The Society for Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) is an international association whose mission is to promote excellence and progress in hypnosis research, education, and clinical practice. A distinguishing feature of the Society is its emphasis on empirical inquiry and the evidence-base of hypnosis.
The SCEH Webinar Series allows busy health care professionals to obtain high quality clinical hypnosis training that is convenient, reasonably priced, and includes continuing education (CE) credit for licensure or certification. Led by hypnosis experts, topics are varied and designed to impart actionable insights that can be employed immediately with patients.
For more information on SCEH membership or services, click here.
Upcoming Live SCEH Webinars
Evaluating the Efficacy of Online Hypnosis: Modern Approaches to Longstanding Hypnosis Practices
Presented by Spencer Arbige, PhD Candidate
Friday, January 10, 2025
9am-10:30am P T/ 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Exploring the Synergy: When Hypnosis Meets Virtual Reality
Presented by Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, PhD, David R Patterson PhD, ABPP, and Floriane Rousseaux, PhD
Friday, January 24, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
A Tool of Versatility: Clinical Hypnosis for Cardiac Patients
Presented by Huaiyu Zhang, PhD, MS
Friday, February 14, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE): MORE Relief from Pain and Addiction with a Neuroscience-Informed Mind-Body Approach
Presented by Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW
Friday, March 14, 2025
9am-10:30am PT/ 11am-12:30pm CT/ 12pm-1:30pm ET
Hypnobiome: A New Promising Frontier of Hypnotherapy in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder (FGID)
Presented by Giuseppe De Benedittis, MD, PhD
Friday, April 11, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Suggestive Communication with Critically Ill
Presented by Katalin Varga, PhD, DSc
Friday, May 9, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Using Science about the Unconscious to Promote Hypnosis and Psychotherapy
Presented by David Patterson, PhD, ABPP, ABPH
Friday, June 13, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Clinical Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia and Autoimmune Disorders
Presented by Louis F. Damis, PhD, ABPP, FASCH
Friday, July 11, 2025
9am-10:30am PT/ 11am-12:30pm CT/ 12pm-1:30pm ET
Hypnosis for the Curious: Everything You Need to Know about Hypnosis
Presented by Donald Moss, PhD, Lisa Lombard, PhD, and Janna Henning, JD, PsyD
Friday, August 1, 2025
9am-10:30am PT/ 11am-12:30pm CT/ 12pm-1:30pm ET
Hipponosis: Helping Children Help Themselves with Hypnosis
Presented by Linda Thomson, PhD, APRNN, ABMH, ABHN, FASCH
Friday, September 12, 2025
9am-10:30am PT/ 11am-12:30pm CT/ 12pm-1:30pm ET
Bridging Hypnosis with Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Preparation and Integration Strategies
Presented by Ciara Christensen, PhD
Friday, October 10, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
Hypnosis for Pelvic Pain and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
Presented by Ciara Christensen, PhD
Friday, November 14, 2025
9am-10:30am PT / 11am-12:30pm CT / 12pm-1:30pm ET
SCEH Courses Available for Homestudy
The Suggestible Brain: From Magic to Science
We typically study suggestion in social psychology, therapeutic treatments such as hypnosis, which is almost entirely based on suggestion, psychoanalytic interventions, and other forms of suggestive therapy, including contemplative practice. More recently, with technological advances in imaging of the living human brain, neural science has been shining a steady and illuminating light on our discoveries, especially when it comes to elucidating the underlying neurobiological mechanisms.
Suggestion is not just a tool for magicians or hypnotists but a fundamental aspect of human neuropsychology that operates in all areas of life. Understanding how suggestion works allows us to harness its power to improve well-being, resist manipulation, and better navigate our personal realities. Ultimately, suggestibility is not a sign of weakness, but a complex and deeply rooted aspect of the human mind that we can leverage to our advantage—from mental health and performance sports all the way to self-regulation and resilience training. Our mindsets and the functionality of our brain states is as trainable and as pliable as aspects of our anatomy and physical characteristics. We should take advantage of the science and research findings that unravel how we can better tap this mind-body domain.
Harmonizing Hypnosis: A Rhythmic Approach to Creative Impact
Explore the transformative synergy of music and hypnosis in this workshop, where rhythmic principles take center stage. Discover how the strategic use of melody, harmony, and rhythm can amplify the hypnotic experience, creating a memorable and lasting impact. From crafting a trance state through rhythmic repetition to utilizing musical anchors for impactful suggestions, participants will gain practical insights to enhance creativity, deepen therapeutic practices, and inspire transformative change. Participate in this workshop to deepen your understanding of the scientific applications of musical principles in hypnotherapy. Gain practical insights into crafting trance states and leveraging musical elements for impactful suggestions, with the aim of enhancing therapeutic practices and fostering transformative change.
Grief, Psychedelics, and Hypnosis: A Personal Perspective
This webinar will discuss rapidly increasing use of psychedelics in psychotherapy, particularly psilocybin and MDMA, the application of these therapies to treating complicated grief, and how hypnosis is related to this new wave of therapies. The presenter has been a medical school-based psychology professor with an expertise in behavioral medicine and hypnosis for 40 years. The webinar will describe how the presenter became familiar with psychedelic therapies as on options for his terminally ill patients. We will then discuss how, after losing his 26-year-old son, the presenter turned to psychedelic therapies to manage his psychological challenges. In the course of undergoing psychedelic assisted psychotherapy himself, the presenter was able to realize how many parallels there were between the work he had been doing with the unconscious in hypnosis and psychotherapy and these innovative treatments. An example of this is the positive unconscious and the notion of creating a response set in psychotherapy that is internally generated by the patient, rather than structured by the therapist. In conducting this webinar, the presenter will review the literature on psychopharmacology of the psychedelic therapies discussed, as well as the clinical research associated with their efficacy. This course will be partially based on the 2nd edition of Clinical Hypnosis for Pain Control, American Psychological Association by D. R. Patterson and E. M. Mendoza.
Ethics I. Foundations of Medical Ethics and Basic Ethical Principles for Hypnosis Practice
The first segment in the ethics workshops will provide an overview of medical ethics, with basic principles endorsed by most behavioral and health professionals, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and fidelity. The presenters will examine why professional ethics codes are necessary. The workshop will include a discussion of specific guidelines for clinical hypnosis practice, such as scope of practice, competence, entry level competence, the informed consent process, privileged communication, guidelines on dual/multiple relationships, and questions of touch, privacy, and respect.
The workshop will include a discussion of clinical supervision, consultation, and continuing education as tools for quality of care. The presenters will describe examples of incidents that trigger ethics complaints, and describe the process recommended for taking action when professionals violate ethical principles or best practices.
