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Objective (Primary) To establish the effect of antenatal group self-hypnosis for nulliparous women on intra-partum epidural use. Design Multi-method randomised control trial ( RCT). Setting Three NHS Trusts. Population Nulliparous women not planning elective caesarean, without medication for hypertension and without psychological illness. Methods Randomisation at 28-32 weeks' gestation to usual care, or to usual care plus brief self-hypnosis training (two × 90-minute groups at around 32 and 35 weeks' gestation; daily audio self-hypnosis CD). Follow up at 2 and 6 weeks postnatal. Main outcome measures Primary: epidural analgesia. Secondary: associated clinical and psychological outcomes; cost analysis. Results Six hundred and eighty women were randomised. There was no statistically significant difference in epidural use: 27.9% (intervention), 30.3% (control), odds ratio ( OR) 0.89 [95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.64-1.24], or in 27 of 29 pre-specified secondary clinical and psychological outcomes. Women in the intervention group had lower actual than anticipated levels of fear and anxiety between baseline and 2 weeks post natal (anxiety: mean difference −0.72, 95% CI −1.16 to −0.28, P = 0.001); fear (mean difference −0.62, 95% CI −1.08 to −0.16, P = 0.009) [Correction added on 7 July 2015, after first online publication: 'Mean difference' replaced 'Odds ratio (OR)' in the preceding sentence.]. Postnatal response rates were 67% overall at 2 weeks. The additional cost in the intervention arm per woman was £4.83 ( CI −£257.93 to £267.59). Conclusions Allocation to two-third-trimester group self-hypnosis training sessions did not significantly reduce intra-partum epidural analgesia use or a range of other clinical and psychological variables. The impact of women's anxiety and fear about childbirth needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the effect of a brief course in self-hypnosis for childbirth on duration of the labor and other birth outcomes. Design A randomized, controlled, single-blind trial. Setting Aarhus University Hospital Skejby, Denmark. Population A total of 1222 healthy nulliparous women. Methods A hypnosis group receiving three 1-h lessons in self-hypnosis with additional audio-recordings to ease childbirth, a relaxation group receiving three 1-h lessons in various relaxation methods and mindfulness with audio-recordings for additional training, and a usual-care group receiving only the usual antenatal care were compared. Main outcome measures Duration of labor, birth complications, lactation success, caring for the child, and preferred future mode of delivery. Results No differences were found across the three groups on duration from arriving at the birth department until the expulsive phase of second stage of labor, the duration of the expulsive phase, or other birth outcomes. Fewer emergency and more elective cesarean sections occurred in the hypnosis group. No difference was seen across the groups for lactation success or caring for the child but fewer women in the hypnosis group preferred a cesarean section in future pregnancies because of fear of childbirth and negative birth experiences. Conclusions Learning self-hypnosis to ease childbirth taught as a brief course failed to show any effects on duration of childbirth and other birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To estimate the use of epidural analgesia and experienced pain during childbirth after a short antenatal training course in self-hypnosis to ease childbirth. Design Randomised, controlled, single-blinded trial using a three-arm design. Setting Aarhus University Hospital Skejby in Denmark during the period July 2009 until August 2011. Population A total of 1222 healthy nulliparous women. Method Use of epidural analgesia and self-reported pain during delivery was compared in three groups: a hypnosis group receiving three 1-hour lessons in self-hypnosis with additional audiorecordings to ease childbirth, a relaxation group receiving three 1-hour lessons in various relaxation methods and mindfulness with audiorecordings for additional training, and a usual care group receiving ordinary antenatal care only. Main outcome measures Primary outcome: Use of epidural analgesia. Secondary outcomes included self-reported pain. Results There were no between-group differences in use of epidural analgesia-31.2% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 27.1-35.3) in the hypnosis group, 29.8% (95% CI 25.7-33.8) in the relaxation group and 30.0% (95% CI 24.0-36.0) in the control group. No statistically significant differences between the three groups were observed for any of the self-reported pain measures. Conclusion In this large randomised controlled trial of a brief course in self-hypnosis to ease childbirth, no differences in use of epidural analgesia or pain experience were found across study groups. Before turning down self-hypnosis as a method for pain relief, further studies are warranted with focus on specific subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) studies are increasingly employed in different conscious states. Autogenic training ( AT) is a common clinically used relaxation method. