Hypnotherapy as a Treatment for Depression

by Steve G. Jones, M.Ed.,

Depression is not to be taken lightly. Depression is often defined as being "down" for more than two weeks and when symptoms begin to interfere with your life.

Symptoms of depression vary for people. People with depression almost always report being down and also having a lack of interest in activities they once enjoyed. Other symptoms include:

* Feelings of worthlessness

* Feelings of hopelessness

* Poor memory

* Insomnia

* Fatigue

* Guilt

It is important for those suffering from depression to seek help, because there are many forms of treatment available including therapy, medication, and hypnosis.

Last year (2007) a study was published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. The study investigated the efficacy of cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy in relation to treating depression. The study consisted of 84 participants who had been diagnosed with depression. They were randomly put into either the hypnosis group or the therapy group. All participants received 16 weeks of treatment.

Before the treatment began, the patients completed three tests: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. These three tests determine the severity of the symptoms experienced by the participants and provided a baseline comparison.

Results of the study showed that both groups greatly improved their scores and thus greatly decreased their symptoms of depression. However, the group that received hypnotherapy received a 6% reduction in depression, 5% reduction in anxiety, and 8% reduction in hopelessness compared to the cognitive-behavioural therapy group. The results of this study were maintained during the six month and one year follow-ups.

What is so important about this study is that it "represents the first controlled comparison of hypnotherapy with a well-established psychotherapy for depression, meeting the APA criteria for a 'probably efficacious' treatment for depression." The fact that this is the first quality study performed using hypnotherapy to treat depression also means that more should be done to realize the full benefits that hypnosis can have on people suffering from depression.

 

Source:  International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, Volume 55, Issue 2 April, 2007, pages 147–166.
 

About the author:
Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
 

Steve G. Jones, M.Ed. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University.

Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com