This issue gives readers a range of insights and skills utilizing hypnosis in different clinical environments. The articles in this issue address some healthcare venues not often published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (AJCH). These areas of interest include biofeedback, nursing, smoking cessation, spinal cord injury, and postpartum anxiety and depression. Here’s a brief summary of what readers will find.
Dr. Cory Hammond provides his perspective for the clinical utility of using neurofeedback in various clinical situations in his article, “Integrating Clinical Hypnosis and Neurofeedback.” He provides his tested wisdom about the opportunities provided by hypnosis and neurofeedback.
In “The Most Beautiful Man: An Integration of Hypnosis and Biofeedback for Depression and Dissociation” by Donald Moss, readers will find an account of the use of hypnosis and biofeedback techniques, which are shown to be helpful when applied with a wide variety of medical and mental health disorders. In his article, the author displays creative use of a wide range of well-known therapeutic techniques (interventions often overlooked, I might add) to illustrate the successful treatment of a 36-year-old woman with depression and dissociative features. Among the interventions are affective journaling, biofeedback, and various hypnotic interventions. This article may reignite for readers the use of important and useful interventions that can be integrated within the context of hypnosis.
Dr. Linda Thomson has provided “Combining Hypnosis and Biofeedback in Primary Care Pediatrics.” In this important article she addressed the incidence of stress-related, psychophysiological disorders in children, an issue which is increasing in our population. Using case examples Dr. Thomson illustrates how the use of affordable biofeedback equipment and hypnosis can teach self-regulation, relaxation, stress management, and cognitive change, including self-image improvement in children.
Mary Herring provides the next article, “Strategies and Design of Hypnosis Intervention for Tobacco Cessation.” This article relates methods for using hypnosis to help tobacco users become tobacco free. While this goal has often been challenging due to its physical and emotional characteristics, she illustrates how hypnosis can be supportive for both aspects. She outlines a program design incorporating hypnosis for the successful cessation of tobacco usage. Readers will find that the detailed attention given to the protocol for intervening is one of the most important contributions of this article.
In a second article in this issue by Linda Thomson, she pays homage to “the largest, most diverse, and most respected of all healthcare professions”: nurses. “The Evolution of Hypnosis in the Profession of Nursing: We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby, and Still Have a Way to Go” provides a historical look at the nursing profession, education, training, and multiple venues and contexts in which hypnosis can be and has been a useful adjunct for patients when delivered within this field of the healthcare community. Nurses utilizing hypnosis have proven effective in numerous medical situations, including in emergency room care, pain management, palliative care, and psychiatric settings, along with opportunities to make a significant difference in the areas of surgical, obstetrical, pediatric, and preventive care. Their roles as providers with these skill sets both are cost-effective and can enhance patients’ quality of life; they should no longer be overlooked or underestimated. This article further builds the case for recognition of the professional of nursing and the training and utilization of nurses.
In a case study, the use of hypnotic cognitive therapy protocols proves to be an effective adjunct intervention in the treatment of chronic pain and poor sleep for a 28-year-old male quadriplegic patient with spinal cord injury. The article by authors Rocío de la Vega, M. Elena Mendoza, Joy F. Chan, and Mark P. Jensen, titled “Case Study: Cognitive Restructuring Hypnosis for Chronic Pain in a Quadriplegic Patient,” provides a discussion of these interventions, including self-hypnosis training, which are well explained. In addition, and a yearlong follow-up was conducted. It is notable that the patient enjoyed improvements and relief using hypnotic cognitive therapy for an extended time when he received no relief from any of his previous numerous medications.
In a study of the effectiveness of hypnosis treating some of the symptoms of postpartum depression, Zuhrah Beevi, Wah Yun Low, and Jamiyah Hassan use a quasi-experimental design. The article, “The Effectiveness of Hypnosis Intervention in Alleviating Postpartum Psychological Symptoms,” discusses the initial experimental group of 28 pregnant participants who received hypnosis interventions at intervals of 16, 20, 28, and 36 weeks. Two months after giving birth, 16 of the 28 original group participated in data collection. Measured with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, scores for both anxiety and depression symptoms in the experimental group were significantly lower than scores in the control group. While there were no significant differences in postpartum stress symptoms, this quasi-experimental design study shows that the hypnotic treatment conducted during pregnancy “may promote higher psychological well-being at postpartum.”
All healthcare providers, regardless of their specialties, will find value and insight in this issue. In conclusion, this issue is pleased to present solicited articles addressing the use of hypnosis by nurses and also by professionals employing biofeedback in treatment with hypnosis. While the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis has hosted several workshop presentations on these two topics at their annual conferences over the past few years, AJCH readers have seen few publications of the important work being done in these two areas.