Narcolepsy is a primary neurological sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, and in a majority of patients, cataplexy, which is sudden muscle weakness brought on by strong emotion. While often thought of as an adult condition, narcolepsy can be present at any age and may occur as often as 1 in 2000 individuals. Regardless of age, its effects are far-reaching, resulting in missed school or work days, poor school or work performance and all associated ramifications. In children and young-adults, narcolepsy can masquerade for years as anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder and even bipolar disorder, thus delaying diagnosis. Most patients diagnosed with narcolepsy receive significant benefit from standard medication. In addition to medication, however, this article describes promising roles for clinical hypnosis in the care of young patients with narcolepsy, including through teaching them how to have more control over their sleepiness and the emotions that can induce cataplexy, while minimizing side effects that can occur when using narcolepsy medication.

Pediatric hypnosis practices are a valuable tool for enhancing emotional self-regulation and promoting resilience. Hypnotically informed materials, toys, and language are simple ways to encourage relaxation and stress management. By learning hypnosis skills such as becoming imaginatively absorbed in imagery, "belly breathing," and using simple toys to promote muscle relaxation, children can access natural and novel ways to navigate life's challenges. An example of these hypnotically informed materials and skills training exercises can be found in Comfort Kits (developed by Dr. Karen Olness circa 1996 and widely distributed by Drs. Culbert and Olness since 2004, used by thousands of children in hospitals and in community settings following natural disasters and wars. Extending this supportive tool and self-hypnosis training into schools presents an opportunity to introduce children to self-directed stress management skills in a practical and convenient manner. Training children to use hypnotically informed self-regulation skills begins to fill the gap between the need for mental health services and available resources. By incorporating hypnotically informed stress management training and self-hypnosis practices into schools, we can equip children with essential tools for improved mental well-being, particularly when they need psychological first aid. Using hypnotic practices and skills can help children manage difficult experiences and develop a sense of comfort and control. Next steps include looking at the feasibility and efficacy of positioning self-directed self-regulation practices (like those found in Comfort Kits and used by clinicians trained in therapeutic pediatric hypnosis) in schools, including through consultation with experts in curriculum development and assessment.

In this case study, we describe the case of an adult patient who struggled with persistent warts on the plantar surface of the foot for several years. All medical therapies were exhausted, so the patient turned to medical hypnosis as a last resort. Despite years of unsuccessful conventional medical treatments, the patient experienced complete resolution of all his warts after three sessions of medical hypnosis. The suggestions used in the treatment included strengthening the immune system, increasing blood flow in the foot, visualizing immune mechanisms destroying infected cells, and the regrowth of healthy tissue. After 3 years, we are still in contact with the patient and he reports no recurrence of the disease. This case report adds to the existing body of the literature supporting the use of medical hypnosis in the treatment of warts. It demonstrates that medical hypnosis can be a valuable complementary or alternative treatment option for patients with persistent warts who have not responded to conventional therapies. It also highlights the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms by which hypnosis influences the resolution of warts and to identify the most effective types of suggestions for treatment.

Milton Erickson first conceptualized the hypnotist trance (HT) as a unique psychological state developed in clinicians during hypnosis sessions. This qualitative study aimed to investigates HT through the experiences of 12 skilled Clinician Hypnosis Specialists (CHS). Data were collected via semi-structured face-to-face interviews, exploring participants' attitudes toward HT, its impact on their practice, and their strategies for developing and regulating it. Thematic analysis revealed that most CHS view HT as enhancing empathy, communication, and therapeutic effectiveness. However, challenges such as time distortion, hypnotic regression, and countertransference issues were also noted. The study highlights HT's dual nature - offering significant therapeutic benefits while presenting challenges that need careful management. These findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive HT training in hypnotherapy education and advocate for further research to explore HT across diverse contexts and expertise levels to deepen understanding of this complex phenomenon.

In this case study, the author reviews the benefits of hypnosis for a middle-aged female suffering from an unwanted habit of rubbing her tongue against her teeth, also known as tongue thrusting. At the time of the initial consultation, she had already undergone several months of physical therapy for a lifetime habit of tongue thrusting. During the consultation, she expressed complaints of pain and chronic irritation, along with feelings of distraction and hopelessness regarding treatment. Treatment included one session after initial consultation and hypnotizability testing, at which time patient scored low on Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS). She reported to her psychiatrist the unwanted habit ceased following one follow-up hypnosis intervention. She retained habit change for at least 1-year following hypnosis treatment.

