Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is a complex and often debilitating condition that significantly impacts quality of life. Its diverse symptoms and intricate biological and psychological mechanisms highlight why multimodal and multidisciplinary approaches are widely recommended for CPP management. Hypnotherapy is an underutilized treatment for patients with CPP, despite widespread dissatisfaction with pharmacological options. Though research on psychological approaches has had mixed results, there's emerging evidence that hypnosis may be effective. A few case studies and controlled trials have shown its potential to not only modulate pelvic pain but also help restore a patient's overall quality of life, including hedonic functions like sexual pleasure. This review explores the available research on hypnotherapy for various urogenital pain syndromes. While preliminary findings are promising, they are limited by the lack of standardized interventions and the heterogeneity of the studies. More research is needed, specifically in the form of well-designed randomized controlled trials using validated measures for pain, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life.
At two annual conferences of the MEG, a hypnotizability and a personality test were conducted at an interval of seven years. At the first conference there was a right-skewed distribution of hypnotizability with more high than low hypnotizable subjects and increased values in the personality style schizotypy in the high compared to the low hypnotizable subjects. At the second conference there was an approximately planar distribution of hypnotizability and there were no differences in the personality style schizotypy between the high, medium and low hypnotizable. It is discussed that external factors such as the COVID pandemic 2020-22 shortly before the second test probably did not play a role. Because the participants at these two annual meetings did not differ in their sociodemographic data, because it was the same test and the test conditions were largely similar, only guesses can be made to explain the differences between the two conferences: It is possible that the theoretical and practical understanding of hypnosis and hypnotherapy within the MEG has changed in recent years.
Hypnosis has been described as a tool that facilitates immersion into roles by modulating cognitive and attentional processes. This study aimed to evaluate how hypnosis can help actors create and interpret characters. Previous research has occasionally reported gender differences in hypnotic susceptibility and responses to hypnotic interventions. Although not a primary aim of this study, gender-related variations in hypnotizability were explored as secondary findings. Sixteen male and sixteen female actors performed two distinct roles, a firefighter and a fire victim, randomly assigned under hypnotic and non-hypnotic conditions. The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) was used to measure individual hypnotizability. Participants completed post-performance questionnaires to assess perceived improvements in role absorption and character engagement. Results demonstrated that hypnosis significantly enhanced actors' immersion and their ability to authentically represent characters, independent of gender. These findings suggest that hypnosis can improve role congruence and acting performance, offering a valuable tool for theatrical training and performance enhancement.
The micro-phenomenological interview is a technique for investigating phenomenology in detail during an activity lasting seconds to minutes. Here, we applied it to understanding the moment-to-moment experiences of subjects responding to imaginative suggestions that were aimed at temporarily altering perceived reality through deployment of phenomenological control. Our intention was to generate novel hypotheses that could be tested in a future study. We presented three suggestions individually to seven participants, and then interviewed them about their experiences, with the qualitative findings generating four independent hypotheses. We repeated the process with six new participants and found that the data supported three of the hypotheses. These were that while moderate responses involved goal-directed fantasies, high responses appeared to not; that responses scored low did not involve reports of active sabotage; and high and moderate responders do not appear to be aware that they are generating the suggested behaviour and cognitions. These hypotheses will need confirming for generalisability with a quantitative study. If confirmed, these results will bear on the mechanisms underpinning phenomenological control.
Hypnosis is increasingly used in clinical contexts to improve pain management and is supported by experimental research, showing reduced pain perception to controlled nociceptive stimuli. This study investigated spatial selectivity of focused hypnotic analgesia (FHA), a technique used to reduce pain in one restricted body part. Series of brief contact heat stimuli were applied randomly to the right and left arm in 40 healthy participants, before, during and after suggestion of FHA targeting one arm. Pain intensity and unpleasantness were assessed after each stimulus using numerical ratings scales. Results showed a significant decrease in pain intensity and unpleasantness for the protected arm during FHA as compared to before and after, whereas no modulation was evidenced for the unprotected arm. Ratings were significantly different between the two arms only during FHA. These results were observed regardless of the level of hypnotizability. This confirms that FHA can selectively modulate pain perception, both its sensory-discriminative and emotional-cognitive components, and restrict its effects on a targeted area without affecting perception on other body parts.
