George Gafner – författare

A separate chapter provides inductions appropriate for use with children.The Handbook of Hypnotic Inductions includes numerous clinical vignettes and addresses treatment of depression, anxiety disorders (including PTSD), chronic pain, adjustment disorders, and other problems commonly seen in the office setting. It teaches vital principles and concepts in hypnosis, such as hypnotic language, seeding, amnesia, ideomotor signaling, and Ericksonian utilization. Rich in metaphor and therapeutic stories, this book includes helpful notes for practice and the creation of individually tailored inductions. Without a good induction, there can be no good hypnotherapy. With this ready-to-use manual, therapists can build their confidence and creativity and ensure good hypnotic experiences for their clients.

Written with a minimum of jargon, this book will be of use to clinicians who practice standard psychotherapy and those who have more thoroughly integrated hypnosis into their practice. Hypnotic Techniques, the companion volume to the acclaimed Handbook of Hypnotic Inductions, introduces the wealth of hypnotic applications for dissolving resistance and moving ahead in therapy. Broad in scope and flexible with respect to theoretical bases, this new work by Gafner and Benson assists clinicians in bringing the power of hypnotic techniques to bear in an extensive variety of therapeutic contexts.How do therapists establish a directive in traditional psychotherapy? In the first section of Hypnotic Techniques, the authors explain how to set up a task for a client by the skillful use of hypnotic language, supported by 'seeding' the intended target ahead of time and buttressing it afterward with metaphor, story, or anecdote. Story construction, embedded suggestion, metaphor development, mindfulness-based group anger treatment, ego-strengthening, and combining direct and indirect techniques are among the many topics addressed that borrow from hypnosis and are widely applicable in standard psychotherapy. Therapists are encouraged to 'think hypnotically'—to look for junctures in therapeutic sessions where hypnotic techniques are applicable, to select the most appropriate technique, and to discern and understand the client's response to the applied technique. The aim is not to make clinicians into hypnotic therapists but to show all clinicians the efficacy of specific hypnotic techniques in the context of their current practice.In the second half of Hypnotic Techniques, the authors address formal hypnosis in depth. Beginning with an examination of the limitations of evidence-based treatments for clinical problems such as anxiety and mood disorders, relational problems, and anger, as well as for medical problems, chronic pain, and habit control, Gafner and Benson propose a collection of alternate, hypnotic means. Many of these techniques can be used in isolation from standard evidence-based treatments, while others are designed to augment standard treatment. Weaving dozens of stories and therapeutic anecdotes into rich clinical vignettes, the authors demonstrate such techniques as 'short-burst' and metaphorical ego-strengthening, the uses of amnesia and other hypnotic phenomena, alternating stories, unconscious problem solving, and exposure-based and indirect hypnotic applications in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Hypnosis and hypnotic techniques are strong tools for assisting clients in moving beyond their resistance to therapy. In the hurry-up world of managed care, Gafner and Benson find that hypnotic techniques are particularly valuable because they require a slower pace in initial sessions when creating connections to both the conscious and unconscious minds of clients. Somewhat paradoxically, by moving slower and establishing bonds to the conscious and unconscious, resistance is more effectively overcome and both therapist and client move ahead more steadily toward the therapeutic goal.

These "bread and butter" applications are the core of every successful therapeutic practice that employs hypnosis. By means of explanation, anecdote, and case study, readers are instructed in how best to address the basis needs of the clients and how best to put the fundamental concepts of unconscious process and ego-strengthening into action. Clinical Applications of Hypnosis is also a treasure trove of techniques, stories, and suggestions basic to successful hypnosis. Therapists new to the art will appreciate Gafner's clear description and thoughtful introduction to the use of hypnosis in therapeutic practice. Seasoned practitioners will appreciate find a fund of effective and carefully described techniques to be used to help to treat anxiety, depression and related disorders.

After briefly summarizing the theoretical foundations of hypnosis, Gafner presents the inductions in five main categories: story inductions, inductions for sleep, inductions for children, directive inductions, and confusional inductions. Detailed scripts for inducing the hypnotic state are presented, as well as strategies for deepening, re-alerting, and debriefing-all followed by insightful clinical comments, making this book a comprehensive and invaluable hypnosis resource for clinicians.