Future-Focused Therapeutic Strategies for Integrative Health.

For many years, the therapy field was dominated by a focus on the past. In this context, many clinicians were trained to use hypnosis as a tool to explore the past, and there is a rich literature documenting the use of hypnosis as a tool to induce age regression and the uncovering of traumatic memories. This article presents a therapeutic paradigm that focuses on the future. Hypnosis is used to induce creativity, flexibility, and openness to the future. In the context of health care, hypnosis is used to explore the best possible treatment outcome, which may be pharmacological, surgical, or a combination of both as well as other nonsurgical interventions. This article elaborates on the effective use of a therapeutic hypnosis strategy and technique focused on the future.

The role of autosuggestion in geriatric patients' quality of life: a study on psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology pathway.

BACKGROUND: There has been no study conducted about the effect of autosuggestion on quality of life for geriatric patients. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of autosuggestion for geriatric patients' quality of life and its impact on psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune pathway. METHODS: Sixty geriatric patients aged ≥60 years in a ward were randomly assigned to either receive autosuggestion or not. Autosuggestion was recorded in a tape to be heard daily for 30 days. Both groups received the standard medical therapy. Primary outcome was quality of life by COOP chart. Secondary outcomes were serum cortisol level, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, interferon-γ, and N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in limbic/paralimbic system by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The study was single blinded due to the nature of the intervention studied. RESULTS: Out of 60 subjects, 51 finished the study. The autosuggestion group reported better scores than the control one for quality of life, COOP chart 1.95 vs. 2.22 (95% CI, p = 0.02). There were increments of serum cortisol (p = 0.03) and interleukin-6 in the autosuggestion group (p = 0.04). Interleukin-2, interferon-γ, and N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in prefrontal cortex showed a tendency to increase in the autosuggestion groups. CONCLUSION: Autosuggestion is associated with improvement of geriatrics' quality of life, serum cortisol level, and adaptive immunity. There is a better trend for neuroplasticity in prefrontal cortex in the autosuggestion group.

[Possibilities of hypnosis and hypnosuggestive methods in oncology]. / A hipnózis és a hipnoszuggesztív módszerek lehetoségei az onkológiában.

Fear of death, pain, or the recurrence of the illness of tumor patients can narrow their attention to a point where a spontaneous altered state of consciousness occurs. In these cases hypnosis either in formal psychotherapy or embedded into the everyday communication with the physician can effectively complement other already known medical and psychological techniques. Although numerous studies have reported the beneficial physical and mental changes induced by hypnosis, for a long time there were not enough research to affect evidence-based medicine. New studies meeting the most rigorous methodological standards, new reviews and the characteristics of hypnosis shown by neuroimaging techniques support the acceptance of this method. Hypnosis is used and studied with adult and child tumor patients alike mostly in the areas of anxiety, pain, nausea, vomiting, quality of life, mood amelioration, immune system and hot flushes. Most of the assays describe hypnosis as an empirically validated treatment technique that in most cases surpass attention diversion, coping trainings, cognitive behavior and relaxation techniques and other regular treatments. In this paper we review these observations.

Autoestima y relaciones interpersonales en jóvenes estudiantes de primer semestre de la División Salud de la Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla (Colombia) / Self esteem and interpersonal relationships among freshmen in the collage of Health Science at Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla (Colombia)

Objective: To determine the influence of self-esteem (self-concept, self-respect and selfbelief)and interpersonal relationships among freshmen in the College of health science atthe University of North, Barranquilla.Methodology: This is a descriptive study with a sample of 100 freshmen from the school ofMedicine and Nursing. The study used a self-developed questionnaire and the 16 PF test ofpersonality. The variables in study were: demographic information, self-esteem (measuresof self-concept, self-respect, and self-belief) and affectoniate.Results: The demographics show that the average age of the sample was eighteen and ahalf years old, 71 percent of the sample were females and 29 percent were males. The results indicatedthat 73percent of the sample presented an adequate self-concept, while the remaining percentageof the sample presented an inadequate self-concept. In regards to the measure of self-belief,81percent presented an adequate self-belief, and the 19percent of self-belief was inadequate. Moreover,the 82percent of the sample presented adequate affectoniate while the 18percent was inadequate.The poor self-concept, self-respect and self-belief appear to be associated with inadequateinterpersonal relationships (p<0.05). The report of the student’s negative conception ofhis/her interpersonal relationships was of valuable significance as it allowed to identify ahigh-risk factor early in college.Conclusions: The majority of freshmen had an adequate self-esteem and interpersonalrelationships. Further, the study determine that, even the small percentage of reportedinadequate self-esteem and interpersonal relationships, there is a need of a multidisciplinaryintervention early in college to protect against misleading conducts of the student’s totalhealth.