Surgery is a disturbing factor of perioperative outcomes in surgical patients. This study aims to explore the effects of clinical hypnosis in diverse perioperative disturbances among non-cardiovascular surgical patients. This is a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines, using following databases: Cochrane trials, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline and Google Scholar with various keywords in English and French. Studies quality was assessed using Cochrane Rob 2 tool. Thirty randomized controlled trials published between 2012 and January 2025 were included in this review. Results showed that clinical hypnosis revealed a significant effect on decreasing pre and intraoperative anxiety, medication consumption especially opioids and hypnotics intra and postoperatively, risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting was also decreased in hypnosis group. A higher level of prolactin was also observed in women on post-cesarean section. Hypnosis is an interesting perioperative strategy, particularly in decreasing preoperative anxiety and medication consumption. Its impact on pain is uncertain and it can be related to techniques, patient hypnotic profile or type of surgery.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic hypnosis as an alternative to or adjunct treatment with opioid medications for post-operative pain management following shoulder replacement surgery. A prior pilot study assessed the feasibility of a clinical trial by comparing standard care and hypnosis therapy groups, finding moderate reductions in pain and opioid consumption in the therapeutic hypnosis group. The design of the current trial was informed by findings from the pilot study. Participants in the therapeutic hypnosis group were given access to a video with therapeutic hypnosis narration, while the control group viewed the video without narration. Pain intensity (primary outcome) was assessed at baseline, at the preoperative visit, as well as 10 and 49 days post-surgery. Secondary outcomes included anxiety, pain medication use, and sleep disruption. Despite initial positive results from the pilot, the current trial revealed no significant differences between the treatment groups across all measures. Further research should consider alternative control conditions and examine outcomes in the immediate post-surgical period to better capture potential effects.
There are few, if any, individuals who have impacted the practice of clinical hypnosis as much as Milton H. Erickson, M.D. In fact, a recent international survey found that Ericksonian hypnotherapy is the most widely endorsed approach in clinical hypnosis. At the same time, the development of treatment/training manuals and rigorous research has lagged far behind the practice of Ericksonian hypnotherapy and psychotherapy. This special issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (IJCEH) partially fills this gap by addressing a number of important questions, such as these: What is the essence of Ericksonian psychotherapy? What are key contributions of Erickson to the contemporary practice of hypnosis and psychotherapy? What does research tell us about Ericksonian hypnotherapy in the treatment of pain, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or prolonged grief? How might Ericksonian hypnotherapy influence hypnotically informed psychotherapy in the future? Addressing these important questions can provide essential information for cultivating research and enhancing evidence-based practice of Ericksonian hypnotherapy and psychotherapy.
Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition that often responds well to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), though many patients fail to achieve full remission. Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (EH) has been proposed as a promising alternative. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of CBT and EH against a waitlist control in 99 adults with OCD. Participants received 12 weekly online therapy sessions. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment using the Padua Inventory-Revised, Yale - Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale - Self-Report (Y-BOCS-SR), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Both CBT and EH led to large, statistically and clinically significant reductions in OCD symptoms compared to waitlist. CBT was more effective for compulsive behaviors such as washing, while EH produced greater reductions in obsessive rumination and general anxiety. No serious adverse events occurred. These findings suggest that EH is a viable and comparably effective treatment to CBT, with distinct therapeutic benefits. EH may offer a particularly useful option for patients with obsession-dominant symptom profiles or comorbid anxiety.
