinder to ourselves and others. This compassion is one of the first fruits of aligning our creativity with its source, says creativity thinker, Julia Cameron. When we adjust our thinking and place our dependency on the source itself, the source meets our needs through people, places and things, she says. One of the central tasks of creative recovery is learning to accept this generosity. In other words, our faith in our abilities will win out so long as we trust and believe in what we do. It all sounds so simple. Like an equation, if we follow the steps, we achieve the proper outcome. We are all equally connected to a spiritual source, continues well-known arts writer, Julia Cameron. We do not always know which among us will teach us best. We are all meant to cherish and serve one another. Expect the universe to support your dream. It will. It all comes down to what we believe.

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The terms 'placebo' and 'placebo effects' cause confusion among patients, practitioners and scientists. This confusion results in both the adoption of practices that have no evidence of specificity yet considerable risk (such as surgery for low back pain) or the elimination of clinical practices proven to facilitate healing because they are not 'better than placebo' (such as acupuncture for low back pain). In this article, I discuss these issues and introduce the concept of optimal healing environment as a framework for disentangling what is useful from placebo research for adopting into clinical practice in a manner that is ethical and evidence-based.

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011 Jun 27;366(1572):1896-904. Jonas WB. Samueli Institute, 1737 King Street, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.

Prurigo Nodularis (PN) is a chronic pruritic skin condition for which current conventional therapies are of limited benefit and with potentially toxic effects. Acupuncture--the insertion of thin needles at specific points on the skin--has been shown to alleviate itching through a number of itch-associated mediator effects. Hypnosis has been shown to modify and reduce the intensity of itching as well. A 44 year-old woman presented with a 30-year history of a diffuse itchy rash diagnosed as PN. She had tried various antihistamine and corticosteroid medications, to no avail. A treatment regimen using hypnosis and acupuncture (hypnopuncture) was initiated, with significant reduction in the itching, size and number of skin lesions. Hypnopuncture may offer a synergistic and augmented response to treatment, though further research is needed to understand the true benefits of this combined regimen.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2011 Apr;53(4):283-92. Samuels N, Sagi E, Singer SR, Oberbaum M. Center for Integrative Complementary Medicine, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, P.O.B. 3235, Jerusalem 91031, Israel. refplus@netvision.net.il

Full title: Differential frontal-parietal phase synchrony during hypnosis as a function of hypnotic suggestibility.

Spontaneous dissociative alterations in awareness and perception among highly suggestible individuals following a hypnotic induction may result from disruptions in the functional coordination of the frontal-parietal network. We recorded EEG and self-reported state dissociation in control and hypnosis conditions in two sessions with low and highly suggestible participants. Highly suggestible participants reliably experienced greater state dissociation and exhibited lower frontal-parietal phase synchrony in the alpha2 frequency band during hypnosis than low suggestible participants. These findings suggest that highly suggestible individuals exhibit a disruption of the frontal-parietal network that is only observable following a hypnotic induction.

Psychophysiology. 2011 Apr 15. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01211.x. Terhune DB, Cardeña E, Lindgren M. Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Since hypnosis was popularly recognized in the nineteenth century, the phenomenon of hypnotizability has remained poorly understood. The capacity to increase hypnotizability has important implications because it may increase the number of people who can benefit from hypnotic interventions for psychological and medical conditions. Current theories emphasize that rapport between hypnotist and subject is pivotal to motivate the respondent to engage in strategies that allows them to suspend reality and respond to suggestions. The neuropeptide oxytocin is implicated in social bonding, and enhances a range of social behaviors in animals and humans. This study tested the proposal that oxytocin administration, which enhances social bonding in humans, may enhance hypnotic responding by administering intranasal spray of oxytocin or placebo prior to hypnosis in 40 low hypnotizable male subjects. When low hypnotizable individuals were administered oxytocin via nasal spray, their level of hypnotic responding increased significantly compared to hypnotic responding levels prior to oxytocin administration. This is the first demonstration of a neurochemical basis for hypnotic responding, and points to a potential neural mechanism to explain hypnotizability.

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Jun 6. Bryant RA, Hung L, Guastella AJ, Mitchell PB. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.

