Clinical hypnosis with school-age children

The Evolution of Hypnosis in the Profession of Nursing: We've Come a Long Way, Baby, and Still Have a Long Way to Go

Registered nurses (RNs) are the largest, most diverse, and most respected of all healthcare professions in the United States, numbering over 3.5 million (Gallup poll, 2017). Nurses have evolved from being the handmaidens of physicians and bedpan handlers to highly trained and educated clinicians who have assumed an important, integral, and indispensable role in the healthcare system. The capabilities of nurses to expand the excellent care they can provide has historically been thwarted by others in the healthcare field, including in the area of hypnosis. This article begins with a historical perspective on the education, training, and ever-expanding profession of nursing. The multiplicity of settings where nurses have the opportunity to incorporate clinical hypnosis into the care of their patients is discussed.

Hypnosis for induction of labour

BACKGROUND

Induction of labour using pharmacological and mechanical methods can increase complications. Complementary and alternative medicine methods including hypnosis may have the potential to provide a safe alternative option for the induction of labour. However, the effectiveness of hypnosis for inducing labour has not yet been fully evaluated.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effect of hypnosis for induction of labour compared with no intervention or any other interventions.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 January 2014), handsearched relevant conference proceedings, contacted key personnel and organisations in the field for published and unpublished references.

SELECTION CRITERIA

All published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs of acceptable quality comparing hypnosis with no intervention or any other interventions, in which the primary outcome is to assess whether labour was induced.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors assessed the one trial report that was identified (but was subsequently excluded).

MAIN RESULTS

No RCTs or cluster-RCTs were identified from the search strategy.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence available from RCTs to assess the effect of hypnosis for induction of labour. Evidence from RCTs is required to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this intervention for labour induction. As hypnosis may delay standard care (in case standard care is withheld during hypnosis), its use in induction of labour should be considered on a case-by-case basis.Future RCTs are required to examine the effectiveness and safety of hypnotic relaxation for induction of labour among pregnant women who have anxiety above a certain level. The length and timing of the intervention, as well as the staff training required, should be taken into consideration. Moreover, the views and experiences of women and staff should also be included in future RCTs.

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.

Hypnosis during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period for preventing postnatal depression

BACKGROUND

The morbidity caused by postnatal depression is enormous. Several psychological or psychosocial interventions have appeared to be effective for treating the disorder although they have not shown a clear benefit in preventing the development of PND. As yet however, the effectiveness of hypnosis has not been evaluated in relation to this.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effect of hypnosis for preventing postnatal depression compared with usual antenatal, intranatal, or postnatal care.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 September 2011).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials comparing hypnosis with usual antenatal, intranatal, or postnatal care, where the primary or secondary objective is to assess whether there is a reduced risk of developing postnatal depression.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and assessed the one included study for risk of bias. The included study did not contribute any data for analysis.

MAIN RESULTS

There was one included study (involving 63 women). However, as it did not include the outcomes of interest, no data were available for analysis for this review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence available from randomised controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of hypnosis during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period for preventing postnatal depression. Evidence from randomised controlled trials is needed to evaluate the use and effects of hypnosis during the perinatal period to prevent postnatal depression. Two trials are currently underway which may provide further information in the future.

Treating postpartum depression with hypnosis: addressing specific symptoms presented by the client

Postpartum depression is experienced by 10-15% of women who give birth (Bloch, Rolenberg, Koren, & Klein, 2006). This disorder causes maternal distress and has been significantly associated with infant and child developmental problems (Carter, Garrity-Rokous, Chazan-Cohen, Little, & Briggs-Gowan, 2001). Once believed to be contraindicated (Crasilneck & Hall, 1985), hypnosis for depressive disorders has been advocated as an effective intervention strategy (Yapko, 2001). Addressing specific symptoms and skill development has been promoted as an effectual hypnotic strategy for depression (Yapko, 2001); however, little empirical evidence of the efficacy of hypnotherapy for postpartum depression or effective hypnotic strategies exists. The present article is a report of a single case in which hypnotherapy was successfully utilized in the treatment of Postpartum Depression by attending to the specific problems presented by the client and developing client skills to resolve existing problems and prevent their recurrence.

Treatment of binge eating with automatic word processing and self-hypnosis: a case report

Binge eating frequently is related to emotional stress and mood problems. In this report, we describe a 16-year-old boy who utilized automatic word processing (AWP) and self-hypnosis techniques in treatment of his binge eating, and associated anxiety, insomnia, migraine headaches, nausea, and stomachaches. He was able to reduce his anxiety by gaining an understanding that it originated as a result of fear of failure. He developed a new cognitive strategy through AWP, after which his binge eating resolved and his other symptoms improved with the aid of self-hypnosis. Thus, AWP may have helped achieve resolution of his binge eating by uncovering the underlying psychological causes of his symptoms, and self-hypnosis may have given him a tool to implement a desired change in his behavior.

"Cyberphysiologic" strategies for children: the clinical hypnosis/biofeedback interface

This article presents an in-depth discussion of the integrated use of self-hypnosis and biofeedback in the treatment of pediatric biobehavioral disorders. The rationale for integrating these techniques and their similarities and differences are discussed. The concepts of children's imaginative abilities, mastery, and self-regulation are examined as they pertain to these therapeutic strategies. Three case studies are presented that illustrate the integrated use of self-hypnosis and biofeedback in the treatment of children with psychophysiologic disorders. The authors speculate on the specific aspects of these self-regulation or "cyberphysiologic" techniques that appear particularly relevant to positive therapeutic outcomes.

Ways to feel comfortable: teaching aids to promote children's comfort

Children often experience pain and anxiety during invasive procedures. Although parents are usually children's best supports during frightening and/or painful experiences, they may not know how to support their children during procedures in a health care setting. A videotape and accompanying booklet were developed to teach parents and children about nonpharmacologic techniques they can use to promote children's comfort. Ways in which these products are being used as well as plans for future use are discussed.