As Milton Hyland Erickson told us, "Each person is a unique individual. Hence, psychotherapy should be formulated to meet the uniqueness of the individual's needs, rather than tailoring the person to fit the Procrustean bed of a hypothetical theory of human behavior." Erickson's mastery and creative genius have invited clinicians to imitate and emulate his style of working and identify themselves as "Ericksonian." But what does it mean to be Ericksonian? Utilizing the microdynamics of trance induction, and the six "core competencies" Ericksonian therapy as the foundation, this paper notes how the confluence of embodiment, influence, vivification, unconscious thought, spread activation, gestures, and "being hypnotic" rather than "doing hypnosis," form what is here being defined as, Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy. Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy (HIP) is offered as an alternative to the poorly defined, yet frequently employed, term, "hypnotherapy." In its most rudimentary form, the hypnotically informed clinician is attuned to the impact of the palette of communication - verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal - and harnesses it with strategic intent. Understanding and appreciating the ways in which we respond without being aware of what it is that invites our responsiveness (i.e. influence) is at the core of hypnotically informed psychotherapy. Inherent in this approach is a recognition of both conscious and unconscious "thinking." How the clinician utilizes the domains of self, other, and circumstances, to facilitate what has been characterize as a movement from the "rational system" to the "experiential system," is central to HIP. Being hypnotically informed is independent of one's theoretical orientation. When one begins to engage in the therapeutic encounter from a posture of utilization and with an eye towards the microdynamics of the moment, one is engaged in or poised for Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy.
This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Brief Remote Elkins Alldredge Test of Hypnotizability (BREATH). The BREATH is a brief adaptation of the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) based on prior confirmatory factor analysis of the EHS. One hundred college students at Baylor University's department of psychology and neuroscience were recruited for this study. Hypnotizability levels were normally distributed across participants for both scales. The BREATH had a significant correlation with the EHS-CF (rs = .505, p < .001), and good internal consistency. Therefore, there is empirical evidence that supports the reliability and validity of the BREATH, affirming its utility for digital assessment.
At the time Milton Erickson began his clinical practice, the field of psychotherapy was in its infancy and was heavily influenced by psychoanalytic theory and methods, generally a past-oriented approach. Hypnosis was not commonly used, and, when it was, it tended to be rigidly formulaic in method and based on the belief that the success of hypnosis was determined more by an individual's hypnotizability and less by the methods of the clinician or quality of the therapeutic relationship. Erickson diverged sharply from those methods and perspectives in evolving his strategic approaches. While there are many contributions Erickson made to our understanding of the potentials of clinical hypnosis in treatment, this article describes four contributions the author considers to be key to Erickson's singlehandedly transforming the fields of clinical hypnosis and strategic psychotherapy. These include: 1) Shifting from an intrapersonal to interpersonal view of hypnosis and psychotherapy; 2) emphasizing the importance of utilization of client attributes; 3) characterizing people's problems as evidence of rigidity rather than pathology; and 4) focusing on future possibilities rather than analyzing the past.
This scoping review examines the role of hypnotizability in human adaptation to life in space and successful reconditioning upon return to Earth. Hypnotizability displays a few physiological correlates that can be used to counteract microgravity-induced alterations in sensorimotor functions, interoception, immunity, and the experience of pain. The most important of these is the efficacy of mental imagery, which is better in individuals with high hypnotizability but can also be improved by mental training in individuals with low/medium hypnotizability. Mental imagery can compensate for reduced sensory information and improve impaired motor control in microgravity. Moreover, high hypnotizables' ability to respond to suggestions can be used to reduce increased sympathetic activity and pain, which has beneficial immunological and psychological effects. The reported findings highlight the relevance of hypnotic assessment to the development of personalized training to counteract psychophysiological changes occurring in astronauts during and after spaceflights.
Ericksonian therapy, distinguished by its adaptive and individualized methods, is simultaneously celebrated for its innovation and critiqued for its lack of theoretical structure. To address this issue, we explore the essence of Ericksonian therapy, emphasizing the need for a structured yet adaptable operational framework to support its application in clinical, educational, and research contexts. Recognizing the challenges posed by the fluid and client-centered nature of Ericksonian methods, we review a framework grounded in six core competencies that are distinct within Ericksonian therapy. The identified competencies: tailoring, utilization, strategic interventions, destabilization, experiential methods, and naturalistic change; aim to balance the therapy's inherent adaptability with the necessity for teachability and empirical validation. Drawing on empirical evidence and theoretical insights, the article underscores the importance of operationalizing Ericksonian therapy to bridge the gap between its dynamic artistry and the structured demands of modern scientific inquiry. By advancing a manualized resource grounded in six core competencies, this article seeks to reconcile Ericksonian therapy's complexity with the demands of research, training, and diverse clinical applications.