Ethics II. Advanced Ethical Principles for Hypnosis Practice
The second segment in the ethics workshops covers the unique ethical considerations in using hypnosis in telehealth practice, using hypnosis with diverse groups, and ethics related to exaggerated claims for hypnosis and the use of hypnosis for memory retrieval. The availability of tools for delivering unsupervised hypnosis sessions to patients or clients raises some thorny ethical issues. However, central to the use of hypnosis is the therapeutic relationship. The ethics of multiple relationships and the unique therapeutic relationship in hypnosis will be explored.
The intersection between how hypnosis is conceptualized by the clinician and others, and how ethical considerations are addressed will be a recurring theme in this presentation.
Pump up the Volume: Hypnosis to Augment PTSD Treatment
The PTSD diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR has 24 criteria, resulting in many possible symptom configurations, and different treatment needs in clients. Clinical and professional practice treatment guidelines for PTSD recommend manualized approaches based on efficacy evidence from randomized controlled trials, but “cookie cutter” treatments often target only certain symptoms, and can therefore be less effective with diverse, real-world patients, particularly those who have more severe symptoms, co-morbid conditions, or complex traumatic stress. To meet this challenge PTSD treatment research has increasingly begun to focus on evidence-based strategies organized into modular approaches to best address diverse and more severe symptom presentations. This movement away from monolithic, one-size-fits-all treatments offers an opportunity to revisit the use of hypnotic interventions to augment/enhance the specific ingredients of a customized, patient-focused approach. There is a pressing need to evaluate the potential contributions of hypnosis to PTSD treatments, but randomized, controlled trials are difficult to conduct with customized approaches. How can hypnosis researchers creatively meet this challenge?
This webinar will describe evidence-based, evidence-informed, and modular treatments for PTSD, and then explain the ways that hypnotic interventions have been used to enhance and augment evidence-based treatment strategies in clients with PTSD or complex traumatic stress.
The History of Hypnosis: Relevance for Research and Practice
A description of the history of hypnosis usually follows the path of Western influences on medicine and psychology. Tracing the development of modern hypnosis from Anton Mesmer to our current era often seems like an obligatory chore of sifting through a dry narrative of names, places, dates, and people – – or paying our dues before getting to the good stuff of learning to do hypnosis. However, a closer look at this history affords us an opportunity to understand the origins of the myths and misconceptions that we continue to face – – and may inadvertently promote – – in our research and practice. During the Enlightenment period, when Anton Mesmer developed animal magnetism, medicine and related fields were dominated by reason, empirical observations, and the scientific method. In this context the rejection of his work is understandable, yet that rejection conflated the “why” with the “what,” failing to appreciate that something fascinating had occurred.
When James Braid picked up the thread of animal magnetism, he shed Mesmer’s mystical, supernatural mantle, emphasized the roles of attention, suggestion, and relaxation, and coined the term hypnosis. Yet something captivating in Mesmer’s work remained and is evident along with the emergence of psychiatry and psychology as distinct yet related disciplines. The integration of biological and psychological perspectives in the 20th century and our understanding of placebo, nocebo, and expectancy continues to inform our understanding of hypnosis and related states. As medicine and psychology evolve to current times, we see another shift toward integrative medicine, which reflects recognition of the interconnectedness of mind and body. Evidence-based practices, ethical considerations, and a patient-centered approach remain core tenets and continue to shape research and practice. An examination of the neglected roots of hypnosis in ancient cultures, spiritual traditions, and parallels in contemporary indigenous and non-Western cultures sheds light on the need for a broader understanding of the phenomenon Western thinkers have come to label hypnosis, and ironically, brings us back to where we started, with Mesmer.
Culturally-Congruent Hypnosis: Latinx Population as a Case Example
This webinar aims to define the new phrase of culturally-congruent hypnosis with the hopes that this will spark conversation and thought about how to more deeply tailor hypnosis to unique people given their cultural background. We will discuss our personal and professional experiences as, respectively, a clinician and a researcher who both work with the Latinx population and speak Spanish; we use this experience as a case study to deepen appreciation of the linguistic, beliefs, values and connotations that can enhance the cultural congruence of hypnotic interventions. Lastly, we focus on practical tips and examples for utilizing interpreters to provide accessible hypnosis.
As a result of attending this workshop, we hope that you will have the tools and skills to successfully assess and incorporate cultural factors within hypnotic interventional work.
Stress and Anxiety in Children Differ Yet Have Similar Impacts. How Can Self-Hypnosis Training Help?
Descriptions and definitions of stress and anxiety in children will be presented, with particular emphasis on their increasing prevalence. These two problem areas greatly impact children’s biopsychosocial health. Common stress-related and anxiety-based problems will be discussed. Unfortunately, the availability of clinical treatments is limited for this population and many families encounter long wait lists. Therapeutic pediatric hypnosis is an evidence-based and clinically effective therapeutic tool for stress management and coping with anxiety. A brief review of its efficacy for select conditions will be provided.
This webinar will focus on self-hypnosis training for children, a component of therapeutic pediatric hypnosis. It supports desired behavioral changes and encourages ongoing wellness. Self-hypnosis training can be a useful stand-alone intervention, too, as a component of psychological first aid and a lifelong preventative skill. This is evidenced by the efforts of Health Frontiers and Comfort Kits for Children. Some of the phenomenological elements of self-hypnosis will be identified and practical tips to introduce and encourage self-hypnosis to children will be described. An excerpt of a self-hypnosis training audio recording for a child will be played. Free resources that have been created and assembled by faculty affiliated with the National Pediatric Hypnosis Training Institute will be referenced.
Clinical Hypnosis in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a universal human emotion that alerts us to potential threats and motivates us to prepare for anticipated life challenges. Anxiety can be an appropriate reaction to a stressful circumstance, yet for many, excessive anxiety becomes counterproductive, and at times debilitating. As a diffuse mood state, anxiety involves unpleasant emotional experiences marked by a significant degree of apprehension about the potential appearance of future aversive or harmful events (Barlow & Cerny, 1988).
Clinical hypnosis, whether facilitated by another or self-directed (i.e., self-hypnosis), has been shown to be an effective means of for treating anxiety disorders. Numerous controlled studies have been conducted that provide ample support of hypnosis as an evidence-based intervention for treating anxiety associated with dental procedures (Glaesmer et al., 2015; Huet et al., 2011), surgery and medical interventions (Akgul et al., 2016; Lang et al., 2008) test-taking and performance situations (Boutin & Tosi, 1983; Stanton, 1994; Wojcikiewicz & Orlick, 1987), as well as general anxiety (Allen, 1998; Stanton, 1984; Whitehouse et al., 1996). In the first meta-analysis quantifying the efficacy of hypnosis for treating anxiety Valentine et al. (2019) demonstrated that individuals treated with hypnosis improved more than about 79% control subjects.
