Background
This study evaluated the efficacy of an intervention combining the Valencia model of waking hypnosis with cognitive-behavioral therapy (VMWH-CBT) in managing cancer-related pain, fatigue, and sleep problems in individuals with active cancer or who were post-treatment survivors. We hypothesized that four sessions of VMWH-CBT would result in greater improvement in participants’ symptoms than four sessions of an education control intervention. Additionally, we examined the effects on several secondary outcome domains that are associated with increases in these symptoms (depression, pain interference, pain catastrophizing, and cancer treatment distress).
Methods
The study design was a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial comparing the VMWH-CBT intervention with education control. Participants (N = 44) received four sessions of both treatments, in a counterbalanced order (n = 22 per order condition).
Results
Participants were 89% female (N = 39) with mean age of 61 years (SD = 12.2). They reported significantly greater improvement after receiving the active treatment relative to the control condition in all the outcome measures. Treatment gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up.
Conclusions
This study supports the beneficial effects of the VMWH-CBT intervention relative to a control condition and that treatment gains remain stable. VMWH-CBT–trained clinicians should be accessible for managing symptoms both during and after cancer treatment, though the findings need to be replicated in larger samples of cancer survivors.
Psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Revised Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis -Client Version using a Portuguese sample are presented. Exploratory factor analysis on a Portuguese population of undergraduate college students (N = 444) yielded 8 factors: 'Interest/Liking', 'Memory/Magic', 'Help', 'Control', 'Cooperation', 'Marginal', 'Fear' and 'Automaton'. The overall 8-factor structure is similar to the one found in the therapist version of the scale, and as in the therapist version, each factor of the client version showed good internal consistency and reliability. Differences among participants that had and had not experienced hypnosis previously were also assessed. The results indicated that participants with prior experience of hypnosis scored higher on factors indicating positive attitudes and accurate beliefs ('Interest/Liking', 'Help', 'Control' and 'Cooperation'), whereas participants that had not experienced hypnosis scored higher in factors indicating misconceptions about hypnosis ('Memory/Magic', 'Fear', 'Marginal' and 'Automaton'). These results indicate that the scale is sensitive to changes in attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis brought about by the experience of hypnosis in a scientifi c context.
Cognitions held about hypnosis have an important impact on areas such as initial rapport and hypnotic-treatment compliance. The Valencia Scale on Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis may be the first instrument specifically geared to the Spanish-speaking population. Besides measuring these cognitions, the scale can also help evaluate the effect of clinical and experimental manipulations on people's attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis. The article pres-
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