Hypnosis and women's health: Clinical themes and research directions.

Abstract

As the chapters of Healing From Within illustrate, clinical applications of hypnotic interventions are flourishing in the area of women's health care. However, it appears that clinical applications have advanced more rapidly than empirical research in many of the health areas. What can we take away from this volume as clinicians and researchers?We would like to draw attention to four themes that emerged for us across the chapters. The first relates to the value of a biopsychosocial approach, in that clinically relevant factors can easily be overlooked in the current nonintegrative (mind-body duality) approach to health care. The second pertains to the application of hypnotic methods in general, substantive considerations for the clinician and researcher. The third relates to the benefits of using hypnosis intensively with a particular health condition, in that one develops practical wisdom for adapting hypnotic methods for greater effectiveness. The fourth addresses recommendations for future research to move forward the empirical knowledge base.