The use of hypnotic interventions in myriad illness conditions may provide significant adjunctive contributions to medical patients in several ways: through the alteration of physical discomfort, the alleviation of emotional distress (anxiety, fear, depression), enhanced ego-strengthening, the replacement of helplessness with pro-activity and mastery, the movement through unconscious impasses related to the illness condition, and the facilitation of organic healing itself. In this clinical workshop, participants will be introduced to the presenter’s strategic, phase-oriented model with several associated techniques that can be tailored to patients with a wide variety of mind/body problems. The workshop will also include reference to various randomized controlled trials of applications of clinical hypnosis especially as related to documented ones such as: pain management, surgical preparation, accelerated post-surgical recovery and healing, adjunctive cancer treatment, gastrointestinal conditions, skin disorders, affect regulation, and stress management. This workshop is for intermediate and advanced hypnosis practitioners seeking to reach the next level of proficiency in their clinical work with mind/body issues in treatment.

Program Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• List four conditions for which hypnosis has been documented to facilitate clinical improvements
  Demonstrate the application of a multisensory imagery technique to assess a client’s native representational system
• Recognize three component strategies to foster hypnotic healing (creating personalized imagery for healing, evoking states of deep relaxation, targeting site specific healing)
• Recognize the kinds of hypnotic suggestions and phasic interventions that stimulate proactivity and mastery versus helplessness in medical patients

Presenter:

Carol Ginandes, Ph.D., ABPP, is a well-known health psychologist whose practice integrates hypnosis and meditation strategies with psychotherapy to address a wide variety of mind-body problems. She holds staff appointments at Harvard Medical School as assistant clinical professor of psychology and at McLean Hospital, where she offers training and supervision. Her clinical research has focused on the leading edge of hypnotically accelerated healing. In addition to her written publications, Dr. Ginandes has authored various medical hypnosis audio programs.