MAY 2008, VOLUME 36, NUMBER 2, Abstract 6
THE USE OF HYPNOSIS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPNAGOGIC HALLUCINATIONS
Michael Gathercole, Psychologist in private practice
This article is a double case study of the use of hypnosis in the treatment of hypnagogic hallucinations in clients with mild intellectual disabilities, but the majority of interventions utilised could also be easily applied to other client groups. For both of the clients, the utilisation of hypnotic techniques was a powerful supplement to move conventional cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and systematic interventions. In fact, the hypnotic interventions appeared to speed up the overall treatment process significantly. For both clients, the total length of intervention was quite brief; both clients had experienced full symptom relief in fewer than six sessions, with the greatest reduction occurring between the second and third sessions.