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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by Tim Brunson, PhD

As a major proponent of the scientific validity and clinical efficacy of hypnosis, I am often questioned as to the role of the divine in the hypnotic process. While on one hand I fully realize that mainstream medical and scientific practitioners justifiably use a scientific litmus test when evaluating concepts, there are still too much unexplained phenomena regarding the human experience. This is regularly dismissed prematurely or blindly advocated by enthusiastic believers. Conversely, however, repeatedly through history many myths – which by their very nature explain mankind's relationship with nature – have been explained once theory and the sophistication of measuring equipment become sufficiently adequate. Clearly this leaves room for the possibility that concepts involving a unity of the universe or another type of divine entity may eventually gain scientific acceptance. If so, the role of the divine in the hypnotic process should warrant relevant academic discussion.

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To evaluate the effect of hypnotically induced amusia for rhythm (a condition in which individuals are unable to recognize melodies or rhythms) on mismatch negativity (MMN), 5 highly (HH) and 5 poorly (LH) hypnotizable nonmusician volunteers underwent MMN recording before and during a hypnotic suggestion for amusia. MMN amplitude was recorded using a 19-channel montage and then processed using the low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to localize its sources. MMN amplitude was significantly decreased during hypnotic amusia (p < .04) only in HH, where the LORETA maps of MMN showed a decreased source amplitude in the left temporal lobe, suggesting a hypnotic top-down regulation of activity of these areas and that these changes can be assessed by neurophysiological investigations.

In healthy subjects with high hypnotisability (highs) under hypnosis, subjectively effective suggestions for analgesia abolish the increases in blood pressure associated with cold pressor test (cpt) by reducing the peripheral vascular resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the suggestions of analgesia on the responses to cpt in healthy highs (n?=?22) and in low hypnotisable participants (lows, n?=?22) out of hypnosis. Cpt was administered without (CPT) and with suggestions for analgesia (CPT+AN). Psychophysical (pain intensity, pain threshold, cpt duration (time of immersion) and pain tolerance, defined as the difference between cpt duration and pain threshold), respiratory (amplitude and frequency) and autonomic variables (tonic skin conductance, mean RR interval (RR?=?1/heart rate), blood pressure, skin blood flow) were studied. The suggestions for analgesia increased cpt duration and RR in both groups, but decreased pain intensity and enhanced pain threshold only in highs; in both groups they did not modulate systolic blood pressure, tonic skin conductance and skin blood flow; thus, increased parasympathetic activity appears responsible for the heart rate reduction induced by suggestions in both groups. In conclusion, our findings show that suggestions modulate pain experience differentially in highs and lows, and are partially effective also in lows. We hypothesize that the mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of suggestions in healthy lows may be involved also in their efficacy in chronic pain patients with low hypnotisability.

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 9;8(10):e75023. Santarcangelo EL, Paoletti G, Chiavacci I, Palombo C, Carli G, Varanini M. Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

The last few years have seen the publication of a number of studies by researchers claiming to have induced "synaesthesia," "pseudo-synaesthesia," or "synaesthesia-like" phenomena in non-synaesthetic participants. Although the intention of these studies has been to try and shed light on the way in which synaesthesia might have been acquired in developmental synaesthestes, we argue that they may only have documented a phenomenon that has elsewhere been accounted for in terms of the acquisition of sensory associations and is not evidently linked to synaesthesia. As synaesthesia remains largely defined in terms of the involuntary elicitation of conscious concurrents, we suggest that the theoretical rapprochement with synaesthesia (in any of its guises) is unnecessary, and potentially distracting. It might therefore, be less confusing if researchers were to avoid referring to synaesthesia when characterizing cases that lack robust evidence of a conscious manifestation. Even in the case of those other conditions for which conscious experiences are better evidenced, when training has been occurred during hypnotic suggestion, or when it has been combined with drugs, we argue that not every conscious manifestation should necessarily be counted as ynaesthetic. Finally, we stress that cases of associative learning are unlikely to shed light on two highly specific characteristic of the majority of cases of developmental synaesthesia in terms of learning patterns: First, their resistance to change through exposure once the synaesthetic repertoire has been fixed; Second, the transfer of conditioned responses between concurrents and inducers after training. We conclude by questioning whether, in adulthood, it is ever possible to acquire the kind of synaesthesia that is typically documented in the developmental form of the condition. The available evidence instead seems to point to there being a critical period for the development of synaesthesia, probably only in those with a genetic predisposition to develop the condition.