This workshop will provide attendees with an overview of the evidenced-based data supporting the use of clinical hypnosis for treating anxiety disorders. Furthermore, this workshop will offer strategic applications through case studies of clinical hypnosis interventions for treating specific anxiety disorders including panic and phobias.
Re-thinking Depression: Insights Emerging from Hard Times
Given the sharp rise in the rates of depression in the wake of the COVID pandemic and what it has taught us about vulnerabilities to depression, as well as recent landmark research undermining the most common view of depression as the result of a neurochemical imbalance, the need to think clearly about depression and its treatment has never been more apparent. How therapists think about the nature of depression and answer fundamental questions – such as what causes depression – naturally determine what treatment approach they are most likely to take. Likewise, how therapists think about the nature of hypnosis and its potential merits in treatment will shape their use of hypnotically based approaches. As we will discuss and demonstrate, there are some very compelling reasons to want to include hypnosis in the treatment of depressed individuals, couples, and families. There are things that no amount of medication can possibly address, hence the emphasis here on skills, not pills.
The webinar will place an emphasis on applying hypnosis strategically. There will be didactic presentation, a video demonstration featuring hypnosis with a depressed woman and follow-up information, and the opportunity for discussion as well as Q&A.
Altered States of Consciousness, the Human Skin, and Skin Disorders: Spiritual and Religious Perspectives
This presentation will explore the emotional, spiritual, and religious dimensions of skin and skin disorders since ancient times. The presentation draws on historical, anthropological, and medical perspectives, and Shenefelt’s exhaustive review of the published research (Shenefelt, 2014). The presentation prepares clinicians to deal with spiritual or religious issues that emerge in clinical hypnosis and healthcare sessions. Shenefelt’s conclusion is that “sometimes even today healing is hindered until the spiritual aspect is adequately addressed” (2014, p. 210).
The presenter will highlight the universal psychological significance of human skin. The skin is a major sense organ for touch, pain, itch, heat, cold, pressure, and vibration. The skin is also an expressive organ, expressing emotions detectable by others through pallor, coldness, “goose bumps,” redness, warmth, or sweating. Further, human beings throughout history have utilized the skin and decorations on the skin for emotional, cultural, and spiritual expression. This includes skin coverings, scalp and beard hair cutting, shaving, and styling, skin and nail and hair coloring and decorating, tattooing, and intentional scarring of the skin. The presenter will highlight how, historically, spiritual experiences and experiences of altered states have impacted on how humans have chosen to modify the appearance of their skin.
Hypnotic Like Practices of Dzogchen Meditation
The tradition of Dzogchen meditation has been practiced by both the Bonpo and the Buddhist communities of Tibet for at least the last 1,500 years. The term Dzogchen refers to hypnotic-like methods of meditation (such as mindfulness meditation) and other experiential yogic exercises that are said to aid the development of insight and compassion. The philosophical viewpoints and experiential practices of Dzogchen are very similar to many traditions of hypnosis. In particular, there are many aspects of the Ego State Therapy, Social Cognitive, and Transpersonal traditions of hypnosis that easily demonstrate the hypnotic-like (Krippner, 2004) nature of the tradition of Dzogchen meditation. In particular, the Dzogchen model of mind is polypsychic like some traditions of hypnosis (Frederick, 2005; Hilgard, 1977) which posit that the human mind has at least two psychic structures which refers to the conscious and unconscious nature of mind. The Dzogchen model posits that the polypsychic nature of human beings is caused by a psychic structure referred to as the Kunzi-Namshe which divides the seamless nature of experience into deluded conceptual categories that become the “parts” of people. This idea has a number of interesting parallels in the Neo-Dissociative, Ego States, and Social Cognitive positions on the nature of the self. Dzogchen techniques also utilize many hypnotic-like practices of selective attention, visualization, and post-hypnotic suggestion to help their practitioners develop an experiential understanding of the illusion of self that is also frequently spoken of in Transpersonal Psychology (Wickramasekera, 2013).
We will discuss the experience and the philosophy of Dzogchen meditation theory in light of hypnosis research in this workshop. Ian Wickramasekera II has written about and practiced these techniques from the perspective of hypnosis for over fifteen years and was authorized to teach these practices by the Bon lineage of Dzogchen by Khenpo Yungdrung Rinpoche, the Abbott of a Bon monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The Adaptive Experiential Theory of Hypnosis: Clinical Implications and Utilization
This presentation will explore a recently proposed theory of hypnosis called the adaptive experiential theory. This new theory is predicated on Epstein’s cognitive-experiential self-theory, a dual-process model that provides a comprehensive understanding of the rational system and the experiential system. While these two systems work together in synergy, they function quite differently in terms of their characteristics and methods. The rational system, which is influenced by logic and reason, demands a significant amount of cognitive resources and operates with concentrated effort, while displaying minimal emotional influence. On the other hand, the experiential system is powered by emotions, relies on associations, and encodes reality through images and feelings effortlessly, without conscious exertion.
According to the adaptive experiential theory, the ability to engage in complex hypnotic responses can be attributed to an individual’s capacity to adapt and consciously transition from predominantly using the rational system to the experiential system. Having a stronger connection with the experiential system leads to shifts in how reality is processed, enabling hypnotic suggestions to be internalized and put into action with less interference from the rational system. It is assumed that emotional and psychological problems arise primarily from the experiential system and most psychotherapeutic approaches are designed to try to influence that system with varying success. This presentation will highlight implications this theory has for the clinical use of hypnosis and assessing hypnotizability and will emphasize the idea that content and language of hypnotic suggestions matter.
Hypnosis & Implicit Memory: Much More Than Riding a Bicycle
Appreciation of implicit memory and subcortical influences on emotional, attitudinal, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning and the importance of bottom-up interventions in psychotherapy are rapidly increasing. Implicit, non-conscious memory has a pervasive influence on states of consciousness, self-regard, emotions, and trauma-related disorders.
This workshop will review the multiple categories of automatic, incidental, nonconscious, and continuous learning that comprise the domain of implicit memory. The role of implicit memory in the development of trauma related and interpersonal disorders will be reviewed. Hypnotic techniques for generating mental/emotional states that can constructively modify implicit memory will be outlined. Participants will learn to cultivate individualized reparative mental/emotional states that modify nonconscious subcortical memory. The application of hypnotic strategies for creating neuroception of safety and positive self-regard via ego strengthening will be delineated.
This workshop will help clinicians move away from using generic scripts. Instead, participants will learn how to co-create individualized, emotionally corrective mental and somatic states that foster client empowerment fundamental to treating various disorders.
Hypnotically Informed Psychotherapy: What is this thing we call hypnosis?
Ask a group of clinicians, even those with advanced training in hypnosis, “What is hypnosis?” and you will get a variety of descriptions ranging from neurophysiological to socio-cognitive. In addition to how one conceptualizes hypnosis, the term itself is used to describe both a process, i.e., induction/elicitation, and an experiential state, i.e., trance.
