A mindfulness-based intervention program, adapted from Brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Distress Management Training, significantly lowered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels in seven female survivors of domestic violence. The program included six meetings over three weeks with practices such as breathing meditation, body-scan meditation, loving-kindness meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, eating meditation, and mindful yoga. PTSD was measured using the Impact of Event Scale - Revised, and scores for intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance all decreased. The reduction was statistically significant, suggesting the intervention can help alleviate PTSD symptoms in this population.
Unregulated negative emotion raises burnout risk by 67%, impairing performance and causing physical symptoms. Hypnotic guided imagery (HGI), a deep relaxation intervention, aims to shift negative to positive emotion, but its physiological basis is unclear. This feasibility study tested HGI's effects on emotional valence and arousal in employees with burnout, using electroencephalography (EEG). Valence was measured by frontal alpha asymmetry; arousal by the frontal beta/alpha ratio. Participants were randomly assigned to HGI (n=19) or control (n=13). EEG analyses showed no significant changes, while self-report indicated increased positive and reduced negative affect in the HGI group. Discrepancies may stem from small samples and variability, highlighting the need for methodological rigor in EEG-based intervention studies.
Hypnosis is increasingly studied as a quantifiable neurophysiological process using electroencephalography (EEG). A bibliometric analysis of 135 publications retrieved from Scopus on January 24, 2025, reveals a publication upwelling from 2013 to 2015, followed by stable growth through 2024. The United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the most prominent institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified four primary research clusters: neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, clinical applications in pain management and anesthesia, EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and intersections with sleep and consciousness. Emerging themes include integration of artificial intelligence, neurofeedback, and virtual reality. Methodological inconsistencies in EEG protocols and hypnotic induction techniques limit cross-study comparability.