Front Psychol. 2013 Oct 14;4:660. Deroy O, Spence C. Centre for the Study of the Senses, School of Advanced Study, University of London London, UK.

Full title: Hypnotizability, Hypnosis and Prepulse Inhibition of the Startle Reflex in Healthy Women: An ERP Analysis.

A working model of the neurophysiology of hypnosis suggests that highly hypnotizable individuals (HHs) have more effective frontal attentional systems implementing control, monitoring performance, and inhibiting unwanted stimuli from conscious awareness, than low hypnotizable individuals (LHs). Recent studies, using prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the auditory startle reflex (ASR), suggest that HHs, in the waking condition, may show reduced sensory gating although they may selectively attend and disattend different stimuli. Using a within subject design and a strict subject selection procedure, in waking and hypnosis conditions we tested whether HHs compared to LHs showed a significantly lower inhibition of the ASR and startle-related brain activity in both time and intracerebral source localization domains. HHs, as compared to LH participants, exhibited (a) longer latency of the eyeblink startle reflex, (b) reduced N100 responses to startle stimuli, and (c) higher PPI of eyeblink startle and of the P200 and P300 waves. Hypnosis yielded smaller N100 waves to startle stimuli and greater PPI of this component than in the waking condition. sLORETA analysis revealed that, for the N100 (107 msec) elicited during startle trials, HHs had a smaller activation in the left parietal lobe (BA2/40) than LHs. Auditory pulses of pulse-with prepulse trials in HHs yielded less activity of the P300 (280 msec) wave than LHs, in the cingulate and posterior cingulate gyrus (BA23/31). The present results, on the whole, are in the opposite direction to PPI findings on hypnotizability previously reported in the literature. These results provide support to the neuropsychophysiological model that HHs have more effective sensory integration and gating (or filtering) of irrelevant stimuli than LHs.

PLoS One. 2013 Nov 22;8(11):e79605. De Pascalis V, Russo E. Department of Psychology "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Full title: Use of Provider-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Adult Smokers in the United States: Comparison From the 2002 and 2007 NHIS Survey.

To provide a snapshot of provider-based complementary and alternative medicine (pbCAM) use among adult smokers and assess the opportunity for these providers to deliver tobacco cessation interventions. Design. Cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2002 and 2007 National Health Interview Surveys. Setting . Nationally representative sample. Subjects . A total of 54,437 (31,044 from 2002; 23,393 from 2007) adults 18 years and older. Measures . The analysis focuses on 10 types of pbCAM, including acupuncture, Ayurveda, biofeedback, chelation therapy, chiropractic care, energy therapy, folk medicine, hypnosis, massage, and naturopathy. Analysis . The proportions of current smokers using any pbCAM as well as specific types of pbCAM in 2002 and 2007 are compared using SAS SURVEYLOGISTIC. Results . Between 2002 and 2007, the percentage of recent users of any pbCAM therapy increased from 12.5% to 15.4% (p = .001). The largest increases occurred in massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Despite a decrease in the national average of current smokers (22.0% to 19.4%; p = .001), proportions of smokers within specific pbCAM disciplines remained consistent. Conclusion . Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, particularly those in chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage, represent new cohorts in the health care community to promote tobacco cessation. There is an opportunity to provide brief tobacco intervention training to CAM practitioners and engage them in public health efforts to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the United States.

