The magic of hypnosis: is it child's play?

Mind-body treatments of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: An updated meta-analysis

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a widespread chronic functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder having bidirectional comorbidity with psychiatric disorders. This review focuses on psychological treatment of IBS, focusing on symptom severity rather than IBS diagnostic criteria. We chose this dimensional approach in order to assess mind-body effects as an alternative or complement to conventional medical treatment, which focuses on symptom relief. We calculated the effect sizes for various psychosocial-mind-body therapies (MBTs) for IBS symptoms in both children and adults. Therapies included meditation, relaxation, yoga, autogenic training, progressive relaxation, general training in stress coping, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, psycho-education, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. We performed a meta-regression analyses and mixed effects contrasts to find various outcome differences, and we analyzed their relative efficacy in both children and adults. We found 53 studies in 50 reports describing randomized controlled trials. Medium to high effect sizes were found across all methods compared with various controls, with possibly higher effects for children. We found no systematic differences among treatment methods. Meta-regression analyses showed no significant effect for the presence of psychophysiological training, meditation or explicit exposure procedures as treatment components, although most MBTs include exposure as a nonexplicit treatment characteristic, and many relaxation techniques have meditative characteristics. We conclude that there is considerable evidence that an array of mind-body and other psychological therapies can be effective complements to medical treatment for IBS symptom severity, with little evidence for relative superiority of any particular approach. We suggest that the various methods may operate through different mechanisms.

Toward a Phenomenology of Trance Logic in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Some induction procedures result in trance logic as an essential feature of hypnosis. Trance logic is a voluntary state of acceptance of suggestions without the critical evaluation that would destroy the validity of the meaningfulness of the suggestion. Induction procedures in real and simulated conditions induce a conflict between two contradictory messages in experimental hypnosis. In military induction the conflict is much more subtle involving society's need for security and its need for ethics. Such conflicts are often construed by the subject as trance logic. Trance logic provides an opportunity for therapists using the phenomenology of “presence” to deal with the objectified concepts of “avoidance,” “numbing” implicit in this kind of dysfunctional thinking in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. An individual phenomenology of induction procedures and suggestions, which trigger trance logic, may lead to a resolution of logical fallacies and recurring painful memories. It invites a reconciliation of conflicting messages implicit in phobias and avoidance traumas. Such a phenomenological analysis of trance logic may well be a novel approach to restructure the meaning of trauma.

An Argument for a Qualitative Research Approach to Hypnotic Experiencing and Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis

An argument for the significance of a qualitative research approach to hypnotic experiencing and a perceptually oriented view of hypnosis is presented with hypnosis framed in phenomenological, humanistic, and perceptual terms. An outline of threads of thought in Popper's writings are consistent with such a perspective. Qualitative approaches are noted and support for theoretical discussions leading to deeper understanding of issues of hypnotic experiencing, such as unconscious processes, nonlinear experiences, and researchers' countertransference are examined. Some limitations of current quantitative approaches to examining hypnotic experiencing and myths about qualitative research are discussed.

Phenomenological Contributions to Understanding Hypnosis: Review of the Literature

This article provides a summary of the available qualitative literature on hypnosis of importance to empirical study of hypnosis. The author advocates a link between phenomenological research and the qualitative research of perceptual theory to deepen an understanding of hypnosis previously missing in the research literature and in debates on the theoretical approaches to hypnosis. The author suggests linking Giorgi's and Wasicsko's research methodologies to advance qualitative research. Researchers could conduct more qualitative research on the experience of hypnosis to expand and explicate subjective experiencing and enhance exploration of individual differences that cannot be captured in artificially controlled environments.

Hypnotherapy in child psychiatry: the state of the art

Children are more easily hypnotized than adults, and hypnotherapy as a method responds to the general developmental needs of children by addressing their ability for fantasy and imagination. Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis are tools with which to assess and develop protective factors, and enhance positive adjustment. Meta-analyses and overviews have demonstrated the effect of hypnotherapy in paediatric disorders like asthma, chronic and acute pain, and in procedure-related distress in cancer patients. We wanted to examine the use and benefits of hypnotherapy when applied to child psychiatric disorders. A review of a literature search from PubMed, PsychINFO and the Cochrane databases revealed 60 publications, mostly case reports based on 2-60 cases, addressing the use of hypnotherapy in various child psychiatric conditions. Findings indicate that hypnotherapy may be useful for a wide range of disorders and problems, and may be particularly valuable in the treatment of anxiety disorders and trauma-related conditions. In conclusion, knowledge of hypnosis is useful in clinical practice and hypnotherapy may play an important role as an adjunctive therapy in cognitive-behavioural treatment and family therapy. Additional qualitative and quantitative studies are needed to assess the place for hypnosis/hypnotherapy in child psychiatry.

Preoperative hypnotherapy in the management of a child with anticipatory nausea and vomiting

A six-year-old boy with oesophageal strictures secondary to neonatal repair of oesophageal atresia and requiring six to eight weekly oesophageal dilatations by bouginage developed anticipatory nausea and vomiting. This was effectively managed by a course of preoperative hypnotherapy over four sessions. Resolution of anticipatory nausea and vomiting occurred along with cessation of postoperative nausea and vomiting. This case supports early intervention with preoperative hypnotherapy in children with anticipatory nausea and vomiting that has not responded to other measures.

A preliminary phenomenological study of being hypnotized and hypnotizing

This paper presents phenomenological research conducted following Woodard's phenomenological and perceptual research methodology for understanding hypnotic experiencing. The research emphasizes examining the internal experiencings of individuals involved in hypnotic experiencing. Examples are presented of Individual Situated Structures and the General Structures from both a group of 8 participants who hypnotized their clients and another group of 17 individuals who volunteered to be hypnotized. The explicated themes identified in hypnotic experiencing (the hypnotic relationship, phenomenology of trance, use of imagination, problem with psychic energy, a gestalt of experiencing, and linear-nonlinear experiencing) are discussed. The author discusses limitations of this study and suggestions for further work.

The efficacy of hypnosis in the reduction of procedural pain and distress in pediatric oncology: a systematic review

Children who suffer from cancer have to endure regular, painful medical procedures that are associated with a considerable degree of psychosocial distress. Hypnosis has been successfully employed in the management of pain and distress in the adult population, but is not well studied in pediatric populations. This review systematically evaluates the systematic research conducted in the field of procedure-related pain management in pediatric oncology within the context of a nationally agreed framework for the assessment of research evidence. It is concluded that there is not currently enough robust research evidence to recommend that hypnosis should form part of best practice guidelines for the management of procedure-related pain in pediatric oncology. However, there is sufficient evidence to justify larger-scale, appropriately controlled studies. A number of recommendations are made regarding future research.