Using Science about the Unconscious to Promote Hypnosis and Psychotherapy

95% of cerebral processing is unconscious. The speaker is not advocating that psychotherapy should be conducted at an unconscious basis because this practice would likely lead to unreliable outcome, if not even sloppy practice. On the other hand, the speaker proposes that providing a strong foundation of theory and science for psychotherapy can be enhanced by enlisting unconscious processing. What’s more, recent science on neurophysiology has provided us with paradigms where the unconscious can be combined more effectively with conventional psychotherapy.

This webinar will examine a series of neurophysiological phenomenon, discuss their underlying science or theory, explain their application to hypnosis and psychotherapy, and then demonstrate the clinical techniques involved. Four areas of discussion include 1) dissociation, 2) the interaction between the DLPFC and ACC, 3) the incubation effect, and 4) implicit priming. We will discuss dissociation and how the use of language based on then phenomenon and enhance inductions and also engage parallel levels of brain processing that are walled off from consciousness, in discussing the DLPFC and the ACC, we will discuss how a critical phase of hypnosis involves the motivation to relinquish critical attention. It follows that techniques such as confusion allow the therapist to bypass the vigilant stance often taken by the prefrontal cortex. Finally, the incubation effect, of the tendency of the unconscious to continue to problem solve after conscious attention has been shifted, provides the foundation for a variety of types of unconscious problem solving.

After attending this intermediate-level program, participants will be able to:

• Describe how hypnosis enhances the effects of psychotherapy.
• Articulate how implicit learning and priming serve as scientifically based methods to elicit unconscious processing for hypnotic interventions.
• Perform non-linear hypnotic inductions that enlist modern conceptualizations of the unconscious.

This program meets APA’s continuing education STANDARD 1.3: Program content focuses on topics related to psychological practice, education, or research other than application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that are supported by contemporary scholarship grounded in established research procedures.

This program meets APA’s continuing education GOAL 1: Program is relevant to psychological practice, education, and/or science.

General Admission: $65.00

SCEH Members: $55.00*

Students: $15.00*

(Please email [email protected] for coupon code)

Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.

David R Patterson PhD, ABPP, ABPH; Professor Emeritus, University of Washington School of Medicine

David R. Patterson, PhD, ABPP, is a professor emeritus in the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine, Surgery and Psychology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the former head of the Division of Psychology for his home department and cochair of the ethics committee at Harborview Medical Center. Dr. Patterson worked as a clinical psychologist at Harborview Medical Center since 1983 to 2023, particularly in the burn unit and the psychology consultation and Liaison service he created. Over the past 10 years his career has focused on psychotherapy for patients with pain, disability, and terminal illness. He holds diplomate degrees in the areas of psychological hypnosis and rehabilitation psychology. Dr Patterson was instrumental in creating psychology intern and postdoctoral training programs for and mentored hundreds of clinical and research students. His research has funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1989 for 30 years and he has published over 150 articles and chapters in the areas of hypnosis and pain control. His articles can be found in such journals as Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Pain, American Psychologist, and the New England Journal of Medicine. His most recent work has emphasized combining hypnosis with Zen Buddhism and the neurophysiology of consciousness. His book on Clinical Hypnosis for Pain Control (2nd edition) with Elena Mendoza (American Psychological Association) is scheduled for publication.

Bargh, J. A. (2019). The modern unconscious. World Psychiatry, 18(2), 225–226.

Jensen, M. P., Adachi, T., Tomé-Pires, C., & Jordi Miró, J. (2015). Mechanisms of Hypnosis: Toward the Development of a Biopsychosocial Model, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 63,1, 34-75.

Jensen, M. P., Mendoza, M. E., Ehde, D. M., Patterson, D. R., Molton, I. R., Dillworth, T. M., Gertz, K. J., Chan, J., Hakimian, S., Battalio, S. L., & Ciol, M. A. (2020). Effects of hypnosis, cognitive therapy, hypnotic cognitive therapy, and pain education in adults with chronic pain: a randomized clinical trial. Pain, 161(10), 2284–2298.

Kihlstrom, J. F. (2022). Consciousness, the unconscious and the self. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 78–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000285

Kihlstrom, J. F. (2019). The motivational unconscious. Personality and Social Psychology Compass, 13(5), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12466

Kunzendorf, R. G. (2022). Source monitoring as an explanation for the illusion of “self as subject”. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000219

Target Audience: Healthcare professionals, mental health professionals, hypnosis practitioners, researchers, teachers, students.

Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.5 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.

Counselors/Clinical Counselors. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available 1.5 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for counselors and clinical counselors. License Number: 197.000159

Social Workers. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.5 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for social workers. License Number: 159.001036

MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Course meets the qualifications for 1.5 hour of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. If you are licensed outside of California please check with your local licensing agency to to determine if they will accept these CEUs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to offer continuing education programming for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an accredited or approved postsecondary institution that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 4980.54(f)(1), 4989.34, 4996.22(d)(1), or 4999.76(d) of the Code.

Non-Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.

*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.

If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.