High hypnotizability predicts greater similarity between the cortical correlates of actual and imagined action (functional equivalence, FE). The study investigated whether motor imagery (MI) training (MIT) improves subjective experience, chronometric indices, and the EEG correlates of MI (like physical training), and whether absorption, imagery abilities, and interoceptive sensibility influence the possible improvement. Participants with high, medium, and low hypnotizability participated in a session before MIT (S1) and another session after 15-day MIT (S2). Each session included baseline conditions (B), actual movements of the left arm and hand (M), visual (V), and kinesthetic imagery (K) of the same movements. EEG and ECG were monitored. After MIT, the reported efficacy of imagery increased, and the changes in both the aperiodic and oscillatory components of EEG indicated improved imagery in all groups. FE was observed for all groups in high beta PSD. Its similar changes that occurred after MIT during both baseline and tasks indicate neural plasticity.
The structures of trance texts used in healing rituals from five indigenous cultures (e.g., Navajo, Aboriginal Australians, San, Chagga, old Serbian) are compared to identify common factors that may underlie the effects of indigenous trance languages. Strikingly, despite being separated by vast distances and having had no historical contact, these cultures use trance texts that share virtually identical structural elements—a convergence that cannot be explained by cultural exchange. In contrast, the content of the texts varies greatly. The mechanisms through which these shared structural features generate their effects are examined with reference to concepts from cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics.
Mystical-type experiences can be induced through techniques like hypnosis and meditation. These experiences are common in near-death experiences (NDEs) and have been linked to paranormal beliefs. This study explored auto-induced cognitive trance (AICT) as a method to induce mystical-type experiences and NDE outside of life threatening situations (NDE-like), as well as examining the influence of factors like religious/spirituality practices, and paranormal beliefs. Twenty-seven participants capable of self-inducing AICT were studied. Before the experiment, their religious/spirituality practices and paranormal beliefs were assessed. Participants underwent five conditions: rest, rest with auditory stimulation, imagination, AICT, and AICT with auditory stimulation. Experience intensity, mystical-type experiences, and NDEs-like were measured before and after AICT and rest. Results showed that AICT induce mystical-type experiences more frequently (29%) compared to the rest condition (0%). More specifically, the intensity of the experience and features of NDEs-like during AICT were linked to mystical-type experiences during AICT only. This is the first study to demonstrate that AICT can induce mystical-type experiences in healthy individuals.
In the 1970s, researchers and theoreticians of states of consciousness jointly discussed hypnosis and psychedelic alterations of consciousness, but recent research has mostly kept these topics apart. This paper discusses the similarities and differences of hypnosis and psychedelic alterations of consciousness, stressing that states of consciousness should not be defined by their preceding contexts. Predictors of positive responses to psychedelics (e.g. absorption and openness to experience) also predict hypnotic responsiveness. Most experiential changes (e.g. changes in bodily sensations and image, increased simple and complex imagery, and transcendent phenomena) produced by psychedelics are also reported within minimal suggestion hypnosis by highly responsive participants. Yet, there are differences in single sessions in that, as compared with hypnosis, psychedelic experiences typically last longer, are less controllable but more intense, and might produce more negative outcomes but also have a greater potential for positive long-term effects. Hypnosis, psychedelic research, and clinical work can enrich each other and should be more integrated than has been the case recently.
The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) provides a brief, pleasant, and safe assessment of the full hypnotizability spectrum, with proven reliability and validity for clinical and experimental use. This paper presents the Standardized Hypnotizability Assessment and Rapport Education (SHARE), a training program developed to teach research assistants—typically psychology or medical students—the administration of standardized hypnotizability scales. The training includes five steps: (1) gaining personal experience with the scales, (2) observing expert administration, (3) studying the scales and learning about hypnosis, (4) attending a seminar on theoretical background, standardized rapport, and safety considerations, and (5) conducting 6 practice sessions with each scale. The article provides a comprehensive guide for managing the training to help its implementation in any research lab. We also discuss the training’s safety and benefits for trainees. Findings from focus groups of research assistants working at the Mind-Body Medicine Laboratory (Baylor University) and the Behavioral Medicine and Research Credibility Laboratory (Eötvös Loránd University) are also presented, giving further perspective on each step of the training.