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cerebral modulation of pain activity patterns due to AT and to correlate the effects to the degree of experience with AT and strength of stimuli. Methods Thirteen volunteers familiar with AT were studied with fMRI during painful electrical stimulation in a block design alternating between resting state and electrical stimulation, both without AT and while employing the same paradigm when utilizing their AT abilities. The subjective rating of painful stimulation and success in modulation during AT was assessed. Results During painful electrical stimulation without AT, fMRI revealed activation of midcingulate, right secondary sensory, right supplementary motor, and insular cortices, the right thalamus and left caudate nucleus. In contrast, utilizing AT only activation of left insular and supplementary motor cortices was revealed. The paired t-test revealed pain-related activation in the midcingulate, posterior cingulate and left anterior insular cortices for the condition without AT, and activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex under AT. Activation of the posterior cingulate cortex and thalamus correlated with the amplitude of electrical stimulation. Conclusions This study revealed an effect on cerebral pain processing while performing AT. This might represent the cerebral correlate of different painful stimulus processing by subjects who are trained in performing relaxation techniques. However, due to the absence of a control group, further studies are needed to confirm this theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Autogenic training (AT) is a behaviourally orientated intervention usually taught in eight or nine sessions in the United Kingdom: clients are taught six simple mental formulae designed to induce a calm state of mind and body, five additional emotional expression exercises, and individually tailored `personal formulae' for supporting positive change. In the absence of existing psychological (as opposed to neuro-physiological) models of AT's mechanisms, this study aimed to produce the first such model, drawing on the perceptions of recent AT clients. Design. An abbreviated form of grounded theory was used to explore retrospectively and in detail the experiences of a small sample of people of the process of change. Methods. Forty people were approached and 12 women participated who had completed AT in group form after referral for anxiety. Each was interviewed individually. A preliminary model of change was produced, grounded in the interview data. Results. Factors reported to be salient were learning in a group, the core AT experience (the six standard exercises), difficulties with practice, the importance of regular practice integrated into daily life, and enhanced well-being and coping, which incorporated reduced worrying and clearer thinking. Limitations of the study are discussed, as are areas for further research and implications for anxiety treatment. Conclusions. This was a small study with a self-selected sample. However, theoretical generalizations can be made about the process of change. Since AT does not specifically focus on challenging negative cognitions, the cognitive changes reported have implications for anxiety treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a case of severe needle phobia in a 5-year-old boy who learned to utilize a self-hypnosis technique to facilitate intravenous (i.v.) cannula placement. He was diagnosed with Bruton’s disease at 5 months of age and required monthly intravenous infusions. The boy had received inhalational general anesthesia for i.v. cannulation on 58 occasions. Initially, this was because of difficult venous access but more recently because of severe distress and agitation when approached with a cannula. Oral premedication with midazolam or ketamine proved unsatisfactory and hypnotherapy was therefore considered. Following a 10-min conversational hypnotic induction, he was able to use switch--wire imagery to dissociate sensation and movement in all four limbs in turn. Two days later the boy experienced painless venepuncture without the use of topical local anesthetic cream. There was no movement in the ‘switched-off’ arm during i.v. cannula placement. This report adds to the increasing body of evidence that hypnosis represents a useful, additional tool that anesthetists may find valuable in everyday practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives.—To investigate the prophylactic and acute effects of autogenic training (AT) during a nitroglycerin-induced migraine attack. Methods.