David Wark's latest iteration of alert hypnosis, the "49word protocol," reduces performance anxiety. Several case studies have demonstrated improvements in the behavioral responses of subjects using this technique. This case series focuses on the more immediate emotional impact, such as the reported reduction in anxiety, on subjects who have benefited from David Wark's "49word protocol." In this study, we compare the benefits of the "49word protocol" to those of the mindfulness protocol. We compared the anxiety-reducing elements of alert hypnosis (49word protocol) and a mindfulness technique (Otani, Akira) called "touch and return." The Profile of Mood States tension and anger-hostility subtests were administered before and after each intervention as self-reported measures of mood and anxiety.

Hypnotherapy has emerged as a potential alternative to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates, particularly in countries like Indonesia where they are below optimal levels. This study aims to evaluate the impact of audio hypnotherapy on the psychological, exclusive breastfeeding behavior, the OXTR protein and mRNA expression gene OXTR in mothers of infants aged 0-6 months. This study employed a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial design, conducted from November 2022 to May 2023 in 11 primary health centers. The study population included breastfeeding mothers with infants aged 0-6 months, with a total sample size of 70 respondents who were randomly divided into intervention (received audio hypnotherapy) and control groups (received standard care). The psychological condition was measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Exclusive breastfeeding behavior was assessed based on both quality and quantity. Genetic factors were evaluated through mRNA OXTR expression using real-time PCR and protein OXTR levels using ELISA. Analyzing data using linear and logistic regression models. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in psychological condition ( < .0001). There were big differences in the exclusive breastfeeding behavior ( < .0001), as well as in the amounts of protein OXTR and mRNA expression of the OXTR gene ( < .0001). We recommend the implementation of audio hypnotherapy as an effective complementary therapeutic approach to manage the psychological well-being, exclusive breastfeeding behavior, the mRNA expression of the OXTR gene and levels of OXTR protein in mothers of infants aged 0-6 months.

Sleepiness and personality traits have been controversially reported as associated to individual hypnotizability level i.e. receptiveness to hypnotic suggestions and behave accordingly. In this study, we further investigate the relationship between the level of general daytime sleepiness and personality traits with the level of hypnotizability. Seventy-eight healthy young volunteers (34 women) completed the fast assessment of general daytime sleepiness and personality with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the 10-item Big Five Inventory respectively, and underwent hypnotic evaluation through the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility Form A (HGSHS:A). Main findings revealed a correlation between sleepiness and hypnotizability levels, and no influence of personality traits. Interestingly, women exhibited higher levels of hypnotizability compared to men. Taken together, these results suggest that sleepiness assessment might be considered as a predictive tool to hypnotic suggestions, which would offer practical insight for enhancing hypnosis intervention efficacy.

Therapies, including those incorporating clinical hypnosis, occur in the context of consciously mediated interpersonal interactions. While the presence of the non-conscious and its content is often acknowledged, how non-conscious content is accessed and utilized in the training curricula to which clinical hypnosis students are exposed is under-emphasized. This article explores two phenomena - priming and the innate tendency of the human brain to engage in associative learning - that, when incorporated into the interpersonal process that constitutes clinical hypnosis, could expand and enrich outcomes for clients. The processes by which non-conscious processing shapes conscious experience, the role of the social environment in prioritizing and predisposing certain content that later makes its way into consciousness, and examples of how that content can be used to enhance clients' adaptive flexibility are discussed.

The hypnosis literature emphasizes features of suggestion, induction, and communication that are described as evoking heightened responsiveness on the part of the subject or client. This article explores what is often overlooked: to have an effect, the subject must not only hear the suggestion but listen to it. The process of listening is described across multiple levels ranging from the acoustic signal to its transduction into a meaning-filled and motivationally enriched message that spurs action. That journey traverses challenging terrain, with numerous obstacles that serve to maintain past habits and response patterns, despite a client's stated desire for adaptive change. The article highlights those obstacles and then provides descriptions of five language structures that can reach the client consciously or non-consciously, but always in ways that increase the odds that the therapeutic messaging is packaged in a manner that optimizes it being "heard," absorbed, and enacted. Applications of each language structure are provided using relevant clinical case examples.