In this presentation, the literature on influence, embodiment (embodied cognitions and emotions), mirror neurons, mimicry and gestures will be used to present ways of being hypnotic rather than doing hypnosis. How appreciating this body of literature and incorporating it into one’s clinical practice supports, among other things, what have been identified as the “6 core competencies” of Ericksonian therapy: Tailoring, Utilization, Destabilize, Strategic, Experiential and Naturalistic, will be emphasized.
Attendees will leave the program with ways to conceptualize the idea of hypnosis that will allow them to more easily and fluidly incorporate being hypnotic into their clinical work. They will have a greater appreciation for what it means to practice “hypnotically informed Psychotherapy.”
Mindfulness and Concentrative Meditation: The Twain Meets Hypnosis
Mindfulness has become an established paradigm in healthcare over the last 40 years. As its popularity grew, questions began emerging about the nature of mindfulness, its relative efficacy to similar intervention strategies, safety, and, most interestingly, its relationship to hypnosis. How does mindfulness resemble and differ from hypnosis? Despite the educated speculations, this issue has yet to be clarified from conceptual, neurophysiological, and procedural perspectives.
This webinar will examine these topics with clinicians in mind who are interested in integrating mindfulness with hypnosis. To achieve this goal, the Buddhist meditation texts will be analyzed to elucidate the two fundamental methodologies underlying mindfulness meditation. It will clarify that the contemporary mindfulness practice has capitalized on only one method (i.e., open monitoring) while ignoring the other approach (i.e., focused attention). This webinar will illuminate the close resemblance between focused-attention mindfulness and hypnosis. The session will include the Touch-and-Return demonstration of mindfulness to facilitate the attendant’s experiential grasp of the two mindfulness meditation methods. This easy mindfulness protocol utilizes the open-monitoring procedure described in the classical Buddhist meditation texts. It also allows an application for trance induction.
From Neurons to Hypnosis: An Introduction to Hypnosis Research for Clinicians
Recent studies identified relevant cognitive processes supported by neuroimaging evidence. Research approaches in hypnosis are expanding, new theories are proposed, and novel findings deepen our understanding of what hypnosis is and is not. However, many of us face obstacles in staying informed and updated, which could make us feel detached from hypnosis research. This talk will serve as a bridge and an introduction to the various research methods through which hypnosis is currently being studied, with current and future applications for clinical work. We will review and integrate recent evidence to provide a practical framework for clinicians and practitioners and learn skills to better understand and implement hypnosis research. We will also discuss methodological limitations, highlight inconsistent findings, and acknowledge potential risks of bias.
Mindful Hypnosis: How to Stress Less and Live More Mindfully
Mindful Hypnosis is an evidence-based modality for integrating mindfulness and hypnosis into clinical and personal practice. Attendees of this experiential webinar will learn the 8-session model of Mindful Hypnotherapy, including practical strategies for integrating mindfulness-based inductions and suggestions into their practice.
Research on the similarities and differences between meditation and hypnosis and the initial evidence supporting Mindful Hypnosis will be presented. Attendees will also experience a Mindful Hypnosis meditation and The Light Within induction. Additionally, tips for establishing a mindful self-hypnosis practice for clinician self-care will be presented.
Yoga Nidra & Hypnosis: Yogic Trance or Trance Logic?
Eastern mind/body techniques have been integrated into psychotherapy for several decades. The most prevalent of these is mindfulness meditation. Similarities between hypnosis and mindfulness have been noted. In recent years, there has also been an integration of the use of yoga nidra, the “yoga of sleep.” What are the similarities between yoga nidra and hypnosis? How can an understanding of hypnosis help to better understanding yoga nidra? Can aspects of both be integrated?
This 90-minute presentation provides an overview of yoga nidra, including its background in Indian spirituality, and the scientific literature about yoga nidra as a behavioral health intervention. It will look at the similarities and differences between it and hypnosis, and suggestions for integrating the two modalities. It was also critical look at the use of spiritual practices into western medicine for practical purposes.
The Promise of Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation
Over 20 million adults report attempting to quit smoking each year (CDC, 2022). This webinar will begin with a review of the health risks associated with smoking and discuss prevalence rates and consumption trends within the US and across the EU before discussing the rationale for including hypnosis within a multi- faceted program to achieve smoking cessation.
Specifically, this webinar will detail the CBT-based program utilizing hypnosis, mindfulness, and acceptance-based strategies for smoking cessation. Participants will explore using implementation instructions to craft self-determination promoting suggestions. Further, we will discuss common obstacles and clinical considerations associated with the treatment of smokers using hypnosis.
Hypnosis in Palliative Care
When a patient’s condition has evolved to the point where there is no return, they may be struggling with symptoms that can be physically, psychologically, and spiritually burdensome. As therapists or physicians, we need tools for assessing these symptoms and providing supportive care tailored to specific patients. Hypnosis is an outstanding strategy, so we can help patients live more comfortably, despite their advanced illness. Discover the latest research in hypnosis and palliative care and learn the best evidence-based strategies for hypnotically approaching these patients.
By the end of the lecture Applications of Hypnosis in Palliative Care, you will have learned specific techniques for dealing with your first session and a 4-stage model to use in patients with life-threatening illnesses.
Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia: Clinical Challenges & Therapeutic Perspectives
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a functional pain syndrome characterized by chronic musculoskeletal widespread pain associated with fatigue, non-restorative sleep and cognitive dysfunction (fibrofog). Recent evidence supports the notion that hypnosis, combined with a standard medical treatment and a daily practice of self-hypnosis, may be a useful and safe adjunct tool to manage chronic pain and associated symptoms as well as disability.
This program will discuss the current research on FMS, the psychological factors that can predispose to trigger or worsen FMS-symptoms, and the risk factors for the development of FMS. Participants will also learn the ways in which hypnosis may help those with FMS when used in conjunction with standard medical treatment. Specifically, participants will learn how Indirect (Ericksonian) suggestions and hypnotherapeutic techniques can help with the pain management associated with FMS.
The ABCs of Pain Management
Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons that adults seek medical care. The presenter will provide an overview of the basics of pain management, with a focus on hypnotic approaches. Topics will include: (1) what (and how) to speak with clients about the neurophysiology of pain; (2) the critical role of a thorough assessment of the factors contributing to pain; (3) the importance of having a depth of knowledge about the state-of-science knowledge regarding different pain conditions; and (4) the presenter’s favorite hypnotic inductions and suggestions for pain management.
Following this initial presentation, the session moderator will facilitate a discussion between Dr. Jensen and the attendees on the issues presented (or any other issues raised by the attendees). Discussion will include clinical techniques for assessment and treatment for chronic pain.