Hypnotic suggestibility has been described as a powerful predictor of outcomes associated with hypnotic interventions. However, there have been no systematic approaches to quantifying this effect across the literature. This meta-analysis evaluates the magnitude of the effect of hypnotic suggestibility on hypnotic outcomes in clinical settings. PsycINFO and PubMed were searched from their inception through July 2009. Thirty-four effects from 10 studies and 283 participants are reported. Results revealed a statistically significant overall effect size in the small to medium range (r = .24; 95% Confidence Interval = -0.28 to 0.75), indicating that greater hypnotic suggestibility led to greater effects of hypnosis interventions. Hypnotic suggestibility accounted for 6% of the variance in outcomes. Smaller sample size studies, use of the SHCS, and pediatric samples tended to result in larger effect sizes. The authors question the usefulness of assessing hypnotic suggestibility in clinical contexts.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jul;59(3):294-309. Montgomery GH, Schnur JB, David D. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

Hypnotic suggestibility has been described as a powerful predictor of outcomes associated with hypnotic interventions. However, there have been no systematic approaches to quantifying this effect across the literature. This meta-analysis evaluates the magnitude of the effect of hypnotic suggestibility on hypnotic outcomes in clinical settings. PsycINFO and PubMed were searched from their inception through July 2009. Thirty-four effects from 10 studies and 283 participants are reported. Results revealed a statistically significant overall effect size in the small to medium range (r = .24; 95% Confidence Interval = -0.28 to 0.75), indicating that greater hypnotic suggestibility led to greater effects of hypnosis interventions. Hypnotic suggestibility accounted for 6% of the variance in outcomes. Smaller sample size studies, use of the SHCS, and pediatric samples tended to result in larger effect sizes. The authors question the usefulness of assessing hypnotic suggestibility in clinical contexts.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jul;59(3):294-309. Montgomery GH, Schnur JB, David D. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

This article examines issues raised by a recent UK legal case in which the defense argued that the accusations made by the highly hypnotizable plaintiff were likely based on false memories. The authors argue that the evidence related to hypnotizability and false memory production is inconsistent but may be illuminated by a sociocognitive perspective. They present 2 preliminary studies that indicate that when the instructions imply that accurate reporting is a feature of hypnosis, higher hypnotizables may actually be more resistant than low or medium hypnotizables to false memories arising from misleading information given during hypnosis. They conclude that, when memory accuracy is emphasized rather than productivity, there is little evidence to link high hypnotizability with a propensity to produce false memories.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jul;59(3):310-26. Wagstaff GF, Wheatcroft JM, Jones AC. University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Full title: Responding to hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions: performance standards, imaginative suggestibility, and response expectancies.

This study examined the relative impact of hypnotic inductions and several other variables on hypnotic and nonhypnotic responsiveness to imaginative suggestions. The authors examined how imaginative suggestibility, response expectancies, motivation to respond to suggestions, and hypnotist-induced performance standards affected participants' responses to both hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions and their suggestion-related experiences. Suggestions were administered to 5 groups of participants using a test-retest design: (a) stringent performance standards; (b) lenient performance standards; (c) hypnosis test-retest; (d) no-hypnosis test-retest; and (e) no-hypnosis/hypnosis control. The authors found no support for the influence of a hypnotic induction or performance standards on responding to suggestions but found considerable support for the role of imaginativesuggestibility and response expectancies in predicting responses to both hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestions.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jul;59(3):327-49. Meyer EC, Lynn SJ. Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA.

Contemporary studies in the cognitive neuroscience of attention and suggestion shed new light on the underlying neural mechanisms that operationalize these effects. Without adhering to important caveats inherent to imaging of the living human brain, however, findings from brain imaging studies may enthrall more than explain. Scholars, practitioners, professionals, and consumers must realize that the influence words exert on focal brain activity is measurable but that these measurements are often difficult to interpret. While recent brain imaging research increasingly incorporates variations of suggestion and hypnosis, correlating overarching hypnotic experiences with specific brain substrates remains tenuous. This article elucidates the mounting role of cognitive neuroscience, including the relative merits and intrinsic limitations of neuroimaging, in better contextualizing trance-like concepts.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jul;59(3):363-77. Raz A. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Comment on: Conscious Cogn. 2010 Dec;19(4):1140-50.

This commentary reflects on the varieties of high hypnotizable subjects suggested in the works by Barber, Barrett, Pekala and colleagues, and Terhune and Cardeña (2010). These different studies point to the existence of different types of low, medium, and high hypnotizable subjects. However, types of high hypnotizables have received the most attention. Two main concerns are raised in this commentary: (a) drawing parallels between the suggested typologies is not without problems given methodological differences among different studies, and (b) the low base rates of these special types is likely not to appeal to a typical clinician, already resistant to testing for hypnotizability, to conduct initial assessments so as to tailor suggestion to fit specific typologies.

