U"lizing Clinical Hypnosis To Enhance Treatment: Make Your (Inevitable) Sugges"ons Count with Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D. December 12, 2017 1
The primary goal of this one day workshop is to acquaint you with some of the key principles of hypnosis and ways it can be used to deliver meaningful therapeu@c interven@ons. 2
Today s Agenda Part 1 (8:30 10:30) Overview of the field, what makes hypnosis effec@ve, the structure of hypnosis sessions, group hypnosis experience Part 2 (10:45 12:30) Watching it work: The Case of Mike Hypnosis in Trea@ng Comorbid Depression and PTSD; metaphor and meaning Lunch Part 3 (2:00 4:00) Age regression and empowering people; Exercise in accessing and contextualizing personal resources; Summary and closure 3
Part 1: Overview of the field, what makes hypnosis effec@ve, the structure of hypnosis sessions, group hypnosis experience 4
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Hypnosis in Modern Cogni@ve Neuroscience Hypno@c sugges@on has been increasingly used as an inves@ga@ve tool in a range of cogni@ve and social neuroscience research areas, such as hearing, vision, synesthesia, voli@on, pain, and azen@on and azen@onal conflict, including the ability to exert substan@al control over automa@c processes. 6
Hypnosis in Modern Cogni@ve Neuroscience: The Intrinsic Focus The intrinsic focus as one area of research strives to acquire a bezer understanding of the nature of hypnosis and hypno@cally suggested phenomena. Intrinsic studies are largely concerned with what makes some people more responsive to hypno@c sugges@ons than others, the nature of hypno@c sugges@bility, whether suggested hypno@c phenomena are real or are simply imagined and whether hypnosis involves a special state of consciousness. (p.565) Oakley, D. & Halligan, P. (August, 2013). Hypno@c sugges@on: opportuni@es for cogni@ve neuroscience. Neuroscience, 14, 565-576. 7
Hypnosis in Modern Cogni@ve Neuroscience: The Instrumental Focus Instrumentally focused studies involve the selec@ve use of experimentally and, increasingly, clinically informed sugges@ons to inves@gate aspects of normal and abnormal psychological func@oning. This more instrumental approach probes challenging issues such as the nature and neural basis of consciousness, brain mechanisms underlying visual percep@on or pain and the puta@ve cogni@ve origins of clinical symptoms such as medically unexplained paralysis seen in some pa@ents with conversion disorder (hysteria), hallucina@ons, delusions and altera@ons in control over thought and ac@on in schizophrenia. p.565 Oakley, D. & Halligan, P. (August, 2013). Hypno@c sugges@on: opportuni@es for cogni@ve neuroscience. Neuroscience, 14, 565-576. 8
Empirical evidence it works, i.e., hypnosis objec@vely enhances treatment outcomes All therapy involves the use of sugges@on Provides insights into subjec@ve experience Highlights the malleability of experience Enhances one s sense of personal control Mul@-dimensional applica@ons Enhances cogni@ve, behavioral and emo@onal flexibility 9
The salient clinical ques@ons are, What do we want the client to focus on, and why? 10
Focus on past hurts rather than future possibili@es Focus on what s wrong rather than what s right Focus internally and miss external cues 11
Hypnosis is about building frames of mind 12
Hypnosis is neutral, capable of genera@ng either therapeu@c or symptoma@c experience. We re here to study the therapeu@c applica@ons, of course. 13
NO! It s what happens DURING hypnosis - the new and beneficial associa@ons the client forms that can be therapeu@c 14
Is NOT, Does hypnosis cure problem X? Rather, the salient ques@on is, If one applies therapy approach Y without hypnosis and applies therapy approach Y with hypnosis, will the addi@on of hypnosis to the process likely enhance the treatment outcome? The evidence suggests the answer is yes. 15
How do people generally regard hypnosis? It s a mixed reac<on from both professionals and the general public; a curiosity about hypnosis mixed with skep<cism and misapprehension based on commonly held misconcep<ons 16
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Hypnosis is caused by the power of the hypno@st You ll say or do things against your will Hypnosis fosters dependency You can get stuck in hypnosis You re unconscious in hypnosis Hypnosis is simply relaxa@on Hypnosis bypasses cri@cal thinking Hypnosis increases accurate recall 18
There are many different models of hypnosis, ways of thinking about both the process of doing hypnosis and the subjec@ve nature of the experience. One simplis@c, yet meaningful, way to divide them is as follows: Tradi@onal Standardized (scripted) U@liza@on (Ericksonian) 19
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Let s consider a generic structure 21