Using Self-Hypnosis for Replenishment and Equanimity
Many individuals continue to report needing to chart new emotional pathways through an assortment of tense situations (e.g. pandemic, riots, social unrest, escalating violence, war, etc.). Especially during the holidays, providers have a front row seat to higher reports of anxiety, depression, concerns for threats to health, and the list goes on. In times such as these, it is easy for providers to diminish attending to their own emotional and physical well-being.
This webinar will bring together ideas and discuss self-care/coping strategies to buffer against emotional and physical depletion. Attendees will learn about research supporting the value of having a gratitude practice. They will also learn practical tools like self-hypnosis, which can be used daily as part of a self-care practice for replenishment and even mindedness.
Rewriting the Depressive Script
The internal script in depressive disorders is characterized by negative views of the self, the world, and the future. These beliefs form an internal monologue that leads to destructive emotions, behaviors, and physiology. Depressive attentional mechanisms selectively focus on confirmatory information from these, leading to an endlessly downward spiral as the depressed individual attempts to derive meaning from internal and external events. The depressive monologue gives rise to vivid imaginary reenactments and distortions of past failures and disappointments and leaves little room for a sense of personal agency and hope for a brighter future.
Hypnosis offers a means of introducing vivid and plausible new narratives grounded in present realities and future possibilities. Using case examples, we will explore several hypnotic approaches for engaging depressed individuals in a renewed focus on their role in shaping a plausible sense of agency and hopeful view of self in relation to the world.
Post-Traumatic Growth: Theory, Process, and Self-Hypnosis Training
Trauma can take many forms and can relate to traumatic events, adverse childhood experiences, or other traumatic life experiences. When exposed to significant trauma, individuals experience disruption of their beliefs, life narrative, and experience intense emotional distress. Exposure-based behavioral therapies have been shown to reduce symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), however many individuals continue to struggle with PTSD symptoms and trauma. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), refers to the ability of individuals to create new narratives and meanings following cataclysmic trauma and that positive psychological changes can be experienced as a result of struggle. PTG can be complementary to expose-based therapies and provide needed experiences for healing and positive change.
Foundational to PTG is the understanding that “it is not the event itself that defines trauma, but its effect on the schemas, exposing them to reconstruction” (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2004). PTG encompasses a constructivist perspective in which individuals develop core beliefs and schemas about self, the past and future, and the world. Through struggle, schemas can change, coping skills developed, and growth can occur. With expert guidance individuals may develop new personal strengths, appreciation of life, deeper relationships, spiritual change, and become aware of new possibilities. Training in self-hypnosis can facilitate development of emotional regulation, awareness, and positive schema changes. This webinar will identify the theoretical foundations and goals of PTG, the process by which it can occur, hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and how training in self-hypnosis can facilitate posttraumatic growth.
Changing Children's Lives with Hypnosis
The presenter will describe and demonstrate four approaches to use of hypnosis with children that have proven to be effective in his clinical practice when used separately or in combination. With most of my patients he first introduces the concepts of the mind/body interactions and the importance of positive self-talk through a muscle testing demonstration. Secondly, patients are taught how to achieve a relaxed state using favorite place imagery and progressive relaxation, as well as how to trigger their relaxation response with an anchor. During a third session he often introduces children to the concept of the subconscious and how it can help them. He teaches them ways of communicating directly with their subconscious including through ideomotor signaling and self-talk. Finally, they discuss how to achieve a spiritual state that permits patients to view life challenges with a more helpful perspective.
Evocative Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy: Demonstration and Discussion
Hypnosis is the progenitor of experiential approaches to psychotherapy. At its essence hypnosis is an evocative orientation that targets a conceptual realization; it is not an informative method. A logical extension is to seamlessly extend hypnotic principles into clinical practice.
Breath Matters
Healthy breathing is one of the foundations of human health and well-being. Overbreathing, one of the most common breathing dysregulations, affects 10-25% of US population and is associated with conditions such as asthma, panic disorder, anxiety, chest pain, GI distress, and chronic pain. Oftentimes, our clients come to us reporting that the “deep breathing exercises” they’ve learned previously do not work for them, make them feel lightheaded or short of breath, or make them feel worse. These symptoms are often a sign of overbreathing, a behavior of breathing out too much carbon dioxide, resulting in hypocapnia, or low levels of carbon dioxide. Hypocapnia, in turn, leads to significant emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological changes that may seriously impact health and performance. During psychotherapy and hypnotherapy, clients may unintentionally overbreathe by taking overly deep breaths, creating discomfort and reluctance to engage in future sessions. The purpose of this session is to discuss the physiology of breathing and provide the audience with practical strategies for breathing assessment and teaching healthy breathing, including guidance for explaining healthy breathing to clients, and tips for practice and training.
A Personally and Scientifically Informed Approach to Clinical Hypnosis
Over the past five decades or so, Dr. Lynn has used hypnosis in clinical practice and studied hypnosis in the laboratory. In this presentation, he will share what he has learned from his ongoing fascination with hypnosis and how it can be used as a catalyst to augment the effects of empirically supported interventions. He will overview findings from his laboratory and what others have discovered regarding the nature of hypnotic inductions, suggestions, and the hypnotic context, and review their implications for clinical work. He will also present his approach to leveraging hypnosis to increase cognitive-behavioral-flexibility and shift spontaneous mental activity in line with goal-directed actions and deeply held personal values.
Process-Oriented Hypnosis
Just as there are many different models of psychotherapy, each with different foundational philosophies and methods, there are many different models of hypnosis, each with a different theoretical emphasis and therefore utilizing widely diverse methods. The highly innovative work of Milton Erickson in particular is widely acknowledged by therapists who may or may not use hypnosis but are definitely influenced by his strategic methods. Milton Erickson was often credited with being a “mind-reader,” but he simply said he was more observant than most. Realistically, there are many common denominators of human experience that can make one seem a mind reader to a client when touching on them in the course of therapy. Hypnosis can be especially well used to address generalities that have very specific effects. In this short webinar presentation, we’ll explore this gentle style of process-oriented hypnotic intervention.
Rapid Hypnosis for Medical and Dental Encounters
Based on extensive clinical trials and clinic practice, this presentation builds on 25 years of experience with nonpharmacologic means of managing patient anxiety and pain in busy healthcare environments. It documents the effects of unaddressed anxiety on pain, the interconnected experience of the patient and dental practitioner’s stress, and the economic ramifications. It addresses how the natural upward trend of pain and anxiety during these encounters can be avoided, and the patient experience improved by slight, but reflective, changes in provider behavior and use of language. The audience will learn how to build rapport with their patients instantly, elicit positive behaviors and cooperation from them and, if needed, from accompanying individuals. Listeners will be introduced to the powers of word choice, how they can avoid the adverse effects of negative suggestions, reframe distressing thoughts, fears, and worries, and moderate the effects of painful stimuli. Rapid hypnotic techniques will be described and demonstrated with a sample script. The specifics of language providing anxiety release and relaxation in the office, as well as those needed for additional pain relief, will be discussed and supplemented with findings from a recent clinical trial at Tufts Dental School.