[Perioperative use of medical hypnosis. Therapy options for anaesthetists and surgeons]. / Perioperativer Einsatz von medizinischer Hypnose. Therapieoption für Anästhesisten und Chirurgen.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of patients under local anaesthesia is quite commonly restricted by limited compliance from the patient. An alternative to treatment under pharmacological sedation or general anaesthesia could be the application of medical hypnosis. With this method, both suggestive and autosuggestive procedures are used for anxiolysis, relaxation, sedation and analgesia of the patient. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a 1-year period of first clinical application, a total of 207 surgical procedures on a non-selected collective of 174 patients were carried out under combined local anaesthesia and medical hypnosis. RESULTS: Medical hypnosis proved to be a standardisable and reliable method by which remarkable improvements in treatment conditions for both patient and surgeons were achievable. CONCLUSION: Medical hypnosis is not considered to be a substitute for conscious sedation or general anaesthesia but a therapeutic option equally interesting for anaesthesists and surgeons.

Aplicación de la técnica de Schultz a un caso de neurodermatitis / Application of the Schultz technique in a neurodermatitis case

Se presenta el tratamiento de un caso con neurodermatitis congénita, de una profesional psicóloga de 30 años, quien no podía controlar su conducta de rascarse, produciéndose permanentemente escoriaciones en su piel. Se aplicó el entrenamiento autógeno de Schultz, abreviado en ocho, registrándose los valores electromiográficos, a nivel frontal, y la temperatura de ambas manos, durante la práctica del procedimiento. Los resultados del tratamiento fueron exitosos en lo inmediato, con posterioridad a dicho tratamiento y a los tres meses de seguimiento. El éxito se operacionalizó en términos de lograr controlar la conducta de rascarse y posibilitar la cicatrización de las escoriaciones

Predictors of smoking abstinence following a single-session restructuring intervention with self-hypnosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relation of smoking and medical history, social support, and hypnotizability to outcome of a smoking cessation program. METHOD: A consecutive series of 226 smokers referred for the smoking cessation program were treated with a single-session habit restructuring intervention involving self-hypnosis. They were then followed up for 2 years. Total abstinence from smoking after the intervention was the criterion for successful outcome. RESULTS: Fifty-two percent of the study group achieved complete smoking abstinence 1 week after the intervention; 23% maintained their abstinence for 2 years. Hypnotizability and having been previously able to quit smoking for at least a month significantly predicted the initiation of abstinence. Hypnotizability and living with a significant other person predicted 2-year maintenance of treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: These results, while modest, are superior to those of spontaneous efforts to stop smoking. Furthermore, they suggest that it is possible to predict which patients are most likely and which are least likely to respond to such brief smoking cessation interventions.

Using hypnosis with children for pain management.

Although nurses are in a strategic position to use hypnosis to manage a child's cancer pain, many lack the knowledge, the skill, or the exposure to the clinical effectiveness of hypnosis. Hypnosis has been a potent analgesic and anesthetic agent for more than 100 years; it reduces a child's cancer pain and the pain associated with painful procedures. Nurses can use hypnosis to help children diminish pain and cope with lumbar punctures (LPs), bone marrow aspirations (BMAs), and nausea or vomiting from chemotherapy. This article's purpose is to discuss myths, contraindications, research, processes, and effectiveness of hypnosis as a strategy for managing the cancer pain of school-age children. Vignettes from the author's clinical practice illustrate concepts and procedures.

Evaluation of a child's perceived self-competence during treatment for cancer.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of self-hypnosis on the perceived self-competence of children undergoing treatment for cancer and to determine longitudinal differences in perception of self-competence over time. Twenty-two children were randomized into an experimental group (taught self-hypnosis) and a control group (given standard care). Data were collected using the Harter Perceived Self-Competence Profile (HPSCP) during four courses of chemotherapy. A decrease in mean scores for the control group was found compared with the hypnosis group, which showed an increase in mean scores in five of six domains. Both groups showed a statistically significant increase in the scholastic cognitive domain and social acceptance domain from the time of diagnosis compared with the second test period. Ten children had a visible physical disability. These children were found to have significant decreases in the domains of athletic competence, social acceptance, and global self-worth. Decreases remained significant throughout all test periods in the athletic competence domain for the children with a visible physical disability. This study is unique in that the researchers evaluated children's perception of self-competence over time. These findings support previous studies and identify the need for nurses to become actively involved in helping children develop effective coping skills during chemotherapy for cancer.