—Thirty female migraineurs (without aura) and 11 controls participated in the study. Of these, 11 migraineurs and 5 controls practiced AT regularly for at least 6 months prior to and during the sublingual nitroglycerin test. Headache intensity and characteristics were recorded with a standardized method. During the nitroglycerin challenge, blood was collected for plasma cortisol determination and blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded. Results.—As a long-term preventive treatment, AT significantly decreased the mean headache frequency and intensity ( P= .001) compared to the pretreatment period in the migraineurs who regularly practiced AT (n = 11). During the nitroglycerin challenge, AT successfully attenuated the nitroglycerin-induced acute decrease in blood pressure and pulse rate ( P= .013; n = 16 AT subjects vs n = 25 non-AT subjects). However, it was not effective in preventing immediate headache ( P= .71), did not decrease the frequency of acute migraine attacks ( P= .79), and could not alleviate acute migraine pain ( P= .78; n = 16 AT subjects vs n = 25 non-AT subjects). Plasma cortisol concentration significantly increased ( P= .003) during the acute migraine attack (n = 22), and migraine intensity correlated with plasma cortisol elevations ( P < .001; n = 41) and showed a tendency of negative correlation with morning plasma cortisol concentration ( P= .08; n = 41). However, AT did not alter plasma cortisol responses ( P= .99; n = 16 AT subjects vs n = 25 non-AT subjects). Conclusion.—(1) The long-term AT therapy proved to be a significantly effective preventive intervention in migraine sufferers. We hypothesized that this long-term effect of AT is based on modulation of the pain anticipation system, which is strongly correlated with function of the anterior cingulate cortex. (2) We demonstrated that AT could not alter the nitroglycerin-induced acute migraine attacks, which are directly related to the dysfunctional brainstem activation according to previous studies. (3) Our results suggested that there are multiple, complex relationships between cortisol responses and migraine pain, which are possibly mediated by the brain serotonergic system. (4) In addition, our results provide further evidence that nitroglycerin-induced vasodilatation is not directly connected to either immediate headache or delayed migraine attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between hypnotizability, perceived self-efficacy, provider contact, and participants' ability to complete an analogue task modeled after HIV medication schedules. Participants ( n=74) completed the Hypnotic Induction Profile, received instructions designed to manipulate their perceptions of self-efficacy, and assigned to provider contact conditions (high vs. low). Participants were given jellybeans, a schedule for consuming them, and report logs. A main effect for susceptibility was found, such that participants rated high in susceptibility were more successful in following the schedule than those low in susceptibility. This is consistent with previous research that found initial positive responses to therapeutic interventions among highly hypnotizable psychiatric patients. Suggestions for modifying adherence interventions depending on level of hypnotizability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues for and illustrates incorporating complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions into pain treatment plans. Two CAM treatments, cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) and self-hypnosis training, are offered in a multidisciplinary pain treatment program. Because these interventions focus on pain relief, they may be of particular interest to patients who have chronic pain who begin treatment with a primary interest in pain reduction. Two cases that illustrate the clinical application of CES and self-hypnosis are presented. When effective, these interventions can help patients have greater confidence in treatments offered by psychologists for pain management and may help make them more open to participating in other psychological interventions that have established efficacy for pain management (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy). Because of their brevity, these treatments also can be offered alone to patients who may not have the resources or time to participate in more time-intensive treatment. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 62: 1419–1431, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Lars-Eric Uneståhl, a PhD student and a lecturer at Uppsala University in the 1970s where he created a department of clinical and experimental hypnotism. He decided to focus his research on finding out what people can do for themselves with self-hypnosis. The findings of his research on hypnosis and posthypnotic suggestions are summarized. He has developed a wide range of self-hypnosis self-help materials, the focus of which is Mental Training.

