An Exploratory Outcome Comparison between an Ericksonian Approach to Therapy and Brief Dynamic Therapy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an Ericksonian approach to therapy using hypnosis (ET) was as effective as brief dynamic therapy (BDT), a long-standing and well-researched form of psychotherapy. The study used a comparative pretest/posttest design with four paper and pencil tests [Clark Personal and Social Adjustment Scale (CPSAS), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), Target Complaint (TC), and Global Improvement (GI)] and six therapy sessions. The investigators attempted to choose design features that would not interfere with the unique qualities of ET while maintaining empirical regularity. No statistically significant difference was found except on HSCL where ET was superior. An interesting finding was that without direct discussion of the target complaint, ET brought about the same improvement on targeted problems as BDT. ET subjects reported gaining understanding of their problems as much as BDT subjects, but from a different source. The results of this study are a step toward empirical confirmation of ET as an evidence-based treatment alternative for psychotherapy.

What is Ericksonian therapy: The use of core competencies to operationally define a nonstandardized approach to psychotherapy.

“…During the review of literature on ET, only one study met criteria as a controlled clinical trial. It was an RCT conducted by Simpkins and Simpkins (2008), under the supervision of Ernest Rossi. This investigation compared the outcome of ET against an evidence-based therapy: brief dynamic therapy (BDT).…”