To explore consciousness To explore spirituality To delineate individual differences To help people change To heal disease or mask pain To promote crea@vity 22
Posi@ve sugges@ons Nega@ve sugges@ons Direct sugges@ons Indirect sugges@ons Process sugges@ons Content sugges@ons Post-hypno@c sugges@ons (PHS) 23
Permissive style Authoritarian style 24
And you can wonder if... I wonder if it will surprise you that... You already know how to... You might enjoy discovering that... I wonder whether you realize... Perhaps sooner than you might expect... 25
What are the characteris@cs of those who are termed highly hypno@zable (HH) rela@ve to those who are termed low hypno@zables (LH)? 26
Personal Interpersonal Contextual 27
Objec@ve Subjec@ve Involuntary 28
Anything can serve as an induc@on process as long as it serves to absorb and elicit meaningful responses 29
I d like to begin our hypnosis session by having you place both feet on the floor, let your hands rest on your thighs and when you re ready you can close your eyes so you can focus your acen<on on the ideas and images I m going to describe to you 30
You ve been so absorbed in feelings of distress, it would be helpful to start to get absorbed in a different and more comfortable way of experiencing yourself and to help yourself get absorbed in new possibili"es you can let your eyes close and why not take in a few deep, relaxing breaths 31
Orient to the idea of experiencing hypnosis Sit comfortably Take in a few deep, relaxing breaths Allow your eyes to close Focus your azen@on Allow yourself to relax 32
Hypnosis as a means of facilita@ng flow states Focus on what s right and amplify it Help people discover hidden resources and apply them in their own behalf Reinforce peoples ability to transcend self-limi@ng percep@ons 33
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Group hypnosis process 35
Experien@al, selec@ve absorp@on of focus Non-ra@onal involvement ( Trance logic ) Willingness to experiment Altera@ons of percep@ons Fluctua@ons in degrees of involvement Symbolic processing (metaphor, injunc@ons, implica@ons) 36
Age regression Age progression Amnesia Analgesia Anesthesia Catalepsy 37
Dissocia@on Hallucina@ons (Posi@ve, Nega@ve) Ideodynamic responses Sensory altera@ons Time distor@on Value as building blocks: NEUTRAL 38
Orient the client to hypnosis Induc@on procedure Build a response set Introduce therapeu@c Theme #1 Introduce metaphors on the theme, generally moving from less to more direct Interac@on regarding derived meanings 39
Introduce therapeu@c Theme(s) #2 (3...etc.) Introduce addi@onal metaphors per theme Interac@on regarding derived meanings Post-hypno@c sugges@ons (contextualize relevant learnings) Closure Permissive disengagement 40
Post-hypno@c sugges@ons for contextualiza@on of resources Encourage a sense of comfortable comple@on Authoritarian style: Come out on the count of three Permissive style: Come out when you re ready 41
Using client interests Using client values Using client history Using client expecta@ons Using client responses Using environmental s@muli 42
Part 2: Watching it work: The Case of Mike Hypnosis in Trea@ng Comorbid Depression and PTSD; metaphor and meaning 43
THE CASE OF MIKE DEPRESSION S POWER TO ISOLATE 44
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The Inner Cri@c Having an inner cri@c is normal. Believing it is nego@able. 46
Any @me you employ hypnosis, it s for a clinically sound reason There s a specific type of associa@on you are trying to establish, a specific skill you re trying to facilitate the client azaining 47
All the things one would say to be helpful to someone can, of course, be said without hypnosis But hypnosis makes for a focused experience of mul"-dimensional experien"al learning 48
Goals for My Session with Mike 1. Establish rapport and a therapeu6c alliance 2. Deframe his viewpoint ( It s my past ) and reframe the salient issue ( It s the need for an effec@ve strategy to deal with nega@vity ) 3. Encourage the development of a discrimina6on strategy ( What is worth listening to? ) 4. At @mes of uncertainty, help Mike shiq his focus to future possibili6es rather than past abuse to guide his choices. 49
Goals for My Session with Mike (con@nued) 5. Re-associate Mike to his family, rela@ng to them posi@vely and with an absorp@on in them as a source of op@mism and pride. 6. Introduce hypnosis/focusing techniques and encourage their development as skills for symptom management and empowerment 7. Reinforce cri6cal thinking by addressing his global and dichotomous thinking and personaliza@on of his parents limita@ons 50
Key Therapeu@c Messages Given to Mike During Hypnosis You can develop the skills to cope The past doesn t predict the future You re more than your history You re more than your symptoms You have more resources than you realize and you can learn how to use them effec@vely 51