Conscious Cogn. 2010 Dec;19(4):1151-3; discussion 1154-5. Epub 2010 Apr 28. Kumar VK. Department of Psychology, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA 19383, United States. Kkumar@wcupa.edu

Full title: Mood color choice helps to predict response to hypnotherapy in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Approximately two thirds of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) respond well to hypnotherapy. However, it is time consuming as well as expensive to provide and therefore a way of predicting outcome would be extremely useful. The use of imagery and color form an integral part of the hypnotherapeutic process and we have hypothesised that investigating color and how it relates to mood might help to predict response to treatment. In order to undertake this study we have previously developed and validated a method of presenting colors to individuals for research purposes called the Manchester Color Wheel (MCW). Using this instrument we have been able to classify colors into positive, neutral and negative shades and this study aimed to assess their predictive role in hypnotherapy.

METHODS: 156 consecutive IBS patients (aged 14-74, mean 42.0 years, 127 (81%) females, 29 (19%) males) were studied. Before treatment, each patient was asked to relate their mood to a color on the MCW as well as completing the IBS Symptom Severity Score, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale, the Non-colonic Symptom Scale, the Quality of Life Scale and the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS) which is a measure of hypnotisability. Following hypnotherapy all these measures were repeated with the exception of the TAS.

RESULTS: For patients with a positive mood color the odds of responding to hypnotherapy were nine times higher than that of those choosing either a neutral or negative color or no color at all (odds ratio: 8.889; p = 0.042). Furthermore,a high TAS score and the presence of HAD anxiety also had good predictive value (odds ratio: 4.024; p = 0.092, 3.917; p < 0.001 respectively) with these markers and a positive mood color being independent of each other. In addition, these factors could be combined to give an even stronger prediction of outcome. Twice as many responders (63, 77.8%) had a positive mood color or were anxious or had a high TAS score compared with 32 (42.7%) without these factors (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: A positive mood color, especially when combined with HAD anxiety and a high TAS score, predict a good response to hypnotherapy.

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2010 Dec 7;10:75. Carruthers HR, Morris J, Tarrier N, Whorwell PJ. Department of Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Hypnotic induction and relaxation strategies are discussed as helpful resources for plastic surgery nurses in providing optimal patient care. An overview of the history and context of these strategies is provided along with descriptions of specific techniques to assist patients to relax when receiving potentially painful procedures. The techniques discussed include mindful focus, focused breathing, body scan, progressive relaxation, and guided imagery. Additional resources are provided for nurses seeking further training.

Plast Surg Nurs. 2011 Jan-Mar;31(1):5-8. Hildebrand LE, Anderson RC. Rebecca Anderson, PhD, is Professor, Medical College of WI, Milwaukee, WI 53226. Lee E. Hildebrand, MA, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.

This study examines the effect of providing information linking participants' attitudes toward hypnosis with later hypnotic performance. Using total scale scores from McConkey's Opinions About Hypnosis scale, as well as subscale scores, the authors found a weak association between attitudes and performance among 460 student participants; however, the correlation was unaffected by prehypnotic information specifically connecting attitudes and performance. A brief, 3-item measure of hypnotic expectancies generated the strongest correlation with hypnotic responsiveness. The authors also found that the association between fantasy proneness and hypnotizability was unaffected by the order of scale administration. Finally, the study highlighted gender differences across measures of fantasy proneness, absorption, expectancy, and hypnotizability.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jan;59(1):103-21. Green JP, Lynn SJ. The Ohio State University, Lima, OH 45804, USA. green.301@osu.edu

Full title: A randomized controlled trial of the effects of hypnosis with 3-D virtual reality animation on tiredness, mood, and salivary cortisol.