Am J Health Promot. 2013 Dec 20. Hamm E, Muramoto ML, Howerter A, Floden L, Govindarajan L.

by Tim Brunson, PhD

The words belief and thought are the two most misused ones in the English vocabulary. The difference is a vital to understanding the transformation process. This is important to anyone seeking change in themselves or others. This includes improving performance, effecting accelerated healing, and resolving any dysfunctions in how we behave – and think.

A belief involves the relationship between a perception or concept and a previously established meaning and understanding. In other words, I may say that I think that today is Friday. But that is incorrect. Saying that I believe it is Friday is what I actually mean. When our senses detect an object, we receive a suggestion, or our imagination conceives an idea, our brain is designed to rapidly find previously programmed associations. This allows us to instantaneously establish meaning and develop an understanding. For this to work we need to have already programmed our mind with the correct association. As this is a programming phenomenon, beliefs are synonymous with habituated mental patterns and behaviors. In other words, we are programmed to become who we are. The role of a therapist or someone seeking self-transformation, is to change these beliefs.

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Historically, therapeutic hypnosis has been met with skepticism within some fields, although acceptance has expanded in recent decades. Development and application of ethical standards and principles has contributed to increased acceptance of hypnosis with children. The Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2002) and the Code of Conduct of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH, 2000) serve as guides to ethical considerations when treating children. From a developmental and practical perspective, children have limited decision-making capacities, therefore special attention should be paid to their rights and welfare. Important ethical considerations relevant to children and hypnosis have emerged, including competence, supervision, informed consent, confidentiality, and boundaries. Considerations are reviewed from a normal and abnormal child development perspective.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2013 Apr;55(4):370-7. Etzrodt CM. Immaculata University, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA. cetzrodt@gmail.com

Rémi Etienne is a nurse. Since 2007, he has been working in a cancer centre. Having taken a training course in hypnosis, he offers, in addition to his nursing practice, hypnosis as a form of pain relief.

Rev Infirm. 2013 May;(191):30. Etienne R. Infirmier en oncologie médicale, service de soins de support, Institut de cancérologie de Lorraine, 6, avenue de Bourgogne, 54500 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. r.etienne@nancy.unicancer.fr

The trance states in yoga and hypnosis are associated with similar phenomena like relaxation, disinclination to talk, unreality, misrepresentation, alterations in perception, increased concentration, suspension of normal reality testing, and the temporary nature of the phenomena. While some researchers consider yoga to be a form of hypnosis, others note that there are many similarities between the trance in yoga and the hypnotic trance. The present study aimed to find similarities between the trance states of hypnosis and Patanjali's yoga sutras. The trance states were compared with the understanding of the phenomena of trance, and the therapeutic techniques and benefits of both. An understanding of the concept of trance in Patanjali's yoga sutras was gained through a thematic analysis of the book Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. This led to an understanding of the concept of trance in the yoga sutras. The obtained concepts were compared to the concepts of trance in hypnosis (obtained through the literature on hypnosis) to investigate whether or not there exist similarities. The findings of the study show that there are similarities between the trance in hypnosis and the trance in Patanjali's yoga sutras in the induction and deepening of the trance states in hypnosis and that of Samadhi, the phenomena present in hypnosis and the kinds of siddhis that are obtained through Samadhi, and the therapeutic techniques and the therapeutic process in Patanjali's yoga sutra and hypnosis.

Indian J Psychiatry. 2013 Jan;55(Suppl 2):S157-64. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.105516. Chowdhary S, Gopinath JK. Department of Psychology, Christ University, Bangalore, India.

