NOVEMBER 2005, VOLUME 33, NUMBER 2, Abstract 2
The Use of Hypnosis in Modifying Immune System Response
Paul Neumann, Queensland University of Technology
There has been a growing literature in the field of psychoneuroimmunology over the past 25 years. This literature is examined for evidence of the effects of hypnosis on the immune system. It is concluded that there is solid evidence to suggest that psychological interventions can have a significant effect on physiological responses and disease processes and that individuals have the capacity to influence their immune systems by psychological interventions such as hypnosis. However, it is still unclear whether specific physiological substrates of hypnosis exist and by what pathways particular effects are produced in various bodily systems. Results of research have been difficult to compare because of a wide variety of independent, dependent, and moderating variables in the studies. More research is required to separate out the differential effects of variables such as hypnotisability, hypnosis, relaxation, and guided imagery. Further questions for clarification and a number of considerations of which to be mindful in future research are put forward.