Alexandra,

Thank you for your post.

Hypnosis has been used as far back as records have been kept, and yes your right - hypnosis is not right for everyone.

Your right in stating that guided imagery is a hypnotic technique. It can be used as an induction, or as a suggestion, and sometimes as both. Either way it is still by-passing the critical factor and accessing the sub-conscious mind, therefore it is hypnosis.

Your very correct in stating that there is definitely controversy regarding the use of hypnosis for the recovery of memories. The main issue here is the problem of leading the client. If you lead the client in ANY way, there is a possibility that you can create false memories. This is why most states don't allow evidence brought about through a formal hypnotic process to be allowed in courts. Yet there are still many police departments using specially trained forensic hypnotists to aid in investigations.

With regards to smoking cessation. There is a 1992 meta-analysis by Chockalingam & Schmidt that shows hypnosis as the second most successful way to quit smoking. Second only to a cardiac event. This analysis totaled 633 studies and 71,806 subjects. This analysis also shows that hypnosis was more successful then all other forms of smoking cessation combined. Now being that this is just a meta-analysis and Chockalingam & Schmidt didn't do the research themselves I'm sure some of the studies could have been conducted in a more scientific fashion. But with 633 studies totalled, the overall result stands. Hypnosis is very successful with those clients that truly want to quit.

As far as the plecebo effect is concerned. I've had this discussion with many different people. Nobody seems to know a way to put a scientific study together in regards to hypnosis and the plecobo effect. Being that all hypnosis is self hypnosis, you could take a person off the street that has no training, (or has never heard of hypnosis) hand them a story to read to a "client", and they would induce a hypnotic state into the "client" (as long as the "client" was willing to enter hypnosis). Therefore there is no way to discern a hypnotic state induced by a hypnotherapist and a plecebo effect by a non trained individual.

I have seen research in regards to elaborations & hypnosis. I have been unable to find it again. I do not work with clients that have a diagnosis of DID or the like. I have a very well respected psychologist in town, that uses hypnosis every day in his practice, I refere those clients to him. Therefore I am not in a place to comment on this subject.

As far as hypnosis not being used by licensed mental health professionals. I have never been in training where there wasn't a licensed mental health professional in the room taking training as well. Maybe in the area or state you live in this is not the case. In the state and area I live in, there is alot of them trained in hypnosis and using it in their daily therapy. I've also talked to quite a few therapists that have only been in practice for a few years, and they stated that they were required to have a "basic understanding" of hypnosis to graducate. There again, this may very well be different from state to state or school to school.

As far as there being many contridictory research about hypnosis, your right. But as with anything else it seems like you can always find "research" or "professionals" to back up your opinion. I believe the research done by Dr. David Spiegel (http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/David_Spiegel/ ) has been outstanding. He spends a lot of his time researching hypnosis for Stanford University. With 214 research articles writen, as well as numerous books, he is well versed in the mind body connection. In 2003 he was awarded "The Division 30 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Hypnosis" by The American Psychological Association and is currently an Associate Chair on the Stanford University School of Medicine - Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

I suggest anyone that has questions about hypnosis follow the link provided to his profile and research.

Again Alexandra, Thank you for the post. I hope this gives more info to those people who had questions about hypnosis, and wether it is right for them.

Rick