Clinical applications of ‘waking’ hypnosis from a cognitive‐behavioural perspective: from efficacy to efficiency

Abstract

This article reviews several essential components for use in the practice of hypnosis from a cognitive-behavioural perspective. These include a cognitive-behavioural introduction, which presents hypnosis to the client as a voluntary, self-controlled process. Then, a set of practical tasks is presented for assessing suggestibility as well as collaboration and attitudes toward hypnosis. The author provides a description of rapid self-hypnosis and instruction as to its implementation, and advocates the use of metaphors designed to facilitate a client's understanding of hypnosis. The article then introduces 'waking' hypnosis as an efficient, adaptable, and pleasurable alternative to other forms of hypnosis, and discusses its implications in terms of the socio-cognitive perspective of hypnosis.

Unconscious Agendas in the Etiology of Refractory Obesity and the Role of Hypnosis in Their Identification and Resolution:A New Paradigm for Weight-Management Programs or a Paradigm Revisited?

“…Ideally therefore, control or non-intervention groups in hypnotherapy trials, irrespective of the clinical modality being investigated, should be chosen from within the volunteer group as there may be significant differences between the psychodynamic makeup and receptivity of volunteers and non-volunteers in any participant group. This difference can increase further during the preliminary assessment stages of participants in a proposed hypnosis programme due to the phenomenon of "waking hypnosis" where information is absorbed and processed outside of the formal trance induction setting (Capafons, 2004;Wark, 2011 However, with the above provisos born in mind, non-volunteers can be a useful group to study in their own right as part of a hypnotic trial.…”

“…Ideally therefore, control or non-intervention groups in hypnotherapy trials, irrespective of the clinical modality being investigated, should be chosen from within the volunteer group as there may be significant differences between the psychodynamic makeup and receptivity of volunteers and non-volunteers in any participant group. This difference can increase further during the preliminary assessment stages of participants in a proposed hypnosis programme due to the phenomenon of "waking hypnosis" where information is absorbed and processed outside of the formal trance induction setting (Capafons, 2004;Wark, 2011 However, with the above provisos born in mind, non-volunteers can be a useful group to study in their own right as part of a hypnotic trial.Populations of individuals can express a wide range of hypnotisability during both sociocognitive and dissociative hypnosis sessions, which might influence the acceptability and potency of suggestions for behavioural change, and the ease with which inner and unaware psychodynamics can be unravelled and processed. Consequently a compendium of different scales has been devised for the assessment and quantitation of hypnotisability in the clinical and laboratory arenas (Spiegel & Spiegel, 1978;Wilson & Barber, 1978;Hilgard & Hilgard, 1979; Barnes, Lynn & Pekela, 2009;Kumar & Farley, 2009;Elkins, Fisher & Johnson, 2012), all with their various advocates, as reviewed by Barnier & McConkey (2004).…”

Effects of different types of preparatory information on attitudes toward hypnosis

“…According to Kirsch (1993b;1994) and Capafons (2002;2004), introducing hypnosis as an altered state of consciousness or trance can make some patients reluctant to use this technique just because they are afraid of it. Also, it can generate fears and inhibit the responses of those who were not afraid of hypnosis initially and who would otherwise be willing to collaborate.…”

“…From this perspective, effective treatment with hypnosis requires at least a minimum hypnotic suggestibility level, as well as positive attitudes towards hypnosis and sufficiently positive expectancies about personal responsiveness to these procedures (Capafons, 2001;2004). The creation of positive attitudes and the eradication of myths about hypnosis are essential steps in establishing the preconditions for effective intervention with hypnosis (Spanos, Brett, Menary and Cross, 1987;Capafons, 1998a).…”

“…In one of the conditions of this study, and similarly to the introduction of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: A (Weitzenhoffer and Hilgard, 1959), we just tell subjects that hypnotized people do not lose control, that their collaboration and interest is needed to hypnotize them, and that hypnosis has shown to be useful to treat some problems such as pain, etc. In the second condition, we use the prior information as well as a cognitive-behavioural presentation of hypnosis (Capafons, 2001;2004). The cognitive-behavioural presentation is a more elaborated version of Coe's original idea (1980) as extended by Kirsch (1993a).…”