Early observations have shown that preventive educational efforts towards experience of stress entail advantages in terms of improved well-being, health and performance. We examined the influence in healthy subjects of self-hypnosis and mental training taught in group sessions, with individual training in between according to a standard protocol, and integrated in daily life and work for six months, on the alteration in plasma concentration of the stress hormone cortisol and the ‘anti ageing’ hormone dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). DHEA-S and cortisol were analysed in twelve healthy men and women, with six individuals randomly divided equally between experimental and control groups. In the experimental group DHEA-S was significantly increased by 16% (P < 0.05), whereas plasma DHEA-S in controls followed an expected age-related decline. Cortisol was reduced by 12.3% (P < 0.05) in the experimental group, but remained unchanged in the control group. The ratio between plasma concentrations of DHEA-S and cortisol that reflects stress-related alteration in the adrenal secretion between androgens and glucocorticoids, increased significantly by 27.8% (P < 0.05) in the experimental group with a reduction of 8,2% in controls. The increase in plasma DHEA-S under experimental conditions was equivalent to a range normally found in individuals 5 to 10 years younger. Copyright © 2006 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looks at the efficacy of a multifaceted approach to the relief of phantom limb pain. Using hypnosis, four therapeutic interventions are incorporated into this treatment: hypnotic analgesia; visualization and movement of an imaginary limb to facilitate the movement of the phantom limb; psychological therapy and self-hypnosis. Twenty-five amputees completed a course of hypnosis averaging six weekly sessions. All patients were taught self-hypnosis and encouraged to continue this practice on a daily basis. The levels, duration and frequency of all pains were recorded before and after each session with a follow-up postal questionnaire sent out six months after treatments were completed. Results showed a highly significant (p < 0.001) reduction in pain levels from baseline to post treatment. Pain levels showed some increase by the six month follow-up questionnaire but were still significantly lower than the baseline. This study supports these combined hypnotic techniques as a treatment for phantom limb pain. Copyright © 2006 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the meaning and experience of living with breast cancer that had returned after conventional treatment. We focus on the process of learning and applying a specific psychological intervention to aid with the coping process. Of sixteen women who were randomized to self-hypnosis training, Johrei training or a control wait-list group, eight agreed to be interviewed. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The major themes that conceptualized living with the return of breast cancer were self-identity, self-blame, social isolation and feelings of being constrained. The themes relating to psychological intervention were gaining a sense of control and empowerment, normalizing and re-attribution, and a powerful military metaphor for dealing with the actual cancer. Copyright © 2006 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper reports a study to determine the effectiveness of autogenic training in reducing anxiety in nursing students. Background. Nursing is stressful, and nursing students also have the additional pressures and uncertainties shared with all academic students. Autogenic training is a relaxation technique consisting of six mental exercises and is aimed at relieving tension, anger and stress. Meta-analysis has found large effect sizes for autogenic trainings intervention comparisons, medium effect sizes against control groups, and no effects when compared with other psychological therapies. A controlled trial with 50 nursing students found that the number of certified days off sick was reduced by autogenic training compared with no treatment, and a second trial with only 18 students reported greater improvement in Trait Anxiety, but not State Anxiety, compared with untreated controls. Methods. A randomized controlled trial with three parallel arms was completed in 1998 with 93 nursing students aged 19-49 years. The setting was a university college in the United Kingdom. The treatment group received eight weekly sessions of autogenic training, the attention control group received eight weekly sessions of laughter therapy, and the time control group received no intervention. The outcome measures were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, blood pressure and pulse rate completed at baseline, 2 months (end of treatment), and 5, 8, and 11 months from randomization. Results. There was a statistically significantly greater reduction of State (P < 0.001) and Trait (P < 0.001) Anxiety in the autogenic training group than in both other groups immediately after treatment. There were no differences between the groups for the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The autogenic training group also showed statistically significantly greater reduction immediately after treatment in systolic (P < 0.01) and diastolic (P < 0.05) blood pressure, and pulse rate (P < 0.002), than the other two groups. Conclusion. Autogenic training has at least a short-term effect in alleviating stress in nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents results from four studies of the significance of type and number of initial treatment motives for acquisition and transfer to everyday life of progressive relaxation (PR) and autogenic training (AT). On the basis of theries of treatment motivation and compliance, we hypothesize that motives for participation are determinants of learning and transfer. Results are reported from (1) two studies with 113 participants in introductory courses on AT and 94 participants in introductory courses on PR and (2) two replication studies with 94 (AT) and 101 participants (PR). Participants indicated their