Depressive disorders are a significant problem that affects many people in the United States and worldwide. The emergence of practice guidelines and evidence-based therapies implies that satisfactory treatments for the condition exist, and not all of them are traditional. Currently, a lot of attention is drawn to the method of treating depression with the use of hypnosis. Many researchers argue that hypnotic approaches are to be used as strategies to combat the disorder due to their many beneficial effects.
Those specialists who have studied the issue found that hypnotherapy has advantageous outcomes in the treatment of depression. For instance, according to McCann and Landes (2010), hypnosis can help develop positive treatment expectancy, eliminate a number of depressive symptoms, and change self-organization patterns that promote depressed thinking and moods. Other perspectives on hypnosis use for depression emphasize retrieving positive experiences from the past, developing coping skills, strengthening interpersonal psychotherapy, and optimizing cognitive behavior therapy (McCann & Landes, 2010). However, the most widely described approach currently is the one in which hypnotic, strategic, and cognitive behavioral approaches are combined.
Hypnotherapy’s most attractive facet is that it has the potential to help an individual treat their disorders without turning to additional medication or invasive therapies. That being said, it is mainly known as a complementary therapy, which means that one can resort to hypnotherapy on top of other depression treatment practices. According to Watt (2019), doing that will improve a person’s overall well-being, elevate their mood, and boost the sense of hope. Hypnotherapists utilize their method to treat a variety of conditions, such as chronic pains, concentration issues, and problems with smoking and teeth grinding. In addition to that, a depressed person is reported to experience a plethora of different emotions. Watt (2019) cites a study stating that hypnotherapy helps in learning to better control or reduce the feelings of sadness, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, hypnotherapy is employed to handle negative behaviors that can exacerbate one’s depression. Such behaviors might include poor eating, poor sleeping, and substance use.
The existing body of literature on hypnotherapy being helpful in dealing with depressive disorders employs different methods to test the validity of this claim. For instance, Hypnosis Research (2020) examines a rare meta-analysis of previous research conducted by a group of Taiwanese specialists. The purpose of this analysis was the determination of the symptoms of depression that hypnotherapy could alleviate. The studies included were the ones that used hypnotic intervention for the purpose of relieving depressive symptoms and a control group receiving only standard treatment or no treatment at all. Additionally, the studies employed assessed the subjects’ depressive status using a standardized tool such as the Beck Depression Inventory. The results coincided with the generally accepted view: it was discovered that patients with depression benefited from hypnotherapy more than from standardized treatments or placebo.
In conclusion, hypnotherapy can be extremely advantageous when it comes to using it for treating depression. Various perspectives on the issue point to a plethora of positive factors associated with the employment of hypnosis in depressed people. Hypnotherapy is reported to improve people’s well-being and lift mood, help treat chronic pains and other issues, and assist in controlling negative feelings. Hypnotic approaches need to continue to be explored so that medical specialists and regular people could find more about the benefits that they bring.
References
Hypnosis Research. (2020). Hypnotherapy for depression: Meta-analysis of previous research. Web.
McCann, B. S., & Landes, S. J. (2010). Hypnosis in the treatment of depression: Considerations in research design and methods. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 58(2), 147-164.
Watt, A. (2019). Hypnotherapy. Healthline.