Relaxing and encouraging suggestions given to hospitalized chronic schizophrenics

Abstract

3 groups of hospitalized chronic schizophrenic patients received “the taped hypnotic treatment” twice a week for 4 weeks. The treatment differed for each of the 3 groups of 18 patients, but neither the patients nor the nursing staff were informed of this difference. The first group was exposed to music only, the second group was given music with superimposed hypnotic suggestions, and the third group heard music with superimposed hypnotic suggestions for improving self-confidence. The staff filled in an evaluation form about the patient's health beforehand, immediately afterward, and then 1 month after the treatment program. No difference between the groups was found if the comparison was based only upon the directions of the changes. However, twice as many positive changes as negative ones were observable in every group after the control period. If the changes noted are restricted only to those attaining the statistically significant (p < .05) level, the majority of positive ones was more evident. From this point of view, the reactions of the groups to the treatments were also different. Improvement appeared directly after the treatment of the Music and Self-confidence groups, but was not evident during the observation time 1 month later. In the Relaxing group, there was, on the contrary, only slight improvement directly after the treatment, but 1 month later during the follow-up observation time, the improvement was considerable. Thus, while encouraging hypnotic suggestions proved on the follow-up to be ineffective, hypnosis appeared to have a real influence when only relaxing suggestions were used.