The methods and procedures for inducing hypnosis, assessing hypnotizability, and treating clients with hypnotically augmented psychotherapy were adapted by Dr. John Alexander from the seminal work of Herbert and David Spiegel as described in detail in their landmark text on Hypnosis, Trance and Treatment: the Clinical Use of Hypnosis (1978, 2nd edition, 2004).
The Spiegels pioneered the development of a reliable and valid means for testing an individual's capacity to experience hypnotic trance and benefit from hypnotherapy; the Hypnotic Induction Profile (HIP). The HIP provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of hypnotizability which is brief, appropriate for use in a clinical context and normed on clinical populations. In clinical practice, the HIP also teaches self-hypnosis as it measures hypnotizability. As such, it integrates seamlessly into treatment strategies where hypnosis is used to leverage therapeutic outcomes. The HIP has also been used extensively in research studies exploring the role of hypnosis in mind-body medicine.
In an effort to make the HIP more accessible to the professional hypnosis community, a digital application of the exam, the HIP/App has been recently developed by Dr. Alexander in consultation with Dr. David Spiegel, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine . The HIP/App is available by subscription to qualified and appropriately trained professionals.
The Spiegels also developed a unique model of therapy designed to provide brief and effective treatment for a variety of medical and psychological conditions, some of which are outlined herein. The Spiegels model of therapy, which they refer to as “restructuring” has its roots in the dialectical method for creating change, a time-honored process of transformation in the long history of philosophical and spiritual practices. Now referred to as Dialectical Hypnotherapy (DHT) (Alexander, 2021) , restructuring involves the use of hypnosis to leverage dialectical therapeutic strategies to help clients overcome conflicts and resolve problems in living. DHT is a short-term symptom-focused treatment model designed to be completed in one-to-three sessions. For individuals interested in or requiring more intensive psychotherapy, with or without hypnosis, the HIP also provides insights into personality characteristics related to trance capacity which can be used to guide the selection of a treatment modality which offers the greatest prospect for therapeutic success.
In recent years, Dr. Alexander has been teaching advanced workshops and trainings on hypnosis and hypnotherapy for CEU and CME credits through professional organizations including the American Psychological Association, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, and the International Hypnosis Society. He is an Approved Consultant in hypnosis with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. For training and mentoring opportunities in the use of the HIP/App and the methods and procedures of Dialectical Hypnotherapy, please message him through the contact me button for more details or to arrange a video info call.