Hypnosis can affect perception, motor function and memory. However, so far no study using neuroimaging has investigated whether hypnosis can influence reward processing and decision-making. Here, we assessed whether posthypnotic suggestions can diminish the attractiveness of unhealthy food and whether this is more effective than diminishing attractiveness by one's own effort via autosuggestion. In total, 16 participants were hypnotized and 16 others were instructed to associate a color cue (blue or green) with disgust regarding specific snacks (sweet or salty). Afterwards, participants bid for snack items shown on an either blue or green background during functional magnetic resonance imaging measurement. Both hypnosis and autosuggestion successfully devalued snacks. This was indicated by participants' decision-making, their self-report and by decreased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a region known to represent value. Different vmPFC subregions coded for cue and snack type. The cue had significantly stronger effects on vmPFC after hypnosis than after autosuggestion, indicating that hypnosis was more effective in genuinely reducing value. Supporting previous findings, the precuneus was involved in the hypnotic effects by encoding whether a snack was sweet or salty during hypnotic cue presentation. Our results demonstrate that posthypnotic suggestions can influence valuation and decision-making.

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013 Aug 21. Ludwig VU, Stelzel C, Krutiak H, Magrabi A, Steimke R, Paschke LM, Kathmann N, Walter H. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Vera.Ludwig@hu-berlin.de.

The authors studied whether a posthypnotic suggestion to see a brief, masked target as gray can change the color experience of a hypnotic virtuoso. The visibility of the target was manipulated by varying the delay between the target and the mask that followed it. The virtuoso's subjective reports indicated that her conscious color experience was altered already at short delays between the target and the subsequent mask. The virtuoso's objectively measured pattern of responding under posthypnotic suggestion could not be mimicked either by control participants nor the virtuoso herself. Due to posthypnotic amnesia, the virtuoso was unaware of suggestions given during hypnosis. Importantly, the virtuoso could not alter her color perception without a hypnotic suggestion. These results suggest that hypnosis can affect even a highly automatic process such as color perception.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013;61(4):371-87. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.810446. Kallio S, Koivisto M. a University of Skövde, Sweden; and University of Turku , Finland.

This study analyzes the relationship of various measures of hypnosis as a function of kinship. Subjects with varying degrees of kinship (mono- and dizygotic twins, siblings, and parent-child pairs) participated. The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form A (SHSS:A), as well as other measures-including the Dyadic Interactional Harmony (DIH) and the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI)-were used with both subjects and hypnosis practitioners. Findings indicated that the phenomenological experience of hypnosis is not determined genetically. The subjects apparently evaluated the session as related to the degree of kinship. MZ twins-on the basis of reactive interactional pattern-evaluate the hypnotic interaction similarly. This was not true for SHSS:A scores or the phenomenological aspects of the state (PCI). These findings were interpreted within the sociopsychobiological model of hypnosis.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013;61(4):401-15. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.810476. Varga K, Bányai EI, G?si-Greguss AC, Tauszik K. a Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary.

This study systematically reviews the hypnosis apps available via iTunes that were compatible with iPhone or iPad. Of 1455 apps identified on iTunes, 407 met inclusion criteria and were further reviewed. Most common hypnosis app targets were weight loss (23%), boosting self-esteem (20%), and relaxation/stress reduction (19%); 83% of apps delivered hypnosis via audio track, and 37% allowed tailoring. Less than 14% of apps reported disclaimers. None of the apps reported having been tested for efficacy, and none reported being evidence based. Although apps have the potential to enhance hypnosis delivery, it seems as though technology has raced ahead of the supporting science. Recommendations from clinical researchers and policy makers are needed to inform responsible hypnosis app development and use.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013;61(4):463-74. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.810482. Sucala M, Schnur JB, Glazier K, Miller SJ, Green JP, Montgomery GH. a Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York , New York , USA.

