The role of hypnotizability assessment in treatment.
Disparate opinions about the importance of the assessment of hypnotizability reflect very different ideas about what hypnosis is, the relevance of hypnotizability to psychotherapy and treatment outcome, and the importance of gathering scientific data to document treatment effectiveness and the presence of hypnotic effects. In this article, we argue that in recent years important developments have occurred in the conceptualization, assessment, and technical aspects of hypnotic intervention that imply that clinicians who eschew the use of hypnotizability assessment ought to reconsider their position. In making this argument, we will discuss reasons for assessing hypnotizability, the relation between hypnotizability and treatment outcome, and practical considerations in the assessment of hypnotizability.
Lynn
Steven Jay
SJ
Psychology Department, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13905, USA.
Shindler
Kelley
K
D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D059408:Pain Management; D012380:Role; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy; D013404:Suggestion; D016896:Treatment Outcome