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Presenter: David Patterson, PhD, ABPH

Chronic illness and pain present a complex array of issues to the patient and the clinician. For issues such as chronic pain, obesity, diabetes and cancer, there is seldom a simple clinical approach or solution. Rather than cures for such conditions, it is often preferable to discuss management of conditions or symptoms. Instead of a single, unidimensional approach, effective clinical management frequently involves a multidisciplinary approach that addresses the issue in a number of dimensions.

The purpose of this symposium is to discuss how hypnosis can be integrated effectively into a biopsychosocial approach. Various chronic health conditions will be discussed, along with scientific evidence that they are best treated with this comprehensive approach. Integrating hypnosis will be covered in the latter part of this symposium. It will be argued that hypnosis will seldom have enduring positive effects if targeted only toward one dimension of a multi-faceted clinical issue. A model for providing multiple levels of hypnotic suggestions will be provided based on both Ericksonian approaches as well as principles of motivational interviewing.

The symposium will be mainly scientific in nature and will strive to provide empirical evidence for both the theory and clinical interventions discussed. However, it is also designed to be clinically practical so that attendees will have a tool that they can immediately apply to patient care.

During and at the conclusion of this session, the attendee will be able to:
-> List at least three reasons why a biopsychosocial approach is often preferable in managing chronic health conditions;
-> Provide a concrete assessment of chronic conditions so they can be treated multidimensionally; and
-> Ellucidate specific examples of how hypnosis can be practically integrated into a biopsychosocial approach.