Using guided imagery and hypnosis in brief therapy and palliative care
American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis February 24, 2022 DOI: 10.1080/00029157.2022.2039675 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Guided imagery Hypnosis Single session therapy Miracle question |
| Topics | End-of-life distress |
| Key findings | The review describes Battino's book as presenting a digressive, anecdote-rich account of brief psychotherapy that combines single-session therapy, guided imagery, hypnosis, light trance, and Ericksonian techniques such as "ambiguous function assignments," strategic and solution-focused approaches, and the miracle question to promote meaningful change within a brief time frame. |
Abstract
About the Author: Rubin Battino (1931-present) is well known to many in Ericksonian circles for his engaging and practical books on psychotherapy, hypnosis, and guiding people to live more fully. Battino is both a professor emeritus in chemistry and a licensed professional counselor, specializing in brief therapy, an Ericksonian approach, and palliative care. His previous books include: Meaning: A Play Based on the Life of Viktor E. Frankl (2002) Metaphoria: Metaphor and Guided Imagery for Psychotherapy and Healing (2005) Expectation: The Very Brief Therapy Book (2006) Guided Imagery: Psychotherapy and Healing through the Mind-Body Connection (2007) Healing Language: A Guide for Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors (2010) When All Else Fails: Some New and Some Old Tools for Doing Brief Therapy (2015) Battino's newest book is Using Guided Imagery and Hypnosis in Brief Therapy and Palliative Care. He packs many elements of his psychotherapeutic approach into the first chapter “Introduction: Expectation, the Placebo Effect, and Chatting,” but also sprinkles psychotherapy principles throughout the book. The narrative is tangled and tangential: Battino cites his lecture style both in chemistry and counseling, wandering from the assigned topic and away from the PowerPoint into a variety of stories and digressions. The present work excels in digressions, as we are treated to anecdotes from Battino’s life experiences, summaries of articles and books he found fascinating, and case narratives with catchy titles and evocative take-home lessons. Battino is deeply committed to single session therapy and utilizes a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques in service of meaningful change within a brief time frame. Often this involves using an intervention developed by Lankton and Lankton (1986) named “ambiguous function assignments” in order to replicate one of Erickson’s intriguing interventions of sending clients on an errand without a clear intent. Among other advantages, it facilitates both doing something different and experiencing oneself differently. He repeatedly characterizes his approach to therapy as chatting, but it is chatting infused with Ericksonian psychotherapeutic principles and with the hypnotic induction of light trance. Battino also draws on the strategic approach to psychotherapy popularized by Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch (1974), concepts of solution-focused therapy, and the miracle question promoted by Steve de Shazer (2021). Battino’s version of the miracle question is as follows:
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on end-of-life distress, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| The Potential of Psychedelics for End of Life and Palliative Care. Patients with life-threatening diagnoses | 2022 | Review | |
| Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update. Palliative care patients | 2023 | Review | |
| Psychedelic medicines for end-of-life care: Pipeline clinical trial review 2022. People with terminal illnesses experiencing depression, anxiety, or existential distress | 2023 | Scoping review | n = 25 |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review | 2024 | Narrative review |