Chronic tinnitus, also known as phantom sound perception, is a pervasive and often debilitating condition, affecting 15 to 20% of the population. Due to its idiopathic and persistent nature, chronic tinnitus is frequently associated with co-occurring psychiatric disorders as well as decreased sleep and quality of life. Additionally, heterogeneous presentations of tinnitus create challenges for treatment. In this paper, we present a case study of a 70-year-old female patient who presented with severe bilateral tinnitus over a period of 5 years. After failing multiple treatment trials such as transtympanic electric stimulation, acupuncture, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and medication, the patient found relief only through hypnotherapy. Results may be explained by alterations in interoceptive processing, increased cognitive flexibility, or somatosensory changes, with corresponding changes in functional neural structures. Given the results of this case study, we recommend hypnosis as an alternative or adjunct to current treatment modalities for tinnitus and further investigation in this area.

This article provides an edited transcript of a moderated discussion between depression experts Irving Kirsch and Michael Yapko regarding the role of antidepressants in the treatment of major depression. It includes references to the role of expectancy and the merits of hypnosis in treatment. This presentation was sponsored by , an Australian-based digital therapeutics company (mindsethealth.com) and took place online on March 28, 2023. As a webinar offered at no cost, it was open to anyone with an interest in the subject. Dr. Kirsch described his landmark research on the placebo effect and its curious relationship to the presumed merits of antidepressant medications. Dr. Yapko discussed the limitations of drug treatment based on the substantial evidence indicating that depression is much more a social problem than a medical one. The moderator for this discussion is Claire Davidson, who serves as the Research Lead at . Drs. Kirsch and Yapko both serve on the Scientific Advisory Board.

Depression commonly features the experience of hopelessness and a loss of the ability to imagine and believe in one's positive future. This article considers this important feature of depression and how effective recovery from depression includes the restoration of hope and a belief in actualizing a positive future. It provides in detail a treatment strategy that is focused on cocreating with the patient a positive therapeutic outcome in the patient's future and encourages patients to internalize a representation of the future experience of recovery and restoration of hope. This approach is described in detail and begins by guiding the client suffering from depression to experience a positive therapeutic outcome during hypnosis. This is followed by having the client internalize this positive resolution and recovery and integrate this experience on conscious and subconscious levels. As the client "returns from the future" to the present, bringing back with them this experience of having achieved a resolution and recovery from depression, this corrective emotional experience can affect their daily behavior in the present arising from a significant change in thoughts, feelings, and actions. Case examples that illustrate the use of the future focused strategy in clinical practice are included.

Depression is a complex, multi-dimensional disorder that is recognized as a leading cause of human suffering and disability. A wide variety of treatments, both physical and psychological, have been developed to lessen the burden on depressed individuals and those they may affect. Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective vehicle for delivering psychological treatments for alleviating depression in a number of studies, but it is always a challenge to increase the effectiveness of suggestions given in hypnosis. The addition of music to enhance hypnotic approaches has been studied and received substantial support for its potential effectiveness. This article explores the merits of incorporating music into the delivery of hypnosis sessions and offers specific recommendations for the use of rhythmic methods as a means of deepening hypnosis and increasing the impact of one's suggestions for reducing depressive ruminations. Five case examples are provided to illustrate the successful use of this integrative approach to treatment.

Patients experiencing psychosomatic symptoms frequently have difficulty obtaining correct treatment. They are often reluctant to partially attribute their symptoms to psychological factors and, as a result, delay referrals to mental health professionals. Furthermore, the dropout rate from therapy is high and relapses are common. Hypnosis is a complex psycho-physiological phenomenon. Hence, hypnotic psychotherapy may play an important role in managing and treating psychosomatic symptoms and disorders that involve both the mind and body. In the current study, we propose a clinically oriented, four-phase, hypnotic approach, the hypnotic associative-dissociative approach (HADA), which may be useful in encouraging more patients with psychosomatic problems to engage in psychotherapy, thereby achieving effective long-term effects.

This article explains the method of treating depression with an intervention called Self-Image Building. Several antecedents or correlates of depression are briefly discussed as they form a gestalt backdrop for the many therapeutic approaches that have been researched and promoted as treatment or solutions to depression. The rationale and construction of the intervention is illustrated with a brief case example. Self-Image Building is discussed in the context of other theories of self-image, over-generalization, negativity bias, and as an internal discriminative stimulus for performance. Self-Image Building is used to construct an actual referent and not a cognitive abstraction about how people make conclusions about themselves.