Publications by authors named "Gary Elkins"

Background: Hypnotherapy has been shown to be a safe, nonhormonal intervention effective for treating menopausal hot flashes. However, women experiencing hot flashes may face accessibility barriers to in-person hypnotherapy. To solve this issue, a smartphone app has been created to deliver hypnotherapy.

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The main objective of this systematic review is to comprehensively describe and evaluate the evidence on hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Included studies were comprised of adults, had measurable objective/subjective data reflecting smoking cessation, hypnosis or hypnotherapy studied alone or as part of a multicomponent intervention, and at least ten participants. A total of 745 nonduplicate publications were screened, and 63 papers were included for analysis.

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For over a decade, the growing use of smartphone apps provided a way to make hypnotherapy more widely accessible. However, available apps vary widely in the quality of hypnosis provided to users. This study systematically reviewed apps delivering some form of hypnotherapy intervention and summarized their characteristics.

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Background: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) may experience cardiotoxicities from chemotherapy and oral endocrine therapy. Although a few studies have documented that palpitations are prevalent and associated with poorer outcomes, there is limited to no information on BCS' reporting of palpitations to healthcare providers.

Objectives: To compare BCS who did and did not report their palpitations to a healthcare provider and describe how those who did report palpitations recalled their provider responding.

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Hypnotherapy is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment option for a wide range of psychological conditions and the psychological elements of physiologic health concerns. Despite its growing use, the mechanisms underlying hypnotherapy's therapeutic benefits remain unknown. Heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive biomarker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and other processes relevant to the psychophysiological stress response, has been used to study the physiological effects of hypnosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The article highlights that while clinical hypnosis shows promising results in outcomes research, it remains underutilized in healthcare, necessitating high-quality evidence for broader acceptance.
  • It outlines best practice guidelines for conducting and reporting clinical hypnosis research, categorized into two tiers: Tier I focuses on essential practices like detailed intervention manuals and clear measurement reporting.
  • Tier II includes preferred practices such as monitoring adherence to home practice and assessing participants across the hypnotizability spectrum to enhance research effectiveness.
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Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most debilitating diseases worldwide and has seen a significant increase in diagnoses during the pandemic, demanding more and better therapeutic tools to manage the post-pandemic scenario.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the last 20 years of clinical research on Hypnotherapy (HT) to determine whether this intervention has evidence to support its recommendation for the treatment of MDD.

Methods: This review included only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving adult populations diagnosed with MDD, regardless of the severity level (mild, moderate, or severe) according to any validated diagnostic criteria, compared to a control group (active treatment or none), with any follow-up duration and free access to the manuscript.

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Hypnosis-based apps geared toward smoking cessation are among the most downloaded by individuals wanting to reduce or stop smoking. However, to date, there are few evaluations regarding the use or efficacy of hypnosis apps for smoking cessation. Finito is an empirically-based mHealth app developed by Mindset Health designed to provide users with a three-week hypnotherapy program to quit smoking.

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The objective of this study was to determine the model fit of a standardized hypnotizability measure in a targeted clinical sample. The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C) was administered to 168 post-menopausal women aged 39 to 75 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, and comparative fit index (CFI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were used to determine goodness of fit.

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Everyday well-being appraisals are judgments about the goodness of recent daily life events. These appraisals are expected to be distinct from other types of well-being involving traits, affect, and psychological distress and expected to be uniquely important for understanding health behavior such as exercise, diet, and treatment adherence for people with medical conditions. To develop and test a new Everyday Wellbeing Appraisal Scale, two studies were conducted in which a total of 718 people with hypertension completed online questionnaires.

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Background: Hypnotic intervention for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or gut-directed hypnotherapy (GDH), is an effective treatment for improving IBS symptoms with minimal burden and risk in delivery to patients. The Nerva app, developed by Mindset Health, shows promise for dissemination and implementation of evidence-based GDH intervention for IBS.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of Nerva app users, examine usage patterns, and explore potential factors associated with Nerva app usage.

