Document Detail


Hypnosis, hypnotizability and treatment.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18714892     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
There is broad agreement that a phenomenon we call "hypnosis" exists. However, there is no generally accepted definition of hypnosis. A brief historical overview of the use of hypnosis in healing practices demonstrates how it evolved willy-nilly, and like Topsy, "just growed" into its current status in medicine, psychiatry, psychology and dentistry. The mechanisms underlying hypnosis and how hypnosis differs from other cognitive states are almost totally unknown. With the exceptions of suggestions for pain control, current concepts of high, medium, low or non-hypnotizability do not reliably predict clinical outcomes for most medical, psychiatric or dental disorders. We do know that it is relatively easy to reliably evaluate hypnotizability, but other than choosing volunteers or subjects who will or will not exhibit traditional hypnotic phenomena, we rarely know what to do with that evaluation with actual clinical patients. Four case studies, representative of many others, chosen retrospectively from a practice that spans 45 years, illustrate how traditional or modern hypnotizability assessment is irrelevant in the clinical setting. Although the four patients differed obviously and vastly in hypnotizability, they all benefited from the use of hypnosis.
Authors:
Howard Sutcher
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The American journal of clinical hypnosis     Volume:  51     ISSN:  0002-9157     ISO Abbreviation:  Am J Clin Hypn     Publication Date:  2008 Jul 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-08-21     Completed Date:  2008-09-22     Revised Date:  2009-11-11    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0100626     Medline TA:  Am J Clin Hypn     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  57-67     Citation Subset:  IM    
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Child
Female
Humans
Hypnosis / methods*
Hypnosis, Anesthetic / methods
Hypnosis, Dental / methods
Male
Retrospective Studies
Suggestion
Treatment Outcome
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):169-70; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998385 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):149-51; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998380 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):153-5; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998381 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):161-5; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998383 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):157-9; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998382 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):173-5; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998387 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):167; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998384 ]
Am J Clin Hypn. 2008 Oct;51(2):171-2; discussion 177-84   [PMID:  18998386 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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