The Clinical Practice of Hypnotherapy

The hypnotic state has long been recognized as a significant catalyst for psychotherapeutic change, yet few individuals have been as committed, as M. Erik Wright, to exploring and perfecting the clinical art of hypnotherapy. At the time of his death, Erik Wright had been assembling a volume that would convey the importance as well as the specific techniques of using hypnosis in a therapeutic context. This unfinished work was taken up by the author's wife, Beatrice A. Wright, a psychologist well acquainted with the field of hypnosis, who compiled and organized the wealth of material designated for this volume. The result of their combined efforts is an outstanding hypnotherapy text that both retains Erik Wright's unique orientation and captures the essence of values that guided his work. Presenting a cogent conceptual framework along with actual protocols demonstrating a wide variety of clinically effective hypnotherapeutic procedures, CLINICAL PRACTICE OF HYPNOTHERAPY is divided into three parts. The first section introduces the underlying principles of hypnotherapy. Defining the relationship of hypnotherapy to psychotherapy, and the theoretical basis upon which the book was founded, it describes the various methods and preparations for inducing trance experiences. Topics include: common misconceptions about hypnosis; procedures for introducing clients to the trance state; the hypnotherapy of language usage; and non-verbal ways of signaling thoughts and feelings.