A Brief Communication: The Discovery of Hypnosis – Braid’s Lost Manuscript “On Hypnotism” (1860)
DONALD ROBERTSON

Abstract: James Braid’s last manuscript on hypnotism, summarizing his mature views and lost since his death, existed only in French and German translations. The author discusses the history and importance of this document, “On Hypnotism” (1860), as well as his new English version, translated back from the French and German editions. Braid’s manuscript constitutes an important, missing jigsaw piece in the early history of psychological therapy and helps to explain the origin of hypnotherapy and correct certain historical misconceptions that have developed concerning the meaning of the term hypnotism. The rediscovery of this text provides additional evidence that hypnotism originated as an explicitly empirical and “common sense” reaction against the pseudo-scientific excesses of mesmerism. Although drawing heavily on excerpts from his previous writings, some of Braid’s observations and techniques may renew interest among contemporary researchers and clinicians.

Using Art to Help Understand the Imagery of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and its Response to Hypnotherapy
HELEN R. CARRUTHERS, VIVIEN MILLER, JULIE MORRIS, RAYMOND EVANS, NICHOLAS TARRIER, AND PETER J. WHORWELL

Abstract: The authors asked 109 patients if they had an image of their IBS pre- and posthypnotherapy by a medical artist who then made precise watercolor paintings of any images described. Results were related to treatment outcome, symptoms, anxiety, depression, and absorption (hypnotizability); 49% of patients had an image, and a wide variety were recorded and painted. Imagery was significantly associated with gender (p < .05), anxiety (p < .05), noncolonic symptomatology (p < .05), and absorption (p < .001); 57.8% of responders compared with 35.5% of nonresponders to hypnotherapy had an image of their disease (p < .05) before treatment, and color images were associated with better outcomes (p < .05) than monochrome ones. All images changed in responders, often becoming more nonspecific in nature. Enquiring about IBS imagery helps to identify potential responders and nonresponders to hypnotherapy and may also provide insights into how patients think about their illness.

The Effect of Hypnosis on Pain Relief During Labor and Childbirth in Iranian Pregnant Women
MARZIEH ABBASI, F. GHAZI, ANN BARLOW-HARRISON, MEHRDAD SHEIKHVATAN, AND FATEMEH MOHAMMADYARI

Abstract: This study describes the effect of hypnosis on pain relief during labor and childbirth. Using a qualitative approach, 6 patients were trained to use self-hypnosis for labor. Outcomes were analyzed using Colaizzi’s procedure. Women described their feelings about hypnosis during labor as: a sense of relief and consolation, self confidence, satisfaction, lack of suffering labor pain, changing the feeling of pain into one of pressure, a decrease in fear of natural childbirth, lack of tiredness, and lack of anxiety. They expressed increased concentration on the uterus and cervical muscle, awareness of all the stages of labor, and having “positive thoughts.” Births were perceived as being very satisfactory compared to their previous experiences.

Hypnotherapeutic Olfactory Conditioning (HOC): Case Studies of Needle Phobia, Panic Disorder, and Combat-Induced PTSD
EITAN G. ABRAMOWITZ AND PESACH LICHTENBERG

Abstract: The authors developed a technique, which they call hypnotherapeutic olfactory conditioning (HOC), for exploiting the ability of scents to arouse potent emotional reactions. During hypnosis, the patient learns to associate pleasant scents with a sense of security and self-control. The patient can subsequently use this newfound association to overcome phobias and prevent panic attacks. This may be especially effective for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with episodes of anxiety, flashbacks, and dissociation triggered by smells. The authors present 3 cases, patients with needle phobia, panic disorder, and combat-induced PTSD who were successfully treated with the HOC technique.

A Comparison of Self-Hypnosis Versus Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Chronic Pain
MARK P. JENSEN, JOSEPH BARBER, JOAN M. ROMANO, IVAN R. MOLTON, KATHERINE A. RAICHLE, TRAVIS L. OSBORNE, JOYCE M. ENGEL, BRENDA L. STOELB, GEORGE H. KRAFT, AND DAVID R. PATTERSON

Abstract: Twenty-two patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic pain were recruited into a quasi-experimental trial comparing the effects of self-hypnosis training (HYP) with progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on pain intensity and pain interference; 8 received HYP and the remaining 14 participants were randomly assigned to receive either HYP or PMR. HYP-condition participants reported significantly greater pre- to postsession as well as pre- to posttreatment decreases in pain and pain interference than PMR-condition participants, and gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Most of the participants in both conditions reported that they continued to use the skills they learned in treatment and experienced pain relief when they did so. General hypnotizability was not significantly related to treatment outcome, but treatment outcome expectancy assessed before and after the first session was. The results support the efficacy of self-hypnosis training for the management of chronic pain in persons with MS.

A Note of Caution on the Waterloo Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: A Brief Communication
ETZEL CARDEÑA AND DEVIN B. TERHUNE

Abstract: The scant literature on the sequelae of hypnotizability-measurement instruments indicates that different scales produce different reactions. The Waterloo-Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (WSGC) was developed as a group version of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C). Parallel to the literature showing that the SHSS:C can produce more negative aftereffects than the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A, we report preliminary descriptive statistics documenting the infrequent occurrence of negative reactions to the WSGC age-regression item. We recommend that experimenters take this matter into consideration and, at the very least, ensure the presence of a clinician with hypnotic experience during the administration of the WSGC.

Israeli Norms for the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C
PESACH LICHTENBERG, HAIM SHAPIRA, YUVAL KALISH, AND EITAN G. ABRAMOWITZ

Abstract: A Hebrew version of the 12-item Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C) was administered to 169 subjects in Israel. The authors compared the results with those obtained for the English original administered in the USA and with an additional group of 38 English-speaking subjects in Israel, as well as with versions translated into Spanish (2 versions, for Spain and for Mexico), Italian, German, and Dutch. Mean scores and pair-wise rank-order correlations between item pass rates were comparable across the different samples. Item reliability was somewhat lower in the Hebrew version; however, if testing was discontinued after failure to comply with 3 consecutive items, reliability was similar to that obtained for the other samples. We conclude that the Hebrew version of the SHSS:C can be used for the assessment of hypnotizability and recommend that the discontinuation criterion be applied.