It is a universal
challenge to
psychotherapists to get
patients relaxed enough
to effectively
participate in therapy.
Relaxation is
particularly important
to those utilizing
hypnosis. Relaxation can
itself be an end point
for patients suffering
from anxiety.
Psychological testing at
the University of
Helsinki demonstrated a
10 % to 15 % reduction
in anxiety as measured
on the Speilberger Test
through all its
categories after a 20
minute treatment
session. Dr. Wigram
discusses at some length
the ethical
considerations for
therapists in dealing
with patients in the
hypnologic state at the
end of treatment with
relaxation induction
programs.
Psychotherapists might
envision a place for
such therapy as an
adjunct to prepare
patients for a hypnotic
session or to make
therapy more effective.
Eha Rutel the head of
Psychotherapy at Parnu
University, in Estonia
did an interesting
experiment with a
population of troubled
students at the
university. Students
were allowed a choice of
a series of ten therapy
sessions or ten low
frequency treatments.
More and more students
chose low frequency
sessions untill
she had very little
classic therapy. The
majority of the student
problems were identified
as anxiety, with those
having experienced
recurrence of their
anxiety problem, almost
routinely selecting the
low frequency sine wave
treatment over the
classical therapy
sessions.