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Perceived stress is a significant problem among female college students that can impact psychological distress, sleep, and overall well-being. Mindful self-hypnosis (MSH) and resistance training (RT) have both been shown to reduce perceived stress. The rationale for the present study was to investigate whether MSH combined with RT could be more effective at reducing perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale than RT alone due to synergistic effects achieved by combining the interventions.

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The effectiveness of hypnosis-based pain management is well-established. However, mechanisms of action and specific effective components are not well understood. The sociocognitive theory of hypnosis proposes that the effectiveness of hypnosis for pain management is determined by the nonspecific features of response expectancy and context.

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Research into clinical hypnosis for sleep disturbances is an expanding with important implications for clinical practice and future research. This issue of the includes emerging research on clinical hypnosis to improve sleep quality and disturbances. While clinical hypnosis for sleep is very promising, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown.

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Background: Hot flashes are associated with a lower quality of life and sleep disturbances. Given the many consequences of hot flashes, it is important to find treatments to reduce them. Hypnotherapy, the use of hypnosis for a medical disorder or concern, has been shown in clinical trials to be effective in reducing hot flashes, but it is not routinely used in clinical practice.

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Sleep disturbance is a public health problem among aging adults (age 45 and older). While aging adults are at an elevated risk for sleep disturbance, many also have high rates of mistrust toward psychological interventions, such as self-hypnosis, which may be beneficial for sleep. The purpose of the study was to assess factors that may impact utilization of self-hypnosis for sleep, including willingness, preferences, and access among informed aging adults.

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The lead article in this issue of the (), entitled, "Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale in a Clinical Population", reports on a factor analysis of hypnotizability scores in a clinical population of postmenopausal women. The results found evidence for a general hypnotizability latent variable. This finding suggests a general "G factor" may best account for hypnotizability.

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Hypnosis is an effective treatment option for a variety of concerns. Past research has suggested that those who score in the high range of hypnotizability initially show greater improvement than those in the low range. A post hoc analysis was conducted to examine the extent to which hypnotizability modulates the reduction of hot flash frequency.

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Introduction: Exposure to trauma among U.S. military veterans occurs at a high rate, often resulting in continued difficulty with emotional adjustment and a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Further, poor sleep quality is associated with reduced quality of life, increased stress response, memory impairments, and progression to dementia among individuals with MCI. Pharmacological treatments for sleep have mixed efficacy and can lead to dependency.

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The objective of this study was to determine the best-fit factor structure of a standardized hypnotizability measure in a clinical population. The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) was administered to 173 post-menopausal women, age from 39 to 75 years, with a mean age of 54.61 years.

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About two-thirds of college students rate their sleep as suboptimal which is associated with a variety of additional issues. Poor sleep is shown to follow certain pre-sleep cognitive activity that inhibits sleep onset and reduces sleep quality. Preliminary evidence suggests that a self-administered hypnosis intervention is feasible in improving sleep within a college student population, and the current study explores potential correlating variables to inform future mechanistic research.

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This case study explores the effects of a combined intervention involving Mindful Self-Hypnosis (MSH) and Resistance Training (RT) on perceived stress levels and well-being in a university student. The participant, Ms. P, engaged in a 12-week program comprised of two weekly RT sessions accompanied by MSH inductions.

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This issue of the addresses the efficacy and feasibility of hypnosis interventions for several medical problems and issues. The lead article provides a narrative review of the efficacy of hypnosis interventions for Fibromyalgia. This is followed by a feasibility study of self-administered hypnosis for sleep disturbances in college students and an article on self-hypnosis for self-care in oncology patients.

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Approximately two out of three college students report experiencing suboptimal sleep quality. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of a self-administered hypnosis intervention to improve sleep in college students. Twenty-two college students who self-reported poor sleep quality were enrolled in a 4-week study comprising 1 baseline week and a 3-week self-administered hypnosis intervention.

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