title: The interrupt distraction procedure: a brief hypnotic intervention for belief change and diminishing distress.
abstract: The Interrupt Distraction Procedure (IDP) is a brief therapeutic technique for cognitive and emotional change. It is comprised of a hypnotic induction, several 20-sec iterations during which the person concentrates on distressing thoughts or imagery or a thought they would like to believe, as well as on a neutral distracting image. It is simple to administer for clinicians familiar with other hypnotic techniques. IDP is useful when a change in beliefs is desired by a client, but some internal process is preventing such a change, and it lessens concomitant distress. It appears to be a simple therapeutic intervention that decreases emotional reactions that accompany certain thoughts or imagery providing some alleviation of symptoms in somatoform, mood and anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Laidlaw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged