Hypnosis in the Management of Stress and Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

One of the most common uses of hypnosis in the clinical setting is in the treatment of anxiety disorders and the management of stress. This chapter examines the role of hypnosis in “stress management” and specific uses in the treatment of panic disorder, agoraphobia, social and specific phobias, post‐traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety. The role of clinical hypnosis for arousal management, assisting cognitive‐behavioural psychotherapy and exposure‐based therapies is examined. The possibility that hypnotic capacity is a factor in the aetiology or maintenance of anxiety disorders is also examined