Case studies suggest hypnosis with a virtual reality (VR) component may be an effective intervention; although few follow-up randomized, controlled trials have been performed comparing such interventions with standard hypnotic treatments. Thirty-five healthy participants were randomized to self-hypnosis with VR imagery, standard self-hypnosis, or relaxation interventions. Changes in sleep, cortisol levels, and mood were examined. Self-hypnosis involved 10- to 20-min. sessions visualizing a healthy immune scenario. Trait absorption was also recorded as a possible moderator. Moderated regression indicated that both hypnosis interventions produced significantly lower tiredness ratings than relaxation when trait absorption was high. When trait absorption was low, VR resulted in significantly higher engagement ratings, although this did not translate to demonstrable improvement in outcome. Results suggest that VR imagery may increase engagement relative to traditional methods, but further investigation into its potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy is required.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Jan;59(1):122-42. Thompson T, Steffert T, Steed A, Gruzelier J. Department of Psychology & Counselling, University of Greenwich, London, UK. t.thompson@gre.ac.uk

Full title: Ideomotor signaling: from divining spiritual messages to discerning subconscious answers during hypnosis and hypnoanalysis, a historical perspective.

Ideomotor movements account for non-conscious motions of the hand held pendulum and Ouija board planchette that once were attributed to external spirits. Chevreul and Carpenter in the mid-1800s pioneered our scientific understanding of ideomotor movements. The intention or thought is transmitted to the motor cortex at a subconscious level, coordinated by the cerebellum, and sent down spinal nerves to the appropriate muscles, inducing micromovements not visible to the naked eye but amplified by the hand held pendulum or by the slow ratchet-like cumulative movements of a finger or other body part. This ideomotor phenomenon has been utilized during hypnotic trance to provide nonverbal communication of "yes" or "no" or "I don't want to answer" using finger signals or hand held pendulum. LeCron first used this ideomotor form of communication in conjunction with psychosomatic hypnoanalysis. Cheek expanded and more recently Hammond, Walsh, Ewin and others have refined its use.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2011 Jan;53(3):157-67. Shenefelt PD. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, MDC 079, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA. pshenefe@health.usf.edu

Full title: A study to examine the attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of CAM by primary care professional in West Texas.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of CAM among primary care providers at two campuses of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC).

DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study design and a convenient sampling method were used. This study employed the questionnaire adapted from the Wahner-Roedler's study to survey participants in TTUHSC. Primary survey collection was conducted at the two campuses where all Family Medicine healthcare professionals were recruited.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured participants' knowledge of, their familiarity and experience with, their attitudes towards and utilization of CAM.

RESULTS: Of the 69 respondents, more than half (56.5%) were female and younger than 36 years. Overall, our study revealed a positive attitude towards CAM. More than 60% of the providers would like to refer a patient to a CAM practitioner and about 75% of them believed that incorporation of CAM therapies into the practice would have a positive impact. Providers were most familiar with and felt most comfortable counseling their patients about massage therapy and St. John's Wort among all CAM modalities. About 70% of the participants believed that the institution should offer proven CAM therapies to patients.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some preliminary findings that may lead to further exploration of healthcare professional's attitudes towards CAM. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Complement Ther Med. 2010 Dec;18(6):227-32. Epub 2010 Nov 3. Zhang Y, Peck K, Spalding M, Xu T, Ragain M. Department of Family and Community Medicine (Lubbock), School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, United States. yan.zhang@ttuhsc.edu

There is a re-occurring question in medical practice: do positive attitude and communication of the medical staff make any difference? Aim: Our aim is to present a comprehensive image of the medically relevant effects of positive suggestions by reviewing the recent literature. Methods: We review the studies measuring the effects of suggestive communication of the past 20 years. In cases of studies presented in more details we quote from the suggestion scripts used in the study, too. Results: Most of the reviewed papers affirm that positive suggestions lead to decreased pain and use of pain medication. But physiological factors like bowel motility, blood pressure and bleeding during surgery can be positively affected, too. Conclusions: Suggestive communication - a yet poorly utilized tool - used appropriately can significantly affect healing and recovery of a patient. Thus we emphasize further, more detailed study of this technique and its integration into the education of medical professionals.

Orv Hetil. 2011 Jan 16;152(3):96-106. Kekecs Z, Varga K. Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Pszichológiai Intézet Budapest Izabella u. 46. 1064. kekecs.zoltan@gmail.com

Full Title: From Passionate Process to Poetic and Playful Puzzle – Part III: The Art of Reviving and Writing "The Reorg Rag" ™

by Mark Gorkin, LICSW

The latest imaginative arena-adventure involved writing a dark yet witty and wicked lyric about being caught in the web of workplace change in today's uncertain and unstable climate – from reorganizations and downsizings to regime transfers and mergers. The immediate trigger was working with several organizations in varying stages of reorganization and disorganization. "The Reorg Rag" is a product of transforming a passionate process and a long-lingering lyric into a poetic and playful puzzle. Here are the transformative strategies and steps from Parts I & II:

