The American journal of clinical hypnosis
-
Modern medicine thrives on the ideal of specific diseases, and specificity has revolutionized thinking in clinical practice (e.g., psychiatry) as well as biomedical research (e.g., neuroscience). Different notions of specificity exist (e.g., clinical, biological, and behavioral). ⋯ Drawing on the metaphor of pharmacological specificity, we provide converging data suggesting that, at least for certain individuals, specific behavioral interventions can influence focal brain activations. Interpretation of these data paves the road to a more scientific strategy for studying the neural basis of suggestion and placebo response, and holds promise for the optimal matching of patient and treatment.
-
This paper attempts to understand the relationship between the clinical efficacy of hypnosis and its negative perception among many medical educators, practitioners and the general public. By exploring the history of hypnosis, an attempt was made to point out several events that may have led to both the past and current misperception of hypnosis which the author believes have caused hypnosis to become "medicine's dirty word".
-
Case Reports
Three failures of direct suggestion in psychogenic dermatitis followed by successful intervention.
Three adult cases of psychogenic dermatitis of atypical presentation were treated with direct suggestion under hypnosis (DSUH), which included suggestions for developing cooling, soothing and healing numbness in the affected areas. After a trial of 5 sessions over a period of 2 months, the results in all 3 cases were determined to be unappreciable and unsuccessful. ⋯ This technique proved an effective treatment that extinguished the flair-ups in 6 visits or less over a period of 2 months. These cases were followed at intervals of up to 1 year and no evidence of relapse found.
-
This article will illustrate how effective hypnotic communication closely resembles the Haiku form. Working with the Haiku form is an effective and dynamic approach that encourages the therapists to keep their awareness sharpened and observation astute. Haiku is not just a type of poetry; it is a way of looking at the world with a heightened level of attentiveness. ⋯ Enhancing our skills of observation is an important aspect of the continuing experience of the hypnotherapist. The Haiku method can help us enhance our observation and utilize what we observe in developing evocative hypnotic suggestions that help the client access their internal representational systems to stimulate their healing response. A systematized method for learning to write Haiku is presented.