Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Anxiety Disorders

Cognitive hypnotherapy, also known as cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy (CBH), is applied to the treatment of anxiety disorders. Specific techniques are described and illustrated. The research on CBH is discussed. CBH seems to be at least as effective as behavior therapy (BT) and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) treatments that employ imagery and relaxation techniques for anxiety disorders. However, more research is needed because of the lack of adequate studies comparing CBH with BT and CBT. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are offered.