1. Embrace the Compelling Process and Challenging Puzzle
2. Take Time for the Pain and the Brain
3. Go Back to the Future
4. Thrive on "Thrustration" and Come Alive with Conflict
5. Encourage both Short-Term Incubation and Long-Term Hibernation
6. Shift the Cognitive Structure, Substance and Style: A Prose to Poetry Process

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Hypnosis can be seen as a guided induction of various states of consciousness. This article details a time-series analysis that visualized the electrophysiological state changes during a session as a correlate to the instructions. Sixty-four channels of EEG and peripheral physiological measures were recorded in 1 highly susceptible subject. Significant state changes occurred synchronously with specific induction instructions. Some patterns could be physiologically explained, such as sensorimotor desynchronization over the right hemispheric hand area during left arm levitation. There was a highly significant increase in broadband activity during the stepwise trance induction that may point to a deep hypnotic state. This study provides illustrated proof for the detectability of physiological state changes as correlates to different states of awareness, consciousness, or cognition during hypnosis.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Apr;59(2):165-79. Hinterberger T, Schoner J, Halsband U. University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany.

Full title: Clinical use of a novel audio pillow with recorded hypnotherapy instructions and music for anxiolysis during dental implant surgery: a prospective study.

A prospective, comparative study of a novel audio pillow with hypnosis text and relaxation music was conducted in 82 dental-implant surgery patients to relieve anxiety over a 6-month period. Visual analogue scales combined with the Aachen Dental Treatment Fear Inventory (AZI) questionnaire were used to quantify patients' subjective feelings of fear. Blood pressure, heart rate, and capillary oxygen partial pressure were measured before, during, and after surgery. The AZI scores decreased in the hypnotherapy group (n = 44) and increased slightly in the control group; scores were significantly different between the groups (p = .000). During surgery, the average diastolic blood pressure and heart rate decreased in the hypnotherapy group and increased in controls. Thus, this audio pillow with relaxation music showed anxiolytic effects in patients during dental implantation procedures.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Apr;59(2):180-97. Eitner S, Sokol B, Wichmann M, Bauer J, Engels D. Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen, Nuremberg, Germany.

Full Title: From Passionate Process to Poetic and Playful Puzzle – Part II: The Art of Reviving and Writing "The Reorg Rag" ™

by Mark Gorkin, LICSW

The latest imaginative arena-adventure involved writing a dark yet witty and wicked lyric about being caught in the web of workplace change in today's uncertain and unstable climate – from reorganizations and downsizings to regime transfers and mergers. The immediate trigger was working with several organizations in varying stages of reorganization and disorganization. "The Reorg Rag" is a product of transforming a passionate process into a poetic and playful puzzle. Let me continue to outline the social-psychological musings, interactions and working associations of a mind in creative heat, one skewering both convention and dysfunction, while also looking to construct unusual or unexpected yet pointed analogies and meaningful connections.

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Morgellons Disease is a condition involving painful skin lesions, fibrous growths protruding from the skin, and subcutaneous stinging and burning sensations, along with symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and memory and attention deficits.The etiological and physiological bases of these symptoms are unclear, making the diagnosis controversial and challenging to treat. There are currently no established treatments for Morgellons Disease. The following case example depicts treatment of a woman with Morgellons Disease using hypnotherapy. Data from this case example suggest that hypnotherapy is a promising intervention for the physical and psychological symptoms associated with Morgellons Disease.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2011 Apr;59(2):242-9. Gartner AM, Dolan SL, Stanford MS, Elkins GR. Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.

by Tim Brunson, PhD

Is there an alternative? There is an almost certain probability that the next time you engage a client in a well-meant hypnotherapy session that you will be using techniques whose origins are rooted in decades or even centuries old hypotheses, which since then have been either already superseded by more recent ideas, have been totally discredited by scientific methodology, or are solely derived from idealism totally devoid of any rationality. However, you have no need to worry. Your techniques are most certainly still taught in programs, which are openly promoted by "fully accredited universities" and/or international peer-based trade and professional organizations. This means that if you continue to use such obsolete methods, you're okay – after all your methods are sanctioned. How did we get into such as state? And, is there an alternative?