Hypnosis research binds phenomenology and neuroscience. Here we show how recent evidence probing the impact of hypnosis and suggestion can inform and advance a neurophenomenological approach. In contrast to meditative practices that involve lengthy and intensive training, hypnosis induces profound alterations in subjective experience following just a few words of suggestion. Individuals highly responsive to hypnosis can quickly and effortlessly manifest atypical conscious experiences as well as override deeply entrenched processes. These capacities open new avenues for suspending habitual modes of attention and achieving refined states of meta-awareness. Furthermore, hypnosis research sheds light on the effects of suggestion, expectation, and interpersonal factors beyond the narrow context of hypnotic procedures. Such knowledge may help to further foster phenomenological interviewing methods, improve experiential reports, and elucidate the mechanisms of contemplative practices. Incorporating hypnosis and suggestion into the broader landscape of neurophenomenology, therefore, would likely help bridge subjective experience and third-person approaches to the mind.

Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Aug 15;7:469. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00469. eCollection 2013. Lifshitz M, Cusumano EP, Raz A. Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada.

Full title: Application of the ex-Gaussian function to the effect of the word blindness suggestion on Stroop task performance suggests no word blindness.

The aim of the present paper was to apply the ex-Gaussian function to data reported by Parris et al. (2012) given its utility in studies involving the Stroop task. Parris et al. showed an effect of the word blindness suggestion when Response-Stimulus Interval (RSI) was 500 ms but not when it was 3500 ms. Analysis revealed that: (1) The effect of the suggestion on interference is observed in ?, supporting converging evidence indicating the suggestion operates over response competition mechanisms; and, (2) Contrary to Parris et al. an effect of the suggestion was observed in ? when RSI was 3500 ms. The reanalysis of the data from Parris et al. (2012) supports the utility of ex-Gaussian analysis in revealing effects that might otherwise be thought of as absent. We suggest that word reading itself is not suppressed by the suggestion but instead that response conflict is dealt with more effectively.

Front Psychol. 2013 Sep 20;4:647. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00647. Parris BA, Dienes Z, Hodgson TL. Psychology Research Centre, School of Design, Engineering and Computing, University of Bournemouth Poole, UK.

This study confirmed that oxytocin plays a significant role in modulating the extent to which people can engage in external or internal experiences. The hypothesis was that levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin is correlated with heightened awareness of external cues. Also, the conclusion was that the capacity to respond to suggestions for altered internal states is influenced by the oxytocin receptor gene. (This study should be viewed in relationship to earlier work done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School regarding oxytocin levels and defensiveness. This also correlates with statements made by hypnotists, such as Dave Elman, in which they say that a person's resistance to hypnosis could be affected by fear.)

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Apr 3. pii: S0306-4530(13)00076-0. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.03.002. Bryant RA, Hung L, Dobson-Stone C, Schofield PR. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: r.bryant@unsw.edu.au.

Full title: Oxytocin impedes the effect of the word blindness post-hypnotic suggestion on Stroop task performance.

The ability to enhance sensitivity to relevant (post)hypnotic suggestions has implications for creating clinically informed analogues of psychological and neuropsychological conditions and for the use of hypnotic interventions in psychological and medical conditions. The aim of this study was to test the effect of oxytocin inhalation on a post-hypnotic suggestion that previously has been shown to improve the selectivity of attention in the Stroop task. In a double-blind placebo-controlled between-subjects study, medium hypnotizable individuals performed the Stroop task under normal conditions and when they had been given a post-hypnotic suggestion that they would perceive words as meaningless symbols. In line with previous research, Stroop interference was substantially reduced by the suggestion in the placebo condition. However, contrary to expectations, oxytocin impeded the effect of the word blindness suggestion on performance. The results are explained in terms of the requirement for the re-implementation of the word blindness suggestion on a trial-by-trial basis and the need to sustain activation of the suggestion between trials. The findings contrast with a recent study showing a beneficial effect of oxytocin on sensitivity to (post)hypnotic suggestions but are consistent with findings showing a detrimental effect of oxytocin on memory processes.

