Hypnosis and Stress: A Guide for Clinicians by Peter J. Hawkins

Author:Peter J. Hawkins [Hawkins, Peter J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Psychotherapy, Psychology, General
ISBN: 9780470026878
Google: AXBUds5eNz8C
Amazon: 0470019514
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2006-04-09T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Treatment of Specific Problems (2)

Have you ever thought about transformation? For example, when a block of ice starts to get warmer then the temperature gradually changes, but it stays as a solid until it reaches 0°C when it changes into water. As the temperature continues to rise the water becomes hotter and hotter, but remains as water until 100°C is reached when it changes into vapour. Each new state appears as a leap, suddenly interrupting and checking the gradual succession of temperature changes at each transition point. It is also interesting to contemplate that as the temperature increases, so the invisible particles in the ice and water move faster and faster.

Pain

Although pain is not necessarily caused by stress per se, it is often exacerbated by it, and experiencing pain can, of course, be very stressful. The use of hypnosis for pain control has a strong basis in the experimental literature as well as in numerous anecdotal reports, although until fairly recently there were few controlled studies supporting its clinical efficacy.

Hypnosis as a treatment approach provides the patient with the opportunity to develop self-efficacy whilst also developing the ability to engage in muscle relaxation, correction of dysfunctional cognitive processes and identification of maladaptive cognitive/physiological interactions. Clinicians can optimise their effectiveness by attending to both the experimental literature (e.g. increasing patients’ expectations) and clinical findings; for example, by matching hypnotic suggestions to the type of pain (Patterson, 2004).

Many hypnosis procedures have been described for a wide variety of acute and chronic pain-management problems in medical and dental contexts (Bills, 1993; Evans, 1994), and good general accounts may be found in Hilgard and LeBaron (1984a), Olness and Gardner (1988), Chaves (1993), Gibson (1994); Hilgard and Hilgard (1994), Hart and Alden (1994) and Barber (1996).

Initial interview

As already discussed in Chapter 3, the initial interview is critical in establishing rapport and building the therapeutic alliance. However, some important additional information is required with respect to the ‘quantity and quality’ of the pain. The following questions should be asked:

• How long have you had the pain?

• Are there times when it is more comfortable than others? Close your eyes now and remember that time . . . the place, what was happening, the physical sensations . . . and now ‘measure’ the degree of comfort on an intensity meter . . . allowing the pointer to come to rest somewhere between 0 and 10, where 0 is the most comfortable . . . and 10 the least comfortable.

The same procedure using the visual analogue scale (VAS) (described in Chapter 2) can be used to access and obtain an intensity measure for the most uncomfortable times. This allows the patient to learn that he or she can change his or her experience of the pain. A pain-rating scale such as that published by the British Pain Society (www.britishpainsociety.org) could also be used.

So you now know that you can alter the sensations in that part of your body because sometimes you feel more comfortable than others and you have just proved that for yourself.

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