Hypnosis: Theories, Research and Applications

This book presents new research on hypnosis, including a clinical review comparing the effectiveness of hypnotherapy to psychoanalysis and behaviour therapy. Some of the recent clinical evidence contradicting the common criticisms and misconceptions surrounding hypnotherapy are presented, providing a good indication of how to make the best use of this tool, and to provide a rational explanation for its hard-to-believe therapeutic effects. This book also describes and illustrates the use of waking hypnosis based on the Valencia Model and applied to clinical cases considered difficult and/or emergencies. Furthermore, the relationship between hypnosis and psychoanalysis is extensively reviewed. The main assumptions of the intersubjective approach and how it is used in hypnosis, through case stories, is presented as well. Finally, this book presents evidence that the neural mechanisms of hypnosis is a fundamental prerequisite for the environmental context to provide the onset of MPI (Mass Psychogenic Illness). Other topics examined in this book include the effects of hypnosis on cancer patients and its use on people with skins disorders and procedures, as well as its effect on people with chronic pain.