motives for participation. Short-term indicators of treatment success include number of dropouts and subjective evaluations of relaxation exercises; long-term outcomes include transfer of relaxation exercises to everyday life and evaluations of exercise evaluations at follow-up 3 to 6months after the end of course. Results suggest that for both AT and PR, dropout and subjective relaxation exercise evaluations can be predicted from participation motives. Long-term outcomes can be predicted only for AT. However, for both PR and AT it is shown that for up to four motives, the number of initial course motives is correlated with short-term and long-term predictors of course outcome. We conclude that motivation for participation is highly relevant to client-course matching and adaptive indication of relaxation therapies. Results lead to a threshold hypothesis about the relationship between the number of participation motives and short-term as well as long-term learning and transfer outcome. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a study of a case of post-herpetic neuralgia treated successfully with the use of self-hypnosis and client generated imagery in three sessions, the total treatment time being two hours. Paramount in the resolution was an acceptance of the symptom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a case study of a woman (Mrs T), who developed driving phobia following a traumatic incident two years previously whilst a passenger in a car. Treatment consisted of self-hypnosis training, instituting a calmness anchor, and use of dissociative imagery using a cinema technique, together with positive mental rehearsal. There was full resolution after two sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary study examined whether the practice of mind–body techniques decreases symptoms of posttraumatic stress in adolescents. Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index questionnaires were collected from 139 high school students in Kosovo who participated in a 6-week program that included meditation, biofeedback, drawings, autogenic training, guided imagery, genograms, movement, and breathing techniques. Three separate programs were held approximately 2 months apart. There was no control group. Posttraumatic stress scores significantly decreased after participation in the programs. These scores remained decreased in the 2 groups that participated in the follow-up study when compared to pretest measures. These data indicate that mind–body skills groups were effective in reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms in war-traumatized high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This single case study of a ballet dancer incorporates essentially osteopathy, self-hypnosis and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) in the management of exhaustion, stress, anxiety and pain symptoms of the right thigh, calf and ankle combined with confidence strengthening techniques. Physical and mental burnout symptoms had reached the point of constant pain and overstrain of the muscles of the right leg and hip, spine and neck. In parallel with these were symptoms of exhaustion, unhappiness and a tendency to over-focus on other dancers at the expense of self-focus and motivation. The osteo/physical therapy entailed the rebalancing of overused, strained and hyper-tense muscular tissues using myofascial-release techniques, together with the deactivation of trigger points and postural integration. The mental attitude was supported through refraining techniques during self-hypnosis directed at general feelings of being blocked, imprisoned, cramped, exhausted and weakened in the right leg. Psychophysiological assessment post therapy was compatible with self-regulation training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective.—To examine the effects of Schultz-type autogenic training on headache-related drug consumption and headache frequency in patients with migraine, tension-type, or mixed (migraine plus tension-type) headache over an 8-month period. Background.—Behavioral treatments often are used alone or adjunctively for different types of headache. There are, however, only a few studies that have compared the efficacy and durability of the same treatment in different types of primary headache, and the effects of treatment on headache-related drug consumption rarely have been assessed even in these studies. Methods.—Twenty-five women with primary headache (11 with mixed headache, 8 with migraine, and 6 with tension-type headache) were evaluated via an open-label, self-controlled, 8-month, follow-up study design. After an initial 4 months of observation, patients began learning Schultz-type autogenic training as modified for patients with headache. They practiced autogenic training on a regular basis for 4 months. Based on data from headache diaries and daily medication records, headache frequencies and the amounts of analgesics, “migraine-specific” drugs (ergots and triptans), and anxiolytics taken by the patients were compared in the three subgroups over the 8-month period. Results.—From the first month of implementation of autogenic training, headache frequencies were significantly reduced in patients with tension-type and mixed headache. Significant reduction in frequency was achieved in patients with migraine only from the third month of autogenic training. Decreases in headache frequencies were accompanied by decreases in consumption of migraine drugs and analgesics resulting in significant correlations among these parameters. Reduction in consumption of anxiolytic drugs was more rapid and robust in patients with tension-type headache compared to patients with migraine, and this outcome failed to show any correlation with... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of articles on hypnosis presented at the BSECH/BSMDH Joint Annual Conference 2002. Ericksonian hypnosis and psychotherapy; Facilitation of memory recall by hypnosis; Self-hypnosis for Tourette Syndrome; Multi-dimensional measure of dental anxiety; Effect of absorption and reduced critical thought on suggestibility in a hypnotic context.

