I have always found hypnosis a very interesting topic. Despite its paranormal connotations, it is a scientifically recognised phenomenon, defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica as "a special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state." But where does hypnosis start spilling over into the realm of pseudoscience? Hynotherapy has been the subject of various scientific studies, and results are as yet inconclusive. "The major limitation of much of this research is that it does not adequately control for the effects of relaxation, cognitive therapy, expectation, or the introduction of a novel therapeutic intervention — all phenomena that may “come along for the ride” with hypnotherapy but not be specific to hypnotherapy. In other words — is hypnotherapy a necessary component of a positive therapeutic effect or is it an unnecessary ritual by which other non-specific elements have an effect? Some researchers are trying to tease apart these variables, but that constitutes a minority of the clinical research on hypnotherapy."
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 14:31:19 +0000
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