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013 May 29. [Epub ahead of print] Parris BA, Dienes Z, Bate S, Gothard S. Department of Psychology, School of Design, Engineering, and Computing, University of Bournemouth, Poole House, Talbot Campus, Poole BH12 5BB, UK. bparris@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Because no studies have examined learning in hypnosis in an academic setting, the current study tested whether learning in hypnosis impacts test performance. Participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned into a hypnosis or a control group. Participants listened to an academic lecture, answered questions about their hypnotic depth, and completed a quiz based on the lecture. The data was analyzed using multilevel modeling predicting test performance from group placement. Learning in the hypnosis predicted significantly worse performance compared to the control group. This relationship was significantly mediated by attention, which had a positive relationship to test performance. However, the altered state of awareness produced by the hypnosis condition was associated with a more significant decrease in test performance.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2013 Apr;55(4):360-9. Jacobson NC, Kramer SL, Tharp AG, Harmon KA, Cejas GP, Costa SC. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA. ncj2@psu.edu

by Tim Brunson PhD

Once patterns are established they becomes habituated – and stored primarily in the parietal lobe and within our physiology. They become relatively rigid, are dominated by implicit memories, and involve primitive limbic functions rather than the more intellectual frontal lobe. Therefore, once a pattern is habituated – at any level – it resists all efforts to change. Remembering that the human mind and body is a multi-level aggregate of components and systems, each with their own form of consciousness and intelligence, it is very important to realize that they are obsessed with the compulsion to retain familiar patterns. The goal is to hold onto those patterns at all costs, even if a component or system's patterns are contrary to the interests (i.e. the survival) of that element's patterns. The ultimate obsession with survival is not for the survival of the system, but the survival of its habituated patterns (Bandler, 2008).

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

Behind where I am sitting now is a framed poster showing a photograph of Albert Einstein. Underneath his picture is one of my favorite quotes, which says that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." When it comes to human transformation, too much press is given to the power of the subconscious mind and totally ignores the critical role of the conscious mind, which serves as the true captain of neurophysiology. As such, the most capable tool available for guiding us in the direction of our choosing is our ability to use our imagination. Yet, as a resource it is too often subordinated and not given the credit it is due. As a valuable asset our ability to imagine is not just a baseless cliché bantered around by idealistic self-help gurus and inadequately trained practitioners. Rather it is something that has a clear scientific and physiological basis. By understanding that, we can better develop processes and procedures designed to enhance our potential to shape our future.

The existence of imagination as a mental process is a characteristic of the evolution of developed human frontal lobes, which makes possible our highly advanced conscious mind. Therefore, humans have both a capability to be self-aware and can alter at will how they interpret their perception of past, present, and future reality. Nevertheless, despite our superiority the vast majority of our consciousness remains reactive no different than that of the lower life forms and matter. When we sense cold, we shiver. When we perceive safety or danger, we react accordingly down to the sub-cellular level. On the other hand, there is a special human quality that provides us with the amazing ability to anticipate. It is that factor that is the key to our ability to understand the wonderful value of imagination.

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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

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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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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by Tim Brunson, PhD

What are illness and disease? When a component is entraining to changes in one pattern, it becomes out of harmony with the components of the other patterns with which it normally interacts. A dis-ease is caused within these patterns. This is like the merchants not seeing their regular customer on a Saturday morning, or the office staff having to compensate for the absence of a valuable employee. If you think about it, this is what is happening in any situation in which a person has been diagnosed with an illness or disease. A component of a system has performed a reactive adaptation to one pattern with which it is integrated. Again, what you must understand is that every component plays a critical role in numerous patterns. Once it adapts to changes in one pattern, it will be disharmonious with its other patterns. This is the nature of any illness.

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Placebo effects are widely recognized as having a potent impact upon treatment outcomes in both medical and psychological interventions, including hypnosis. In research utilizing randomized clinical trials, there is usually an effort to minimize or control placebo effects. However, in clinical practice there may be significant benefits in enhancing placebo effects. Prior research from the field of social psychology has identified three factors that may enhance placebo effects, namely: priming, client perceptions, and the theory of planned behavior. These factors are reviewed and illustrated via a case example. The consideration of social-psychological factors to enhance positive expectancies and beliefs has implications for clinical practice as well as future research into hypnotic interventions.

