Episode 92 – Professor Irving Kirsch
Adam is celebrating his 21st anniversary of his hypnotherapy business and offers up some guidance for longevity of career as a hypnotherapist
Adam interviews this week’s guest, Professor Irving Kirsch, one of the most prolific researchers in the field of hypnosis – Irving Kirsch talks about the relationship between hypnosis and placebo, what his current thoughts are on what hypnosis is, and more besides –
This week’s hypnosis in the news covers a very unusual use of hypnosis by the Amnesty International Organisation.
The Factoid of the week has created a LOT of discussion about the most effective number of hypnotherapy sessions is best for smoking cessation.
References from this week’s episode:
Hypnosis in the News Stories:
References from this week:
1. More Tea Vicar? Bertrand Russell’s Teapot Theory & That Big Hypnosis Field Discussion:
Books of Irving Kirsch’s that he mentioned in the show:
1. Essentials of Clinical Hypnosis: An Evidence-Based Approach (2006) by Steven Jay Lynn & Irving Kirsch
2. Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis (2010) Edited by Steven Jay Lynn, Judith Rhue and Irving Kirsch
Evidence Based Fact of Week reference:
Hypnosis and suggestion-based approaches to smoking cessation: An examination of the evidence:
Wonderful to hear from the great man himself. His name appears in many of my past night reads of papers on Hypnosis research. The books he refers to for study seem never to be on the reading list of many so called “respected Hypnosis training establishments.” They are the best we have to date. That speaks volumes about the credibility of the training offered. It does seem though, that the great researchers ‘are a while ago’- Prof Kirsch current and recent work is on placebo and not hypnosis. Where are the recent researchers? Most papers that we can refer to for scientific evidence of clinical applications and hypnosis efficacy are from ‘a while ago’. With training establishments churning out hoards of “hypnotherapists” who haven’t a clue about the subject and rely on the client’s believe in the magic of the ‘trance’- the profession cannot move forward to be respected and integrated within the field of psychology. Adam- such a lot rests on your shoulders! I am sad that I came to the field of hypnosis and the love of research relatively late in my life. But I have enormous respect and belief in what you will do to begin the enlightenment of this great subject- and drag the ignorant and egocentric trainers and practitioners out of their comfort zones.
Thank you Linda.
There are quite a few of us undertaking research currently, and quite a few Univeristy lecturers and research departments examining it – the journals are full every quarter! We could do with more, and we could do with the frontline actually paying an interest and being aware of it though – that is a bigger challenge in my opinion.
Best wishes to you, Adam.