Before course examinations, 48 university students were randomized to four weeks of training in self-hypnosis, a Japanese method for enhancing well-being, Johrei, or to a control procedure shown to produce self-reported relaxation and consisting of EEG biofeedback with false feedback. Participants were examined with mood scales, EEG and immune parameters on three occasions: prior to training, after the month of training, and again two to three months later. The mood results are reported here. Although all participants reported an increase in negative mood with exams, especially an increase in tension, both self-hypnosis and Johrei buffered the effects of exam stress relative to the control group on depression, confusion and loss of vigour. These were extended with Johrei to include self-rated anxiety, depression and anger, while self-hypnosis evinced advantages over Johrei on diary reports of mood post-training. The advantages immediately following training for self-hypnosis and Johrei over the control relaxation procedure were to a large extent sustained at follow-up, by which time home practice had reduced. Advantages were unrelated to expectations about outcome before training although beliefs after training were related to absorption abilities. Johrei appears a promising procedure for maintaining equilibrium of mood in the face of stress, despite the scepticism of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the individual differences in personality, immunology and mood in patients undergoing self-hypnosis training for the successful treatment of a chronic viral illness. Immune parameters before and after the training; Increase in natural killer cell cytotoxicity of herpes infected cells.

In a preliminary study, two self-hypnosis interventions delivered by audio-tape in the privacy of their own homes were practised ad hoc by 27 cancer patients to alleviate acute anxiety 'attacks'. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a tape teaching either progressive muscular relaxation or a light and slow breathing rhythm, both delivered in the context of hypnosis. Data on the incidence of acute anxiety episodes and ratings of both positive and negative emotions were collected prior to the intervention and post-intervention using the Personalised Emotional Index (PEI) via daily diaries. Participants showed significant improvement in both incidence of acute anxiety episodes and emotional states, although only the Breathing Training group produced significant improvement in all three measures (more positive and less negative mood states and fewer anxiety 'attacks'). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of self-hypnosis training on immune function, mood and health at exam time in medical schools were examined, comparing instructions of enhanced immune function with relaxation, whereas instructions of increased energy, alterness, concentration and happiness were common to both procedures. Training consisted of three weekly group sessions, with unrestricted home practice with an audiocassette. Immune assays involved CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19 lymphocytes, CD56 natural killer (NK) cells and blood cortisol. Students receiving immune-related imagery reported fewer viral illnesses, such as colds and influenza, during the exam period. Immunerelated imagery was also more successful than relaxation imagery in buffering decline in total lymphocytes and subsets. Independent of instructions, hypnosis buffered the decline in CD8 cytotoxic T-cells observed in control subjects, an effect associated with hypnotic susceptibility (Harvard group scale). Evidence of a buffering effect on NK cells could not be replicated, which may have been confounded by generalized stressors. As found previously, dissociations between negative mood and raised cortisol followed hypnosis training. These findings along with a contemporaneous one with patients with herpes — preliminary due to the small scale of the study — demonstrate for the first time that there are benefits for reported illness as a result of a psychological intervention shown to strengthen the immune system and improve well-being. The benefits of self-hypnosis encourage investment in large-scale illness prevention studies and controlled clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-hypnosis and hetero-hypnosis were compared through the use of a continuous, concurrent measure of hypnotic experience. Twenty-three high-hypnotizable subjects were asked to turn a dial to indicate the strength of their experience across the suggestion, test and cancellation phases of an ideomotor item (arm levitation) and a cognitive item (age regression) during self-hypnosis and hetero-hypnosis. Differences between self-hypnosis and hetero-hypnosis depended on the item being experienced, as well as on the phase of the item. The findings are discussed in terms of using convergent methodologies to investigate self-hypnotic phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although autogenic training is a relaxation method not regarded as 'psychotherapeutic', it may induce psychotherapeutic personality changes. Study participants (N = 60) had undertaken AT because they suffered from minor emotional problems caused by distress. All of them completed a series of inventories on two kinds of personality traits: a trait facilitating the stress response (anxiety) and traits moderating it (sense of personal control, barrier and Ego strength). The inventories were administered before the beginning of the course and after S months of constant practice at home. The results indicate a significant decrease in emotional distress signs and anxiety and a significant increase in the traits attenuating the stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on the use of self-hypnosis as a method of managing stress in relation to college freshman. Identification of stress; What is a stress threshold; Insight on self-hypnosis; What can be done to reduce stress.

The article focuses on stress management skill for nursing students. The stress management group included sessions on progressive relaxation, deep muscle relaxation autogenic training, visual imagery and modified systematic desensitization. An increasing body of research points to the role of life stress in the occurrence of maladaptive behavior. Characteristics of the individual's coping style are of particular importance because psychological intervention techniques may alter the way in which he perceives and reacts to stressful situations and thereby lengthen his endurance.