Am J Clin Hypn. 2013 Jan;55(3):236-48. Sliwinski J, Elkins GR. Baylor University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, PO Box #97334, Waco, TX 76798, USA. jim_sliwinski@baylor.edu

by Tim Brunson, PhD

There is a portal to our future. It is just above our right eye. It controls our mastery, our mind, and our health. Neuroscientists call it the right orbitofrontal cortex. However, to the rest of us it is home to anticipation, meaning, suggestion, and imagination. Once we tame it, it allows us to control our destiny. It provides us with virtually unlimited possibilities for a wonderful life. But if we allow it roam it can make our existence a living hell. The choice is ours.

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by Tim Brunson PhD

Everything around us and inside us is all about patterns. This includes physics, astronomy, biology, cultural relationships, and everything else. For a hypnotherapist this concept is crucial, as it extends to the totality of human experience and transformation. The commonality of all existence is the tendency to move from chaos to order. Order implies the elements of a system are organized in a logical pattern reflecting relationships of interdependency. Chaos means that everything entropies eventually into disorder. Regardless, the next step is always a return to order. Patterns mean order; order means patterns.

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The ability to mentally imagine the performance of automatic movements has been well-established being employed in sports and physiotherapy as a tool for motor learning and rehabilitation. This is probably mediated by engagement of the same brain areas as during real motor performance. Here we investigated the effect of hypnotic trance on the cerebral activation pattern engaged in motor imagery in 16 healthy, right-handed subjects using fMRI. Motor imagery as compared with rest was related to activations in the left medial frontal areas (preSMA/SMA), prefrontal- and frontal areas, putamen and inferior parietal areas. When compared with performance of the same movements motor imagery resulted in activation of the left middle frontal cortex, precuneus, and posterior cingulate. Under hypnotic trance there was one extra-activation in the left thalamus which occurred specifically in the motor imagery condition. The regional beta indices were highly correlated among the areas of the cortical-subcortical motor network. Our data accord with the notion that hypnotic trance enhances the motor control circuit engaged in motor imagery by modulating the gating function of the thalamus.

Neuroimage. 2012 Nov 2;66C:361-367. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.10.073. Müller K, Bacht K, Prochnow D, Schramm S, Seitz RJ. Heinrich-Heine-University, Department of Neurology, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: katharina.mueller@uni-duesseldorf.de.

This quasi-experiment using a real/simulator model investigated differences in cognitive flexibility in high and low hypnotizable participants. Using the variables of hypnotizability (low/high), consciousness (nonhypnotized/hypnotized), mood (happy/sad), and visual-information processing (global/local), reaction times and target detection paradigms of the subjects were evaluated during both nonhypnotic and hypnotic states. Flexibility in cognitive processing was operationalized as the ability to overcome the typical global precedence and answer quickly about the nonprevalent local features. It was observed that the low hypnotizable participants were not influenced in their preference for the global or local dimension by any manipulated variable, whereas the high hypnotizables were more flexible.

Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2013 Jan;61(1):55-70. doi: 10.1080/00207144.2013.729435. Enea V, Dafinoiu I. a Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi , Romania.

by Tim Brunson PhD

While sincere, scientifically-minded professionals should appreciate that their methodology has been consistently used to explore emerging mind/body concepts, still many skeptics still insist that any such research and the resulting findings are a disgrace and are to be classified as "woo woo", an un-scientific, emotionally laden appellation for the more acceptable, yet questionable term "pseudo-science".

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Full title: Mind-Body CAM Interventions: Current Status and Considerations for Integration Into Clinical Health Psychology.

OBJECTIVE: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly used for treating myriad health conditions and for maintaining general health. The present article provides an overview of current CAM use with a specific focus on mind-body CAM and its efficacy in treating health conditions.

