This issue provides an abundance of exciting material on the use of hypnosis in two categories. One-half of the articles presented represent controlled research in the areas of reducing distress during breast radiotherapy, pain relief, and other sequelae during labor and postpartum, and smoking abstinence. These articles further attest to the evidence-based value of using hypnosis-combined treatment in patient care.
The other half of this issue illustrates treatment methods, case examples, and specific treatment protocols. These address interventions for hot flashes and other symptoms experienced by breast cancer patients, panic disorders, and the use of self-talk enhanced inductions.
The first two articles of this issue continue with topics originally invited to be among those in the AJCH Special Issue, Volume 60, Issue 1, “The Benefits of Hypnosis in Cancer Care.” Due to space and time limitations in that issue, these two excellent contributions had to await this publication.
This article, “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Plus Hypnosis for Distress During Breast Radiotherapy: A Randomized Trial” by Guy H. Montgomery, Madalina Sucala, Matthew J. Dillon, and Julie B. Schnur is the first of the two continued contributions to the issue on cancer care. The authors researched the use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy plus Hypnosis (CBTH) to assist breast cancer patients overcome the adverse effects of undergoing radiotherapy, particularly their emotion distress. One hundred subjects were randomly assigned to the CBTH group and the control group. Their emotional distress was measured at the mid-point, the conclusion and at 1 month following the completion of radiotherapy, using the Shortened Version of the Profile of Mood States (SV-POMS).
Their findings illustrate that CBTH is an evidence-based intervention to reduce emotional distress, “lacking side-effects, and producing beneficial effects which last beyond the conclusion of radiotherapy.” They discuss the limitation of this particular study and underscore the consistency of these finding with some of the authors’ previous research.
The second, and final article, continuing the issue on cancer care is “Hypnosis for Hot Flashes and Associated Symptoms in Women with Breast Cancer” by R. Lynae Roberts, Hyeji Na, Ming Hwei Yek, and Gary Elkins. This article affords a detailed and extensive overview of previous research so as to illustrate the use of hypnotically enhanced treatments for hot flashes, anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, and other symptoms associated with breast cancer. The authors stress individualization of treatment and the undeniable importance of treating the psychological aspects of patient care with this population. They provide a case example for a patient dealing with hot flashes. Given the improvement of the quality of life that can be made available with the use of hypnosis and guided self-hypnosis, the authors logically conclude, “The evidence is promising, but not yet well-established.”
Dr. David Reid, in “Treating Panic Disorder Hypnotically,” provides a hypnosis protocol for treating panic disorder illustrated by the successful treatment of a 28-year-old firefighter presenting with an extended history of near-daily panic attacks. The protocol employs education about the physiology of panic and contributing factors to the panic. Finally, it included the use of extramural physical activity, hypnosis applications, and measuring progress. The case includes a 6-year follow-up.
In an article titled “Self-Talk Monitoring and Utilization for Enhancing Hypnotic Induction,” Dr. Joseph Meyerson, proposes a clinical method for using patient self-talk during hypnotic inductions. He relates this approach to consciousness regulation and illustrates four unique clinical applications of this approach with characteristic patient self-talk.
Doctors Carmody, Duncan, Solkowitz, Huggins, and Simon provide a research study to shed light on the difference between counseling and hypnosis in helping recovered-tobacco smokers remain abstinent in “Hypnosis for Smoking Relapse Prevention: A Randomized Trial.” Using a randomized controlled trial at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center, 102 participants who had quit smoking for at least 3 days received either a hypnosis or behavioral relapse prevention intervention consisting of two, 60 min face-to-face sessions and four, 20 min follow-up phone calls. Abstinence was measured at 6 months and 1 year. The authors conclude, “that hypnosis warrants further investigation as an intervention for facilitating maintenance of quitting.”
In “The Effectiveness of Hypnosis Intervention for Labor: An Experimental Study,” Doctors Beevi, Low, and Hassan present a controlled study of 45 pregnant women both during labor and 24 hr postpartum. The experimental group received hypnosis interventions at four intervals during pregnancy. Low et al. report several comparative differences and similarities for the data collected during labor including the length of the labor stage, pain relief used during labor, the method of delivery, and the type of assisted vaginal delivery. Within 24 hr of delivery data was collected regarding neonatal birth weight, neonatal Apgar scores, and self-reported pain. The authors conclude, “hypnosis is useful for assisting pregnant women during labor and the postpartum period.”