Quantitative measurements of finger blood flow have not been performed during temperature biofeedback or other treatments for Raynaud's disease, in the present investigation, finger blood flow was determined with venous occlusion plethysmography, in addition to measurements of finger temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance level. After a maximum vasodilation test, subjects received 10 sessions or finger temperature biofeedback or autogenic training. There were no group differences during the maximum vasodilation test. During training temperature feedback subjects showed significant elevations in finger Mood flow, finger temperature, and skin conductance level, whereas those who received autogenic training did not. These findings could not be explained by group differences in other cardiovascular measures and sure consistent with previous studies suggesting the involvement of an active vasodilating mechanism in temperature feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen female subjects suffering from idiopathic Raynaud's Disease were trained during 6 laboratory sessions to raise skin temperature. All subjects were given autogenic instructions and half the subjects were given skin temperature feedback from the middle digit of the dominant hand. Autogenic instructions were found to produce small but reliable increases in skin temperature regardless of whether or not feedback was provided. Following the autogenic instructions all subjects showed decreases in skin temperature. However, these decreases were greater for subjects not receiving feedback than for those receiving feedback. Theoretical implications of these data are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autogenic training has been tested in 10 previously untreated patients with mild essential hypertension by performing a placebo-controlled study during a period of six months. Autogenic training induces a significant decrease of both casual (12–15 mmHg) and baseline (7–20 mmHg) systolic blood pressure. Baseline diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly only at the fifth month when patients were still on placebo. No significant decreases in casual diastolic blood pressure and in heart rate were recorded. Autogenic training exerted a positive influence in psychoneurotic symptoms. It is concluded that this kind of therapeutic approach can be tried only in young patients with mild or labile systolic hypertension or as a support to pharmacological treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on autogenic training for anxiety treatment in university students to reduce stress through relaxation techniques during exams. Topics include treatment for examination anxiety, the use of university counseling services to evaluate students' stress levels during exams, and anxiety coping mechanisms to improve test-taking ability.

The current interest in predicting the impact of computers and automation on society, and the disturbing conclusions reached in papers sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, raise questions as to whether many studies have been undertaken on a scientific basis, using hypotheses subjected to disciplined and Systematic methods of testing. In the following article, the author makes a preliminary analysis of the credibility of the conclusions reached by considering both a set of sample data and a probability estimation procedure. The author believes that scientific methods are appropriate but have not been used and that the predictions and conclusions of the cited studies therefore cannot be accepted without careful systematic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects ot autogenic training (AT) on patients with emotional symptoms as a response to a distress condition. All of the patients were assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), as well as other inventories and interviews. After this phase, even before the beginning of the AT course, an improvement in the POMS scores was observed, thus demonstrating the `drug-doctor phenomenon' reported by Balint. The control subjects (N = 47), put on a waiting list, showed no further improvements from this phase of the study; the experimental subjects (N = 87), who had completed the 3-month AT course, showed a further, significant amelioration, reaching mean POMS standard scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusess a study for analysing autogenic recurrent inhibition between eccentric versus isometric and concentric contractions. Topics discussed include analysis of magnitude of autogenic recurrent Renshaw inhibition on spinal motor neurones during maximal voluntary plantarflexor contractions; use of transcranial magnetic stimulation for the same; and this autogenic inhibitory pathway in response to prolonged heavy resistance strength training.