Assessment of Hypnotizability in Clinical Practice
Hypnotizability refers to a person’s ability to experience various aspects of hypnosis such as cognitive, experiential, behavioral, and physiological responses to hypnotic suggestion. Assessment of hypnotizabilty can provide important information regarding case conceptualization, treatment planning, and mechanisms of hypnosis interventions. In addition, assessment of hypnotizability may be a useful means of introducing hypnosis through experiential means and may have therapeutic benefits. The Elkins Hynotizability Scale (EHS) can be integrated into clinical practice and research. The clinical form (EHS-CF) takes about 20 minutes or less. It involves a hypnotic induction involving focus of attention, eye closure, and relaxation. Following deepening suggestions, items include inhibitory motor responses, facilitative motor and cognitive responses, and facilitative perceptual responses. The EHS has very good internal consistency (.85), test-retest reliability (.93), and scores highly correspond with the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale-Form C (SHSS-C). In this workshop participants will gain knowledge about hypnotizability theory and research, methods of clinical and formal assessment, and use of the EHS Clinical Form. Foundational research and implications for clinical practice will be presented. Participants will learn how to administer and score the EHS-CF and integrate into their clinical practice or research.
Creating Effective Hypnosis Interventions for Chronic Physical Symptoms
Chronic physical symptoms that have already proven unresponsive to the usual medical treatment methods can present formidable challenges in healthcare. Clinical hypnosis offers unique techniques for addressing medically unresponsive symptoms, but for the best effects the clinician often has to apply treatment differently for those problems than in other therapeutic applications of hypnosis. In this webinar, Dr. Palsson will provide participants with a detailed overview of a specific structure and set of essential elements in hypnosis treatment that together produce high probability of improvement in chronic and stubborn physical symptoms. The success of this approach has been empirically demonstrated in published research on GI disorders, including IBS, functional abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease, and esophageal disorders, but the same framework is equally useful for creating successful hypnosis treatment for other chronic health problems, such as migraine and fibromyalgia. This includes the approach to the chronic medical patient, formulating the hypnosis sessions to contain key principles that maximize therapeutic impact, and crafting suggestions and metaphors that effectively target psychological and physiological processes that influence body symptoms.
Suggestion vs Medication in the Treatment of Depression
Antidepressants are supposed to work by fixing a chemical imbalance. However, analyses of the published and the unpublished data that were hidden by the drug companies reveal that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect, and the difference in improvement between drug and placebo is not clinically meaningful. This conclusion has been replicated in a new patient-level analysis, co-authored by officials at the FDA, of all the antidepressant data sent to them by the pharmaceutical companies between 1979 and 2016 (73,388 patients in 232 clinical trials). Other treatments (e.g., psychotherapy and physical exercise) produce the same short-term benefits as antidepressants, show better long-term effectiveness, and do so without the side effects and health risks of the drugs, and hypnosis increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Instead of curing depression, popular antidepressants may produce a placebo effect at the cost of inducing a biological vulnerability making people more likely to relapse.
The Magic Glove In Its Many Forms
Glove anesthesia has a long tradition as a hypnoanalgesic technique to reduce pain and anxiety in anticipation of and during medical procedures. Adapted to Pediatrics over 30 years ago, it became “The Magic Glove.” This child-friendly procedure invites imaginative absorption with repeated stroking the back of the hand combined with specific hypnotic suggestions for sensory changes and increased comfort. This presentation will show videos and explore the wide range of applications for the Magic Glove: as an Induction, for Flu/Covid Vaccinations, for analgesia at the dentist, drawing blood, accessing IVs, in-dwelling ports, or lines, and for empowering patients and their parents.
Inductions, Deepening Techniques, and Teaching Stories
To successfully induce the hypnotic state/deliver suggestions, it’s key to understand belief, imagination, concentration, expectation and desire. This knowledge helps you craft the induction necessary for hypnosis to reach the optimal desired state. There are hundreds of inductions therapists can apply including direct/indirect suggestions. The key is finding the right induction for the client.
This webinar will help you identify/craft such an induction and understand how the client’s unconscious mind provides clues as to what is most effective. We’ll also explore repetition; speaking to the client’s exhalation, pace, lead; and how inductions maximize hypnosis for health.
The Use of Hypnosis for Complex Health Conditions and in Integrative Medicine Settings
This presentation will discuss the applications of clinical hypnosis in integrative medicine settings, which serve individuals experiencing chronic, and often overlapping complex health conditions. Examples include migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, and fibromyalgia. We will review integrative care models and the use of hypnosis with this population by applying individual and group approaches guided by the biopsychosocial model of care. Specific strategies to use hypnosis in integrative care settings will be discussed, including hypnosis for relaxation, to gain mastery over feared material with imaginal exposure, and self-hypnosis training for chronic conditions. Lastly, we will discuss methods of integrating inductions into specific care pathways to facilitate treatment, such as in physical therapy or for acupuncture treatments.
Complex Inductions Made Easy: Neurophysiology, Social Psychology and Dissociation
This webinar will focus on training clinicians in advanced concepts of hypnosis. Although the training will be advanced, the content level will be appropriate for intermediate, or even beginning levels, based on the manner in which the material is taught. A major premise of this workshop is that hypnosis is most effective when presented in a non-linear rather than a cognitively based logical intervention. The workshop (webinar and workshop are used interchangeably) will present scientifically based principles to distill complex hypnosis into clinician friendly-heuristics for clinicians. The science is based on what is known about the neurophysiology of brain functioning during hypnosis, social psychology (including Milton Erickson’s work), and dissociation (particularly dissociated control theories). Guided by science, this workshop will present simple, understandable steps to present hypnosis in a non-linear fashion.
Why Study Hypnosis: Enhancing Your Clinical Practice
Hypnosis and hypnotic-like procedures have now been used for hundreds of years and yet myths and misunderstandings still seem to make therapists hesitate to add this useful modality to their skill set. This presentation will briefly review the history and myths of hypnosis and then focus on the many practical reasons to add hypnosis as an adjunctive technique in clinical practice. The data in the presentation is drawn from years of interviews with the leading figures in hypnosis who were all asked “Why study hypnosis?”
Gut Feelings: Clinical Hypnosis for Disorders Gut-Brain Interaction
Clinical hypnosis has reliably been found to produce both short- and long-term treatment benefits for functional gastrointestinal disorders (i.e., functional dyspepsia, functional abdominal pain, and irritable bowel syndrome). Moreover, as various physiological and autonomic nervous system variables have been found to contribute to these functional gastrointestinal disorders, they have more appropriately been relabeled Disorders Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI). However, the exact mechanisms of action that result in such hypnotic intervention benefits have remained elusive.
