Approved Posters

View a list of Approved Posters for #SCEH2022 below, in alpha order by first author. Updated: 10/10/2022

Poster Session -- Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 10:45-11:30 AM PT (45 minutes)

Religious Perspectives of Hypnosis

Cameron Alldredge, PhD, Baylor University

An important initiative within the field of clinical hypnosis is rewriting the narrative of what hypnosis is among the general public. The portrayal of hypnosis in the popular media has been well documented and navigating that landscape is usually on the forefront of practitioners' minds when introducing hypnosis to a patient for the first time. With an estimated 85% of the world's population affiliating with a particular religion, it is important to be familiar with how various organized religions perceive hypnosis. Familiarity of literature and explicit guidelines on hypnosis and its use among religious denominations will help inform clinicians to have a multicultural approach when introducing and using hypnosis with religious patients. A better understanding of religious perspectives may also provide a roadmap for hypnosis researchers and clinicians to tailor general publicity more effectively within those contexts. This poster is a synthesis of what religions have historically published and disseminated about hypnosis as well as a qualitative analysis of these perspectives. Results are forthcoming.

Positive Psychology Constructs: Implications for Mindful Hypnotherapy

Vindhya Ekanayake, MS¹; Aaron Finley, BA¹; Nicholas Olendzki, PsyD^1;Gary Elkins, PhD, ABPP, ABPH ^1.
¹Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

Background/Rationale: Mindful hypnotherapy (MH) has been developed to deliver mindfulness and positive psychology constructs in the context of hypnotherapy. However, there has been limited research on positive psychology constructs that may be the focus of mindful hypnotherapy suggestions to promote well-being through increased gratitude and hope.
Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using the terms gratitude and hope to identify existing empirical studies. Results: Gratitude (appreciation of a person, thing or event) and hope (belief in the possibility of a desired future) were found to be highly associated with life satisfaction. Greater hope was found to be associated with greater general adjustment levels. Individuals with greater levels of hope have a higher likelihood of finding the positives in managing life stress. Greater levels of hope are related to enhanced social functioning, close relationships with others, and lower levels of clinical depression. Individuals with greater levels of hope are also more forgiving of close others. Mindful hypnotherapy may be utilized to help individuals achieve increased gratitude and hope. Additional outcomes may include improved social interactions and decreased depression. Discussion: Cultivating and increasing gratitude and hope via mindful hypnotherapy may improve overall psychological and social functioning. Potential future directions include: exploration of hypnosis-adapted treatments targeting these constructs, and modification and assessment of hope and gratitude using mindful hypnotherapy.

You Are Getting Very Sleepy: A Pilot Study Using Clinical Hypnosis to Reduce MRI-Related Anxiety

Jeffrey Lee, MD¹, Merlin Ariefdjohan, PhD, MPH¹, Brittany Seymour, LCSW¹, Lindsey McKernan, PhD², Valeria Potigailo, MD¹, Justin Honce, MD¹, Alexandra Chadderdon, PsyD³
¹University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
²Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
³Rocky Mountain VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA

Background/Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-related anxiety is a common problem associated with increased patient distress, reduced imaging quality, longer imaging times, repeat imaging, and increased healthcare costs. This study aims to assess the effects of hypnosis (HYP) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) on outcomes of anxiety, service satisfaction, and clinical operations in patients undergoing MRI. Methods: Patients undergoing MRI were randomly assigned to TAU versus HYP groups (n = 10 per group). Patients completed the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults (STAI-AD) before and after the MRI. Duration of imaging were noted, and two radiologists independently rated the images for motion artifacts to determine MRI quality. After the study, patients rated service satisfaction and were interviewed for additional perspectives. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative responses were summarized as major themes. Results: HYP group exhibited a significant reduction of state anxiety (p = 0.039) but not trait anxiety (p = 0.086). TAU group did not exhibit significant reduction in state nor trait anxiety (p = 0.203, 0.294). HYP group demonstrated significantly lower mean motion artifact scores compared to TAU group (p = 0.009) indicating higher degree of stillness while undergoing MRI. No significant differences were noted in the number of MRI repeats, imaging times, and patient satisfaction scores between HYP vs. TAU groups (p > 0.05 for all). Qualitative interviews indicated satisfaction and openness to the hypnosis procedure in both groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that clinical hypnosis is beneficial as an intervention to reduce anxiety and improve imaging quality without a negative impact on clinical operations in patients undergoing MRI.

Predicting Hypnotizability and Postoperative Pain Using Single-gene Polymorphisms

Jessie Markovits, MD¹; Dana L. Cortade, PhD¹; Shan X Wang, PhD¹; David Spiegel, MD¹
¹ Stanford University School of Medicine

Hypnotizability is a longitudinally stable trait that partially moderates the benefit of hypnotic analgesia. Limited availability of practitioners trained in hypnotizability testing can deter widespread use of hypnosis for patients who are uncertain if they will benefit. In this study, an analysis of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene was performed using inexpensive and efficient giant magnetoresistive biosensors to determine if hypnotizable individuals can be identified using these polymorphisms. Results indicated that 89.5% of individuals with the proposed "optimal" COMT diplotypes score highly on the Hypnotic Induction Profile (OR = 6.12, 95%CI = 1.26-28.75), which identified 40.5% of the treatable population. Mean hypnotizability scores of the optimal group were significantly higher in females (p< 0.002, effect size = 0.83), but not in males (p = 0.28), which may be explained by a known dimorphous effect of sex on COMT activity. An exploratory cohort from the control group of a perioperative pain hypnosis trial showed that optimal individuals reported significantly higher postoperative pain scores (p< 0.001, effect size = 1.93), indicating greatest need for non-pharmacologic pain treatments in this group. Clincialtrials.gov ID: NCT04624880.

Hypnotherapy and Cancer Pain in Black/African American Children

Johannil Napoleon, MA, LPC, ATR-BC, Adler University

In the United States, Black people have a higher cancer rate than non-Blacks; Black children are also more likely to die from cancer than Latinx and White children (American Cancer Society, 2022; Leimanis Laurens et al., 2020). During cancer treatment, 70% of children experience severe pain due to the cancer itself, medical treatments, and procedures used during the illness (Schulte, 2020). Hypnotherapy has been well documented as an effective non-pharmacological intervention used to treat acute and chronic pain and distress related to cancer (e.g., Holroyd, 2002; Milling & Costantino, 2000; Richardson et al., 2006). However, barriers to receiving hypnotherapy services and the unique experiences of Black children managing cancer pain are often overlooked. This poster presentation summarizes key findings from analyzing the published literature on hypnotherapy intervention in pediatric cancer pain and how it relates to Black/African American children. The following will be discussed addressing the topic: experiences of Black children with cancer; cultural factors that impact the expression of pain; the use of hypnotherapy to manage pediatric cancer pain; and benefits and barriers to receiving hypnotherapy in Black children with cancer. Future research and directions in the field of hypnosis will be discussed as they relate to cancer pain in Black children.