Re:hypnotherapy and dementia

It’s always intriguing to wonder how much of a profound change one can make with such ‘mental technology’. There is no useful research on this sort of thing. Let me just list some thoughts I’ve had and come to discover over the years concerns such matters.

Your 1st question:

“1. Which are the limits of hypnotherapy? F.e., can you work with people in coma, with brain injury, anterograde amnesia,...? What are the possibilities, the results?”

Perhaps the best thing to do is to ask the administration to seek out the aid of a mental health professional who is very familiar with hypnosis and Erickson's approach to change. The cases will respond on an individual basis depending upon many factors (like communication skill, pain, trust, and the degree and type of organic dysfunction, stress, the degree of learned dysfunction, and so on).

Some may be helped to some degree. It is unlikely that anyone could or would want to control all the necessary variable to attempt to discover 'healthy' brain processes and help the client remap all fundamental thought processing mechanisms (comparison, labeling, induction, deduction, contrast, valence assignment, sorting, chunking, etc. etc.) to the identified adaptive brain functioning. It would be time consuming, complex beyond words, and arguably unethical to do that. And too, it might not work to improve much anyway. It depends, say, upon the organic damage, not just of the brain, but the rest of the human biocomputer (circulation, respiration, muscle tensions, organ deterioration/strength, immune system, peptide sub-system, nutrition and nutrition history, and psychosocial history.

So, the real question is not can it be done. Hypothetically, the answer is “probably not.” The question is not even might there be a slim change (at least for some improvement)…the answer may be ‘yes, possibility’. But the question probably is this: is it practical enough to dedicate the time and effort and controls and cost, and ethical issues, for the slim payoff or total lack of payoff? And that answer is most likely ‘no’; not at this time in the history of therapy.

We can measure so little of what we need for simple success. The huge metanoia you speak of would not be the job for anyone short of a very experienced, dedicate professional, (genius?), with unlimited time and funds and a client with whom he or she related very well. Would I try this with, say one of my parents were they to be living and have such a problem, ‘yes’ ! But I would rely on tons of personal knowledge about the individual’s life and I would live with that person for months day and night in order to try to create effect such a sweeping change. And, I would learn every step to take as I go. You could not expect to fit the client to an existing theory or approach.

Other questions you asked:
“2. Can you bring a person into hypnosis when he is not focused on you, when he is angry, or when he doesn't want to be in contact with you?”
– --My answer: All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. If you are present you effect the system. If socialization is induction of a state (and I say it is)…then yes, given my first 2 sentences. Is it ethical to use that angle of influence: no, not according to the APA, of NASW. Do those ethic codes need to change in light of a new view of interaction and influence: Yes (Dr. Zeig has written about this topic of ethics very clearly – contact him for the paper(s).)

“3. Are people that suffer of delusions or people with stereotypic behavior already in a state of trance? (I think they do).
–-- My answer: Well, in a way to thinking, yes. And so are you and so am I.”

“4. Are there people who have experience whith dementia and hypnotherapy? Are there publications about that?”
-– – My answer: probably, to a limited degree, yes. Research, or publication: I don’t know of any.

What do you think?

Replies:

Re:hypnotherapy and dementia, by Stijn Leijssen, 12/26/01 Re:hypnotherapy and dementia, by Steve Lankton, 12/29/01

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