This webinar will review the empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of various gut-directed clinical hypnosis strategies, address possible mechanisms of action, and outline these techniques for participant use. Moreover, recent research will be reviewed on a polyvagal-based hypnotic intervention effective with gut-brain interaction disorders. Furthermore, the polyvagal model’s relevance and this technique will be reviewed concerning the treatment of fibromyalgia, other pain disorders, and trauma.
Autoimmune Disorders, Psychoneuroimmunology, and Hypnosis
For many years western medicine has considered the immune system to be separate and independent from the central nervous system. However, significant scientific research discoveries during the past 50 years have presented new data leading to the evolution of psychoneuroimmunology as a new field showing that the immune system does interact with the central nervous system in a bidirectional way.
This webinar provides a review of the research literature establishing data on the connection between the brain and the immune system with relevance to our understanding and treatment of autoimmune disorders. In addition, this webinar will provide a foundation and structure for using hypnosis in the treatment of patients with autoimmune disorders. Clinical case examples will provide practical relevant illustration on effective utilization of hypnosis in treating patients with autoimmune disorders.
Hypnosis, Anxiety, and Children: Opportunities Beyond Relaxation
Using hypnosis with children teaches skills and helps children experientially discover their own resources and “super-powers.” With anxious children, hypnotic interventions can immediately demonstrate the mind-body connection, help with somatic regulation, and offer relief. But many clinicians focus on relaxation and calmness as the primary (and only) goal with anxious children and teens. Paradoxically, an overemphasis on the goal of relaxation often impede progress. This webinar will focus on additional therapeutic targets that move away from an “elimination” approach and provide skills needed to step into uncertainty, recognize the patterns of anxiety, and interrupt the family cycles that help worry thrive.
The goal of this program is to answer: How do we incorporate hypnosis into our treatment of anxious kids and parents without inadvertently supporting anxiety’s demands?
Creativity and Hypnosis: Evoking Generative States for Positive Growth & Change
How can we use hypnosis to provide more positive states with clinical populations, or to help individuals tap into more generative mental capacities to perform more efficiently, and have more fun in life? This online presentation will answer these questions, and provide hypnotic tools for creativity, and give an overview of the scientific literature of hypnosis and creativity.
This 90-minute presentation provides an overview of the history and theory of hypnosis and creativity research, as well as clinical aspects discussed in the scientific literature of creativity. It will also give suggestions for techniques and an overview of treatment planning with case studies from the presenter’s practice, as well as ideas for integration creativity work into therapy and hypnotic settings will also be discussed.
Adjunctive Therapies for Use with Clinical Hypnosis and Psychotherapy
Adjunctive therapies are interventions that combine well with clinical hypnosis and psychotherapy. These adjunctive techniques augment the therapeutic effect of the hypnosis and psychotherapy. The combined therapeutic effect of hypnosis and adjunctive skills together is often greater than the effect of either intervention alone. Regular home practice of adjunctive relaxation skills improves basal autonomic nervous system regulation and reduces the onset of problematic symptoms.
This Webinar introduces seven adjunctive therapies, including progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, paced diaphragmatic breathing, guided imagery, meditation, mindfulness, and expressive writing. Three to four of them will be demonstrated, as time allows, and brief clinical vignettes will illustrate the use of the adjunctive techniques with clients. Each of these skill sets can be administered on its own, with therapeutic effect, or provided in combination with clinical hypnosis as a treatment package. Clinical anecdotes will be utilized to illustrate the use of adjunctive therapies.
A GPS Guide for Clinical Hypnosis Treatment Planning
What does your hypnosis treatment plan look like? Do you have one? Some clinicians tend to “wing it” or rely on scripts from clinical hypnosis textbooks for treating specific medical and psychological conditions. If you struggle with generating an individualized treatment plan that addresses your clients concerns, this webinar may offer you the guidance and information you seek through case examples as well as practice opportunities for generating a treatment plan using hypnosis. This webinar will provide pragmatic guidance for generating and implementing a therapeutic treatment plan using hypnosis. Suggestions for addressing unwanted and unexpected challenges during hypnosis sessions will also be reviewed. Based on his GPS model (Reid, 2012) for minimizing unwanted challenges during hypnosis sessions, Dr. Reid will review a number of strategic interventions through case presentations. Prior experience using hypnosis and completion of at least a Basic Hypnosis workshop is expected as this webinar will focus on generating treatment plans from case scenarios.
From Surviving to Thriving: Applying the Science of Positive Psychology to Ignite Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy for Well-Being
The program/presentation approaches clinical conditions presented by clients from an evolutionary, neurobiological framework. Rather than focusing on the content of presenting concerns (e.g., migraine, digestive distress, depression, or panic), the program participant is invited to explore clinical phenomena as manifestations of evolutionarily based patterns of adjusting and adapting to ever-changing physical and social landscapes. Presenting problem patterns are framed as attempts at solution seeking, goal-oriented (though not necessarily consciously mediated) adaptiveness. Dr. Alter has identified 13-core principles that aid in cultivation of this adaptive view of clinical concerns. The principles are rooted in what we have learned about the physiological, neurological, psychological, and social legacies we have inherited from our evolutionary ancestors. Applying these principles to clinical phenomena supports the clinician in escaping the diagnostic and formulaic treatment reductionism that too often constrains our ability to interact with clients in ways that are tailored to their unique presenting problem patterns, while simultaneously cultivating an approach that imbues clients’ efforts with meaning, mission, and purpose.
Hypnosis has demonstrated to be effective for a breadth of physical and psychological concerns and has been primarily utilized for symptom reduction. However, there is an increased interest for interventions to not only provide clinical symptom relief, but also nourish positive functioning and amplify strengths. Positive psychology is the scientific study of the positive aspects of psychological functioning to enhance subjective and objective well-being. Positive psychology interventions (PPI) involve identifying and reinforcing strengths, savoring positive experiences, and pleasurable behaviors that increase meaning, connection, and well-being in life. PPI are brief, versatile, and easily incorporated into existing interventions. Similarly, hypnotherapy is a therapeutic modality that is integrative in nature, readily synthesizes positive psychology approaches, and may increase well-being via hypnotic relaxation. Created by Elkins (2014), Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy (HRT) is a well-defined, evidence based model of hypnotherapy that can be used alone or easily be incorporated with other therapeutic modalities. HRT is theoretically well suited to synergize PPI and enhance well-being, given that the unconscious is seen as a source of inner strength.
