Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy: Principles and Applications

"Like others trying to incorporate hypnotherapy into their practice, I found myself struggling with the question, "Where do I begin?" This book provides that answerÖ [It]offers the first complete presentation of [the] fundamentals [of hypnotic relaxation therapy] in a manner that is not only supported by empirical research, but is consistent with the author's 30 years of experience as a clinical practitioner. In contrast to a "one-size-fits-all approach," this book provides specific, easy-to-follow guidelines for developing hypnotic suggestions in a flexible manner that will enable the clinician to effectively address individual patients' unique needsÖ
Practitioners, students, and clinicians will want to have a copy of this comprehensive book, not only to use as a training manual, but to have as a "go to guide" to troubleshoot typical problems."

-Cassie Kendrick, PsyD
Post-Doctoral Fellow in Clinical Health Psychology
Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory
Baylor University

This book introduces a new, evidence-based model of hypnotherapy called "hypnotic relaxation therapy" (HRT). Easily integrated with other therapeutic models or used alone, HRT has been proven effective in a wide variety of applications including pain management, anxiety reduction, smoking cessation, insomnia treatment, and treatment of post-menopausal symptoms. This new model advances the field of hypnotherapy by making relaxation an explicit part of hypnotherapy and measuring individual differences in hypnotizabillity with the introduction of a new measurement instrument, the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS). Additionally, it is the first book to integrate Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory with HRT.

Dr. Elkins is a highly esteemed leader in clinical hypnosis. He has served as President of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, President of the American Board of Psychological Hypnosis, Vice-Chair of the Council of Representatives of the International Society of Hypnosis, and Chair of the Fellows Committee of the Society for Psychological Hypnosis of the APA. His book provides clinicians with the guiding principles of HRT as well as the empirical research underlying it. Dr. Elkins offers a session-by-session approach to HRT that covers the process for structuring sessions, treatment planning, and dealing with resistance, and explicates detailed applications of HRT. Guidelines for formulating hypnotic suggestions are described, as is HRT as a proven effective source of intervention for hot flashes in menopausal women. The book explains how to integrate HRT with other modalities and discusses the ethical considerations of HRT. Additionally, the book introduces the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale for clinical assessment of hypnotizability that is currently being used in NIH-funded research at Baylor University and the Mayo Clinic. Case examples and sample transcripts are incorporated throughout the book, which also includes a sample brochure for patients.

• Introduces a new, evidence-based conceptualization of hypnotherapy
• Presents a new, well-validated, easy-to-use scale for measuring hynotizability
• Includes plentiful case examples and sample transcripts of hypnotic relaxation interventions
• Explains how to integrate HRT with other modalities
• Written by a renowned leader in the field of hypnosis

Gary R. Elkins, PhD, ABPP, ABPH, is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University, where he is the director of the Mind–Body Medicine Research Laboratory.