METHOD: Characteristics of CAM users are presented, and then evidence regarding the efficacy of mind-body treatments (biofeedback, meditation, guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, hypnosis, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong) is reviewed.

RESULTS: Demographics associated with CAM use are fairly well-established, but less is known about their psychological characteristics. Although the efficacy of mind-body CAM modalities for health conditions is receiving a great deal of research attention, studies have thus far produced a weak base of evidence.

Methodological limitations of current research are reviewed. Suggestions are made for future research that will provide more conclusive knowledge regarding efficacy and, ultimately, effectiveness of mind-body CAM. Considerations for clinical applications, including training and competence, ethics, treatment tailoring, prevention efforts, and diversity, conclude the article.

CONCLUSIONS: Integration of CAM modalities into clinical health psychology can be useful for researchers taking a broader perspective on stress and coping processes, illness behaviors, and culture; for practitioners seeking to incorporate CAM perspectives into their work; and for policy makers in directing healthcare resources wisely.

J Clin Psychol. 2013 Jan;69(1):45-63. doi: 10.1002/jclp.21910. Epub 2012 Aug 30. Park C. University of Connecticut.

by Tim Brunson PhD

Discoveries in the area of neuroplasticity over the past few decades have highlighted the ability for our minds to influence the structure of our brains. Scientists from around the globe have discovered that our experiences will affect how we are neurologically organized. While surgery, medications, and the various forms of psychotherapy, to including hypnosis, have their effects, our existence in an environment of exponentially rapid technological growth is becoming a major factor in the future direction of our minds and the history of humanity. Our electronic "toys" not only affect our professional and social lives. They also impact on how we remember, think, and imagine.

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by Tim Brunson PhD

Hypnosis is considered by most as an altered state of mind. Essentially, this is a misnomer. The brain goes through four main brain wave states multiple times per day. These are Beta (full awareness), Alpha (light relaxation), Theta (deep relaxation), and Delta (sleep). To day that there is a "altered state of mind" would assume that there is a normal state from which the mind deviates. (And, the lambda and gamma states are rarely discussed.)

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by Tim Brunson PhD

For a very long time I have been fascinated by the relationship between the mind and body. In fact, despite resistance from much of the medical community, the field of integrative medicine is rapidly gaining a foothold. (The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals in the U.S. has mandated that all hospitals adopt integrative medicine programs by 2007.) This trend is being documented almost daily by the United States National Institutes of Health. Professionally I spend a considerable amount of time documenting such research for The International Hypnosis Research Institute. This is especially true when integrative research involves hypnosis.

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Both hypnosis and acupuncture have gained credibility over the years in their effectiveness for treating various health conditions. Currently, each of these treatments is administered in distinct settings and separate times. That is, even if patients receive both treatments as part of a multidimensional therapeutic program, they would typically receive them separately rather than simultaneously at the same session. This separation however might be undesirable since, at least theoretically, hypnosis and acupuncture could potentially augment each other if administered concomitantly. In this article we outline the rationale for this hypothesis and discuss the potential ramifications of its implementation.

Bnai Zion Medical Center, Internal Medicine Division Haifa, Israel, University of Arizona, Program in Integrative Medicine Arizona, USA and The Recanati Center for Medicine and Research and the Section for Integrative Medicine, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus) and the Tel-Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine Israel.

by Tim Brunson PhD

Recent findings in cognitive neurosciences challenge not only traditional medicine but also many of the tenets of the incipient integrative community as well. The fact that suggestions may by themselves have direct (and measurable) neurological and physical effects open up the possibilities that new methodologies may exist for the practice of medicine and mental health, as well as for counseling and coaching. As this happens, die-hard hypnotists who are enamored by their own talents will face the realization that the Freudian-era myth of the existence of the "subconscious mind" hampers their ability to fully realize the true potential of the art of suggestion. Indeed, hypnotists and hypnotherapists are challenged to open their minds as they discard worn out litanies and assumptions.

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