From Principle to Practice: Deconstructing Problem Patterns toward Strategically Guided Solutions
The program/presentation approaches clinical conditions presented by clients from an evolutionary, neurobiological framework. Rather than focusing on the content of presenting concerns (e.g., migraine, digestive distress, depression, or panic), the program participant is invited to explore clinical phenomena as manifestations of evolutionarily based patterns of adjusting and adapting to ever-changing physical and social landscapes. Presenting problem patterns are framed as attempts at solution seeking, goal-oriented (though not necessarily consciously mediated) adaptiveness. Dr. Alter has identified 13-core principles that aid in cultivation of this adaptive view of clinical concerns. The principles are rooted in what we have learned about the physiological, neurological, psychological, and social legacies we have inherited from our evolutionary ancestors. Applying these principles to clinical phenomena supports the clinician in escaping the diagnostic and formulaic treatment reductionism that too often constrains our ability to interact with clients in ways that are tailored to their unique presenting problem patterns, while simultaneously cultivating an approach that imbues clients’ efforts with meaning, mission, and purpose.
Managing Anxiety: Cognitive, Mindfulness and Hypnotherapeutic Approaches
Anxiety destroys the normal enjoyment of life through the fear, worry, obsessive thinking and avoidant behavior that anxious people experience. Simple activities like going to the grocery store, taking a child to her first day of school, or meeting a friend for lunch trigger a barrage of frantic “what ifs.” This workshop will explore the subtleties of working with this pervasive category of disorders that affects an estimated 20% of the population. The workshop will also focus on the effect that uncontrolled anxiety has on intimate relationships. The presenter will introduce a powerful, integrative therapy model that combines CBT, Hypnosis, and Mindfulness. Using this integrative therapy model, workshop participants will learn practical interventions that are applicable to the treatment of panic, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. A unique feature of this presentation is the four-part intervention developed by Dr. Daitch that integrates mindfulness, cognitive and hypnotic approaches. These tools work together to help clients feel more empowered when flooded with anxiety.
Pediatric Hypnosis
This workshop will introduce hypnotic approaches for many common physical, emotional and behavioral problems of childhood. Hypnosis not only gives the child a tool to better cope with or solve the problem himself, but also increases self-esteem, bolsters a sense of accomplishment and gives the child a valuable skill that he can adapt to many new situations throughout life. This workshop will also review the developmental characteristics that make children particularly hypnotizable. Dr. Thomson will define developmental tasks unique to each stage of development. When people experience adverse childhood events, developmental tasks may not be fully mastered. This can have a detrimental impact not only in childhood but in adulthood as well. The presenter will introduce hypnotic skills and techniques useful in developing effective treatment plans for engaging children to be part of the solution for medical or psychological challenges.
Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management
This webinar will provide an overview of hypnotic strategies and suggestions for helping individuals better self-manage chronic pain conditions. It will begin with a discussion of the neurophysiology of nociception and pain, focusing on nine specific processes and physiological structures involved in pain perception, and that can be influenced by hypnotic suggestions. Evidence regarding pain’s impact on other functioning domains (e.g., activity level, sleep, mood) will be discussed, and ideas for hypnotic suggestions and approaches for addressing *all* of these domains and processes will be generated. Next, the facilitator will describe what is currently known about the etiology and factors that contribute to pain associated with a number of common chronic pain conditions (specifically, headache, chronic widespread pain, low back pain, neuropathic pain, and complex regional pain syndrome), and how hypnosis can be tailored to treat each one. The webinar will end with a demonstration showing how clinicians can target hypnotic suggestions tailored to the needs of a specific patient.
Chronic Pain and the Opioid Crisis: Mind-Body Innovations in Clinical Hypnosis
The 2011 Institute of Medicine report Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research estimated that 100 million Americans have chronic pain. Over the last 15 years, the primary reliance on and excessive use of opiate medications has created a serious medical crisis. The United States, which makes up less than 5% of the world population, uses 80% of the world’s opiates. Numerous studies demonstrate that dependence on opiate medications leads to overwhelming suffering and disability. Treatment of these conditions should engage patients in daily self-care, gradual conditioning, reducing the guarding reflex around painful areas, and activating self-healing resources. Opiates—especially at high doses— disconnect the brain from the body in a dissociative process, making self-care and activating self-healing resources more challenging. In this webinar, you will learn the role that hypnosis can play in facilitating an ideal healing state to assist in healing two common types of chronic pain: low back pain and headache.
Ethical Principles and Practice Standards in Hypnosis, Theoretical Underpinnings
This webinar will present to the learner an overview of ethical principles and practices for the use of clinical hypnosis. Multiple theoretical and historical underpinnings of the applications of ethics will be described. A review of ethical dilemmas that a clinician may encounter will be presented. The ethical use of hypnosis with specific populations and clinical entities will be offered. A review of the ethical standards of the American Society of clinical hypnosis, the American psychological association and other providers will occur. The similarities and differences of the different disciplines will be highlighted.
Providing Psychological Support for Refugees and Displaced Populations
Displacement from home and community produces a myriad of health and mental health problems. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress are widespread in displaced populations. Factors influencing the wellbeing of the displaced include: 1) the nature of the conflict or emergency that led to displacement, 2) ways in which the journey during displacement exacerbates the crisis, including detention and refugee camps, 3) ways in which gender, age, religion, language, class, economic position and cultural factors influence the emotional burden of displacement, and 4) the climate of the host community. In 2022, the world is watching as approximately 4.6 million civilians have fled Ukraine and an additional 7.1 have left their homes in Ukraine for safety and survival, adding to the global population of displaced human beings. This free webinar will highlight the conditions and needs of refugees and other displaced populations and introduce several approaches to providing support and care for refugee populations in the current Ukraine crisis as well as with other refugee populations worldwide. The presenters will describe their experience with providing mental health care for refugees, including the use of mind-body therapies such as hypnosis. In addition, presenters will highlight current initiatives to create new supports and effective interventions for refugees.
Supporting Optimal Coping with the Anxiety and Stress of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Many Americans are reporting anxiety and a sense of stress about the COVID-19 pandemic. The health threat, the disruption of usual schedules and activities, and the lack of control over rapidly changing life-events all are undermining individual’s sense of safety and self-confidence. Rapid fire media attention to the global impact of the pandemic is heightening the sense of urgency and threat for the general public. Individuals with pre-existing emotional and psychiatric disorders are reporting exacerbations of their symptoms and usually calm individuals are reporting preoccupation and anxiety
This webinar will bring together leading mental health experts from North American universities to discuss coping strategies, self-care skills, and lifestyle supports for emotional and physical well-being. The presenters will provide attendees with practical skills applicable for their own lives and also for their patients/clients/students.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major threat to individuals and communities, with serious health impact and dramatic economic impact. Nevertheless, this threat can provide a useful opportunity for each person to consider current coping and to adopt new self-care habits that will provide a pathway for improved well-being long-term.