This study conducted a systematic review to assess the quality of existing literature on psychological treatments for irritable bowel syndrome and to quantify the evidence for their efficacy. Three independent reviewers (two from England, one from the United States) coded the quality of 32 studies, 17 of which provided data suitable for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of efficacy data (50% reducti...

Background Pain management is concerned with the reduction of suffering and enhanced quality of life rather than a reduction of pain complaint. Persistent pain may be associated with morbidity such as emotional distress, physical disability, and sleep disturbance. Despite the prevalence of pain in musculoskeletal disorders, effective first line treatments are not without moderate to severe side...

This article critiques two studies conducted by Jacobson and colleagues whose findings indicated that hypnosis hinders encoding and might not be useful in education. While their findings provide important information about hypnosis and its possible uses in teaching and learning, there are several important methodological and interpretive shortcomings that limit the applicability of the study. I...

This paper presents an overview of the essential nature of hypnosis as it is studied and practised today. Some theoretical controversies are mentioned and historical antecedents are briefly summarized. An overview is then presented of the ways in which hypnosis is applied therapeutically. It is concluded that although clinical hypnosis has yet to be informed by a strong academic base, progress ...

Abstract The present study examined responses on the Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Hypnosis-Client (VSABTH-C) version among a sample of American college students (N = 448) and explored the relationship between VSABTH-C factor scores and measures of hypnotizability, fantasy proneness, and absorption. Scores across three factors (i.e., help, interest, and marginal factors) acco...

Dr. Raz' speculations about the relation between placebo responsivity and hypnotizability are critically examined. While there is no generally accepted theoretical definition of hypnosis, there is a general consensus that hypnotizability can be reliably measured. In contrast, there seems to be a general consensus about a theoretical definition of placebo (including placebo effect, placebo respo...