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

What is hypnosis? And, does having an accurate definition really even matter? For the past several years I have attended courses and conferences in which the more forward looking organizers decided to include the topic of hypnosis or hypnotherapy presumably lest critics feel that they were not up-to-date with the latest innovations. Similarly, there continues to be a parade of medical, psychotherapeutic, and self-help books in which the authors – many of whom are very respected colleagues, friends, and even very influential mentors – have chosen either to dedicate an entire book to the topic or at least throw in a relevant chapter or a few pages. Even so, I cannot help but be dismayed at the inaccuracy of some of their comments and/or their omissions of some of the more relevant discoveries in related fields. Specifically, my present concern is regarding the lack of an effective and accurate definition of the word hypnosis.

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Full Title: From Passionate Process to Poetic and Playful Puzzle – Part I: The Art of Reviving and Writing "The Reorg Rag"™

by Mark Gorkin, LICSW

As I open this essay, please forgive an immodest turn. Upon reading or hearing one of my edgy or catchy phrasings, for example, the title of my book, Practice Safe Stress, or a motivational mantra, such as, "Do know your limits and don't limit your 'No's," I often receive some verbal or nonverbal sign of appreciation. This may then be followed by, "How did you come up with that?" or "Is that just how your mind works?" In my estimation, imaginative phrases, concepts or creative pieces are less the product of spontaneous combustion and more a journey-like process of swirling cogitation and personal passion within some informational or cultural context. That is, something has aroused my mind, heart and spirit and the ignition has caught my attention though, with hindsight, I may already have been subconsciously percolating and chewing on a related or background issue. The initial bubbling, boiling, gnashing and colliding of impressions and images, notions and emotions constitute the search for neuronal connections and novel associations.

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FULL TITLE: Mind-body connection, parapsychological phenomena and spiritual healing. A review.

Evidence regarding the influence of the mind on the body is abundant. Several mind-body healing procedures are currently being used, among them hypnosis, biofeedback, meditation, visualizations, management of emotions and prayer. Since the Big Bang, we are entangled with everything. This interaction would let individuals to communicate with the minds and bodies of others. The field of parapsychological research has provided a lot of information about significant events, including apparitions, communications with the dead, near-death experiences and out of the body experiences. It looks apparently evident, that consciousness can persist in the absence of brain function. According to the model that assumes that it is consciousness and not matter, the base of everything that exists, what survives after death is the "quantum monad" or spirit. It is said that spiritual cures are practiced by discarnate physicians who diagnose and prescribe conventional treatments, but very often they use unknown procedures based on the management of energy fields that are currently being studied by many physicists. Representative examples of the practice of spiritual medicine were the mediums Ze Arigo, George Chapman, Barbara Guerrero (Pachita) and presently the Brazilian medium John of God. Case reports of paranormal phenomena observed and studied by honest and serious scientists are very important for the advancement of parapsychology, because it has not been clearly established which approach, the qualitative or the quantitative, is more useful for the development of this field.

Invest Clin. 2010 Jun;51(2):209-38. Bonilla E. Instituto de Investigaciones Clínicas "Dr. Américo Negrette", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia y Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas IVIC-Zulia. Maracaibo, Venezuela. embonilla2008@yahoo.com

by Graham Howes

Stories: As far back as I can remember I have heard or seen or experienced or, if I am writing, imagining new stories. was told stories to entertain me or jokes which werestories with a punchline or at a Sunday School a teacher endeavoured to instruct me as Jesus had instructed his disciples using story, parable, metaphor and simile, in the hope that I would see the light and become one of the Faithful. I read stories in novels. When I became an actor I told stories in many different ways. As a Hypnotherapist I use the power of stories to make a point and reframe a perception. Milton Erickson would help someone move on with their life by telling a tale of My Friend John and how he had to move House and realised that his house was full of clutter and in order to move he had to clear the clutter away – especially in the attic – and only take with him what he really needed. I paraphrase, of course, but doesn't every good story teller embellish or fit the story to their needs?

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

Nobel laureate and quantum physicist Niels Bohr once said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." Attempting to look over the horizon toward the future of clinical hypnotherapy – as well as its implication concerning the totality of human transformation – is indeed a very difficult task. This is even more so as hypnotherapy is still an emerging field, which is far from receiving the cultural authority presently accorded professions such as medicine and psychology. Regardless, our value is rapidly gaining ground at the same time as scientific theory and technological innovations are revolutionizing how humans think and interact.

