Current Practices, Experiences, and Views in Clinical Hypnosis: Findings of an International Survey

Olafur S. Palsson; Zoltan Kekecs; Giuseppe De Benedittis; Donald Moss; Gary R. Elkins; Devin B. Terhune; Katalin Varga; Philip D. Shenefelt; Peter J. Whorwell

doi:10.1080/00207144.2023.2183862

Current Practices, Experiences, and Views in Clinical Hypnosis: Findings of an International Survey

Olafur S. Palsson^*, Zoltan Kekecs, Giuseppe De Benedittis, Donald Moss, Gary R. Elkins, Devin B. Terhune, Katalin Varga, Philip D. Shenefelt, Peter J. Whorwell

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An online survey of 691 clinicians who use hypnosis was conducted in 31 countries to gain a broad real-world picture of current practices, views, and experiences in clinical hypnosis. Among 36 common clinical uses, stress reduction, wellbeing and self-esteem-enhancement, surgery preparations, anxiety interventions, mindfulness facilitation, and labor and childbirth applications were the most frequently rated as highly effective (each by ≥70% of raters) in the clinicians’ own experience. Adverse hypnosis-associated effects had been encountered by 55% of clinicians but were generally short-lived and very rarely judged as serious. The most common hypnosis approaches used were Ericksonian (71%), hypnotic relaxation therapy (55%), and traditional hypnosis (50%). Almost all respondents reported regularly using other therapeutic modalities alongside hypnosis. Among a range of client variables potentially affecting therapy, most clinicians rated hypnotist-client rapport (88%) and client motivation (75%) as very or extremely important factors for successful hypnotherapy. The majority of respondents had conducted hypnosis treatment via teletherapy, and 54% of those estimated it to be as effective as in-person treatment.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	92-114
Number of pages	23
Journal	International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
Volume	71
Issue number	2
Early online date	13 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2023.2183862
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 13 Mar 2023

Keywords

Adverse events
clinical hypnosis
clinical practice
effectiveness
survey
teletherapy

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10.1080/00207144.2023.2183862

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Palsson, O. S., Kekecs, Z., De Benedittis, G., Moss, D., Elkins, G. R., Terhune, D. B., Varga, K., Shenefelt, P. D., & Whorwell, P. J. (2023). Current Practices, Experiences, and Views in Clinical Hypnosis: Findings of an International Survey. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 71(2), 92-114. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2023.2183862

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abstract = "An online survey of 691 clinicians who use hypnosis was conducted in 31 countries to gain a broad real-world picture of current practices, views, and experiences in clinical hypnosis. Among 36 common clinical uses, stress reduction, wellbeing and self-esteem-enhancement, surgery preparations, anxiety interventions, mindfulness facilitation, and labor and childbirth applications were the most frequently rated as highly effective (each by ≥70% of raters) in the clinicians{\textquoteright} own experience. Adverse hypnosis-associated effects had been encountered by 55% of clinicians but were generally short-lived and very rarely judged as serious. The most common hypnosis approaches used were Ericksonian (71%), hypnotic relaxation therapy (55%), and traditional hypnosis (50%). Almost all respondents reported regularly using other therapeutic modalities alongside hypnosis. Among a range of client variables potentially affecting therapy, most clinicians rated hypnotist-client rapport (88%) and client motivation (75%) as very or extremely important factors for successful hypnotherapy. The majority of respondents had conducted hypnosis treatment via teletherapy, and 54% of those estimated it to be as effective as in-person treatment.",

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author = "Palsson, {Olafur S.} and Zoltan Kekecs and {De Benedittis}, Giuseppe and Donald Moss and Elkins, {Gary R.} and Terhune, {Devin B.} and Katalin Varga and Shenefelt, {Philip D.} and Whorwell, {Peter J.}",

note = "Funding Information: Zoltan Kekecs was supported by the J{\'a}nos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Science and the Bolyai+ Scholarship of the {\'U}j Nemzeti Kiv{\'a}l{\'o}s{\'a}g Program. The authors would like to thank the professional hypnosis societies that cosponsored the survey and provided invaluable help for ensuring successful completion of this project: The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and its component societies, the American Psychological Association{\textquoteright}s Division 30 (Society of Psychological Hypnosis), the International Society for Hypnosis, the European Society of Hypnosis, the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis, and the Italian Society of Hypnosis. They also wish to extend special thanks to Dr. Claude Virot, who translated the survey into French and facilitated dissemination of the survey among French hypnosis therapists and researchers, producing the largest European country contingent in the survey sample. Furthermore, the authors are grateful to Endre Csikos, Balazs Nyiri, and Vanda Vizkievicz for translating the survey into Hungarian. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.",

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Current Practices, Experiences, and Views in Clinical Hypnosis: Findings of an International Survey

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Keywords

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