Although the idea of hypnotherapy for depression was introduced many years ago, today, it has become known to most medical practitioners who now include various techniques, including CBT and hypnotherapy, in their approach to treating depression. There is now substantial evidence that some hypnotherapy treatments also improve depressive quality of life and symptom severity. The main argument against this approach is that there are no established medical test results to prove its effectiveness. Here are some of the facts for this popular method of treatment using hypnosis. You will have learned enough to decide if this form of therapy is appropriate for you with these facts.
Gauging the Effectiveness of Treatment
Some proponents of hypnosis for depression argue that psychotherapy can be effectively used as an adjunct to CBT. But this is a somewhat circular argument. Most psychotherapy treatments are part of a larger range of treatments aimed at preventing depression and other emotional disorders from developing in the first place. It would be extremely difficult to conduct a meta-analysis that could show that treatments using only one modality are ineffective. The point is that most psychological treatments are, by nature, interrelated. It would be impossible to conduct a meta-analysis that would show that any single hypnosis treatment effectively manages depression.
Meta-Analysis of Hypnosis
Meta-analyses of treatments are useful for identifying trends and patterns over time, but the issue here is interpreting the results. To illustrate, if one wants to know whether hypnosis for depression is more effective than an antidepressant tablet, you need to examine the results of studies comparing different antidepressants. The Journal of Consulting Psychology has now carried out several such meta-analyses and has found conflicting evidence about what works best when treating patients with depression using hypnosis.
Checking Your Options
While a Google search will provide you with an abundance of sites promoting this type of therapy, you should be careful about selecting your provider. It is important to check that they are an official member of the association and are accredited by the region’s Department of Health.
Another way to ensure that you find the best clinician is to ask your family and friends if they have had success using Hypnotherapy for Depression. Using self-hypnosis in conjunction with traditional treatment, people hope to eliminate the symptoms related to their depressive symptoms. This article has hoped to provide you with additional insight into the methods available for treating the disorder.