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Jules Bernard Luys (1828-1897) is a relatively unknown figure in 19th century French neuropsychiatry. Although greatly influenced by Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), Luys worked in the shadow of the 'master of La Salpêtrière' for about a quarter of a century. When he arrived at this institution in 1862, he used microscopy and photomicrography to identify pathological lesions underlying locomotor ataxia and progressive muscular atrophy. He later made substantial contributions to our knowledge of normal human brain anatomy, including the elucidation of thalamic organization and the discovery of the subthalamic nucleus. Luys's name has long been attached to the latter structure (corps de Luys), which is at the center of our current thinking about the functional organization of basal ganglia and the physiopathology of Parkinson's disease. As head of the Maison de santé d'Ivry, Luys developed a highly original view of the functional organization of the normal human brain, while improving our understanding of the neuropathological and clinical aspects of mental illnesses. In 1886, Luys left La Salpêtrière and became chief physician at La Charité hospital. Following Charcot, whom he considered as the father of scientific hypnotism, Luys devoted the last part of his career to hysteria and hypnosis. However, Luys ventured too deeply into the minefield of hysteria. He initiated experiments as unconventional as the distant action of medication, and became one of the most highly caricatured examples of the fascination that hysteria exerted upon neurologists as well as laypersons at the end of the 19th century.

Front Neurol Neurosci. 2011;29:125-36. Epub 2010 Oct 7. Parent M, Parent A. Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medecine, Université Laval, and Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Québec City, Que., Canada.

This article is part of an occasional series profiling editors of the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (AJCH). William E. Edmonston was the second editor, succeeding Milton H. Erickson. His research focused on the use of conditioning paradigms and psychophysiological measures to explore a wide variety of hypnotic phenomena, leading to a "neo-Pavlovian" theory of neutral hypnosis as physiological relaxation (anesis). A longtime professor of psychology at Colgate University, he created an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in neuroscience, and was named New York State College Professor of the Year in 1988. He gave the Journal a new look, and a greater balance of clinical and experimental papers. The article also provides background on George Barton Cutten, George H. Estabrooks, and Frank A. Pattie, pioneers of hypnosis who were linked to Edmonston.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2010 Oct;53(2):81-91. Kihlstrom JF, Frischholz EJ. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-1650, USA. jfkihlstrom@berkeley.edu

FULL TITLE: "An Object of Vulgar Curiosity": Legitimizing Medical Hypnosis in Imperial Germany.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, German medical hypnotists sought to gain a therapeutic and epistemological monopoly over hypnosis. In order to do this, however, these physicians were required to engage in a complex multi-dimensional form of boundary-work, which was intended on the one hand to convince the medical community of the legitimacy and efficacy of hypnosis and on the other to demarcate their use of suggestion from that of stage hypnotists, magnetic healers, and occultists. While the epistemological, professional, and legal boundaries that medical hypnotists erected helped both exclude lay practitioners from this field and sanitize the medical use of hypnosis, the esoteric interests, and sensational public experiments of some of these researchers, which mimicked the theatricality and occult interests of their lay competitors, blurred the distinctions that these professionals were attempting to draw between their "legitimate" medical use of hypnosis and the "illegitimate" lay and occult use of it.

J Hist Med Allied Sci. 2010 Nov 9. Wolffram H.

FULL TITLE: Management of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms: Current treatment options, challenges and future directions.

Hot flashes are one of the most common and distressing symptoms associated with menopause, occurring in more than 75% of postmenopausal women. They are especially problematic in breast cancer patients since some breast cancer therapies can induce hot flashes. For mild hot flashes, it is proposed that behavioral modifications are the first step in management. Hormonal therapies, including estrogens and progestogens, are the most well known effective agents in relieving hot flashes; however, the safety of these agents is controversial. There is an increasing amount of literature on nonhormonal agents for the treatment of hot flashes. The most promising data regard newer antidepressant agents such as venlafaxine, which reduces hot flashes by about 60%. Gabapentin is another nonhormonal agent that is effective in reducing hot flashes. While many complimentary therapies, including phytoestrogens, black cohosh, and dehydroepiandrosterone, have been explored for the treatment of hot flashes; none can be recommended at this time. Furthermore, there is a lack of strong evidence to support exercise, yoga, or relaxation for the treatment of hot flashes. Paced respirations and hypnosis appear to be promising enough to warrant further investigation. Another promising nonpharmacological therapy, currently under investigation, involves a stellate ganglion block.

Int J Womens Health. 2010 Aug 9;2:123-35. Pachman DR, Jones JM, Loprinzi CL. Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA;