催眠療法の適用と限界(心身医学における各技法の適用と限界)

抄録

In this paper, the author outlines major topics in relation to the indications and limitations of hypnotherapy as the space does not permit him to present thorough and systematic discussions. 1. Treatment of carsickness by a single session. A single session of hypnosis was conducted to 1120 junior high school students suffering from carsickness. As the result, 89% of them showed improvement. A follow-up study 3 years later found complete cure in 45% of the subjects. 2. Application of hypnosis to endoscopic examination. Patients suffering from stomach disorders sometimes have difficulty in taking endoscopic examination due to their overwhelming anxiety. Hypnosis can make it much easier for the doctor to conduct the examination. 3. Hypnotherapy for patients with hemiplegia. The patients with serious motor disorder in the upper and lower extremities due to the sequelae of cerebral vascular disorders (eg. cerebral thrombosis or hemorrhage) showed improvement after hypnotherapy to such an extent that they had no longer serious problems in daily life. 4. Application of hypnosis to psychoanalysis. Hypnosis was applied to the course of psychoanalysis in order to break through resistance or facilitate treatment by using a post-hypnotic amnesic technique. 5. Application of hypnosis in behavior therapy.The image technique can be applied in the systematic desensitization procedure.6. Treatment of chronic stomach ulcers by prolonged hypnosis. Prolonged hypnosis was applied to the patients with chronic and intractable stomach ulcers who repeated aggravation and improvement over the past several years. Their symptoms disappeared within a short period of time with no recurrence. 7. Development of creativity. An image technique was applied to an artist who had been at a deadlock. As the result, he found a new idea to bring his ability to full play.The cases 1 through 5 show that hypnosis can provide other therapeutic approaches with an excellent therapeutic setting. Cases 6 and 7 indicate that hypnosis can be a direct approach to man's self-control. The limitations of hypnosis have different meanings depending on who uses hypnosis and how it is used. More discussions are needed because often it is not the limitations of hypnosis but rather the limitations of the hypnotist that need to be considered.