Sixty per cent of office visits to family practitioners are prompted by emotionally induced, stress-related symptoms. How a person responds to life events, not the events themselves, influences susceptibility to disease. Failure to cope well with stress can enhance illness and impair the immune system, whereas adequate coping reflects psychological strength that promotes health. The core of stress management is teaching a patient to relax and it is here that hypnosis is of major importance. Hypnotic suggestion exerts a potent force on imagination. Using self-hypnosis with ego-strengthening suggestions enhances self-esteem and a healthy sense of control over one's life. Neutralizing anxiety, fear and tension through hypnosis creates a generalized decrease in autonomic nervous system activity which results in reducing the stress that contributes to disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental anxiety causes patients to refuse or delay treatment, which may exacerbate oral diseases. The aim of the current randomized controlled trial was to determine whether progressive muscle relaxation therapy could relieve dental anxiety. The trial included 68 periodontal patients with dental anxiety scores of ≥13 who were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group (n = 34 per group). The intervention group was administered progressive muscle relaxation therapy for 20 min and oral health education for 15 min before periodontal treatment once per week for 4 wk. The control group was provided with oral health education only, for the same duration. Changes in dental anxiety, depression symptoms, blood pressure, heart rate, and salivary cortisol were evaluated 4 wk and 3 months after the intervention. The intervention group exhibited statistically significantly greater reductions in dental anxiety scores than did the control group at the 4-wk (-3.82 vs. -0.89) and 3-month (-4.22 vs. -0.28) assessments. They also exhibited significantly greater reductions in depression symptoms, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and salivary cortisol levels at both time-points. Progressive muscle relaxation therapy relieves tension and anxiety in dental patients., (© 2018 Eur J Oral Sci.)

Editorial. Comments on the subject of hypnosis in Great Britain. Applications of hypnosis to health; Self-hypnosis training in medical students; Importance of social determinants in accounting for hypnotic effects.

Editorial. Comments on theoretical contributions on the nature of hypnosis. Learning theory account of hypnosis; Advances in research on brain mechanisms; Course of hypnosis and self-hypnosis.

The article focuses on the eighth annual meeting of the Biofeedback Research Society. The Eighth Annual Meeting of the Biofeedback Research Society will be held from March 4 to 8, 1997 at the Sheraton Towers Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Three 2-day workshops will be held on March 9 and 10, 1997 at the Sheraton Towers Hotel. Subjects to be discussed in the workshop include: neuromuscular re-education, headache and autogenic training. The first two workshops will include extensive reviews of the anatomy and physiology of relevant systems and the pathophysiology of target disease categories.

The effectiveness of various tension-reducing techniques was investigated. Sixty-three subjects were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (EMG feedback, finger temperature feedback, EMG plus finger temperature feedback, autogenic training), a placebo control group, and a waiting-list control group. Physiological as well as a variety of cognitive measures were used to monitor changes in tension. The results showed no significant difference in effectiveness between the six groups. On virtually all cognitive measures there were significant decreases in tension, but not on the physiological measures. The decreases in tension on the cognitive measures were interpreted to be the results of non-specific (placebo) effects. These non-specific effects were not short-term, but did persist for at least three months after completion of treatment.

Forty normal male volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and instructed to raise and lower their systolic blood pressure. Subjects received either beat-to-beat feedback contingent on pressure changes, noncontingent beat-to-beat feedback, noncontingent feedback presented randomly with respect to the occurrence of each heart beat, or instructions alone. The order of increase and decrease trial blocks was counterbalanced across groups. Subjects receiving contingent feedback were monetarily rewarded for appropriate pressure changes. Subjects receiving noncontingent feedback received rewards and feedback equal to the mean received by the contingent group. Subjects in the instructions-only condition were also paid this bonus but were informed of their earnings only at the conclusion of the experiment. Results indicated that in the presence of instructions, feedback, whether contingent or noncontingent, added little to subjects' ability to control pressure during a single session. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Twenty-one female patients suffering from diagnosed idiopathic Raynaud's Disease were trained to raise digital skin temperature using either autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, or a combination of autogenic training and skin temperature feedback. Patients were instructed in the treatment procedures in three one-hour group sessions spaced one week apart. All patients were instructed to practice what they had learned twice a day at home. Patients kept records of the frequency of vasospastic attacks occurring over a four-week baseline period, and during the first four weeks and the ninth week of training. In addition, patients underwent four laboratory cold stress tests during which they were instructed to maintain digital temperature as the ambient temperature was slowly dropped from 26 degrees to 17 degrees C. Cold stress tests were given during week 1 of baseline and during weeks 1, 3, and 5 of training. No significant differences between the three behavioral treatment procedures were obtained. In addition, the ability of patients to maintain digital temperature during the cold stress challenge showed significant improvement from the first to the last tests. Symptomatic improvement was maintained by all patients nine weeks after the start of training. The implications of these findings for the behavioral treatment of Raynaud's Disease are discussed.