ANALOGIES AND METAPHORS Language devices used to describe a complex, usually abstract reality in concrete, familiar terms borrowed from another, simpler reality 52
Metaphor allows interven@ons to be open-ended and ambiguous, allowing the client to explore new possibili@es 53
The Poten@al Applica@ons of Metaphors in Hypnosis Diagnosis Reframing meaning Building rapport Encouraging an iden@fica@on Encouraging flexibility Embedding solu@ons Contextualizing learnings Genera@vity 54
Metaphor encourages mul@-dimensional cogni@ve flexibility, challenging the client s one-dimensional cogni@ve rigidity in the symptom domain 55
Genera@ng Metaphors From Life Experience The important lessons of life take place around us all the @me. Be observant, considering the lesson(s) to be gleaned from the experience, and you ll always have a ready supply of relevant teachings. 56
Part 3: Age regression and empowering people; Exercise in accessing and contextualizing personal resources; Summary and closure 57
People rou"nely report the current problems are rooted in past experiences 58
Simple review of experience Accessing specific resources Resolving cri"cal incidents Rewri"ng personal history Amplifying differences between then, now and later 59
Hypermnesia (Dissociated regressionreviewing the past from the present) Revivifica<on (Associated regressionreliving the past as if it is the present) 60
That s why hypno@cally obtained tes@mony is generally excluded from court proceedings 61
I think I was abused but don t have any memories. Will you hypno@ze me to recover my memories? NO!!!! 62
When you @ptoe through someone s unconscious, you don t know where the land mines are 63
The goal is to make ongoing verbal interac"on during hypnosis comfortable for the client 64
An"cipa"on Signal Facilita"on Deepening 65
In just a moment, I m going to ask you to describe your experience out loud... 66
... and you ll find that you can speak quite easily... 67
... and as you speak, each word that you say can serve to deepen your absorp@on in the experience... 68
Can you describe what you re aware of right now? Can you tell me what you re experiencing at this moment? Can you put into words what you re involved with internally at this "me? I wonder if you can verbalize what you re no"cing right now. 69
General Ways to Use Hypnosis Symptom management strategies (e.g., enhancing sleep, reducing anxiety) Skill-building/resource accessing (e.g., enhancing cogni@ve flexibility, building problem-solving skills) De-framing and reframing (e.g., It s not you, it s the way you go about it ) Associa"on and dissocia"on (e.g., shiqing focus away from feelings to ac@on, shiqing focus from past to future) 70
Clear Indica@ons for Using Hypnosis in Early Phase Treatment Acuteness of symptoms Severity of symptoms Stable azribu@onal style re: symptoms Rigidity; invariant nature of symptoms Situa@onally specific symptoms 71
An empowering interven@on strategy of empowerment by making dissociated resources available in desired contexts 72
Induc@on procedure Build response set regarding memory (orient to general experience) Age regression to a specific context Ideomotor signal indica@ng context retrieved Sugges@ons to facilitate verbaliza@on 73
Verbal interac@on regarding memory Iden@fy specific resources in past context Consolidate resources Orient to future and extend resources into desired context Post-hypno@c sugges@ons for integra@on Closure and disengagement 74
I hope you ve started to discover the richness and merits of hypnosis 75
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Suggested Homework Find and read a good social psychology text Observe everyday examples of hypno@c phenomena in diverse situa@ons Become aware of and consider the sugges@ons evident in even your non-hypno@c work Consider crea@ng self-help recordings you can use on your own behalf for relaxa@on, sleep, etc. See the Things to Do sec@on at the end of each chapter in T-4 and do some of them 77
Suggested Homework Prac@ce! Do as many sessions as you can with as many people as you can. Record and analyze. Read at least 2 current journal ar@cles in major journals re: your area of interest and analyze the scripts included for their structure and merits Get on the Erickson Founda@on NewsleDer mail list (www.erickson-founda@on.org) and my newslezer list (www.yapko.com); both are FREE Prepare u@liza@ons for session interrup@ons Watch Vicki session with transcript 78
Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D. E-mail: michael@yapko.com Website: www.yapko.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 487 Fallbrook, CA. 92088-0487, USA 79