Mind-Body Therapy: Methods of Ideodynamic Healing in Hypnosis [Paperback]

David B. Cheek (Author), Ernest L. Rossi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1994

A remarkable collaboration between psychologist Rossi and gynecologist-obstetrician Cheek, this book guides and empowers therapists and patients to find the keys to their own health and well-being through therapeutic hypnosis.

Hundreds of engaging case reports from Cheek's forty years of clinical work bring the theory of mind-body therapy to life, while Rossi's chapters link Cheek's often intuitive work to the latest research in psychobiology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A thought-provoking, informative, well-written book in an area that has a large future but has so far often been ignored or dismissed. (American Journal of Psychiatry )

The book is full of wonder, is rich in striking case material, and is a gold mine of potential experimental projects. (Contemporary Psychology )

About the Author

David B. Cheek lives in Santa Barbara.

Ernest L. Rossi, Ph.D., is Diplomate in Clinical Psychology and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy by the Milton H. Erickson Foundation. He is also the science editor of Psychological Perspectives and the author, coauthor, and editor of numerous professional books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039331247X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393312478
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Monumental Work, August 12, 2007

By 

Michael K. Kivinen (Wyoming, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mind-Body Therapy: Methods of Ideodynamic Healing in Hypnosis (Paperback)

My initial interest in buying this book was due to previous exposure to Leslie LeCron's ideomotor signaling in his eminently useful 1964 book, "Self-Hypnotism." After reading that book several years ago, I found ideomotor signaling (using a pendulum) to be surprisingly effective when doing some autohypnotic "uncovering" work. Now I was excited at the prospect of having what at a glance appeared to be a "how-to" manual that would illustrate clinical applications of the technique with case examples and transcripts, especially considering that coauthor Cheek had at one time collaborated with LeCron (Rossi collaborated with Milton Erickson). "Mind-Body Therapy" proved to be not only everything I hoped it would be, but much more than I bargained for.

The authors present a theoretical framework for understanding the process of mind-body communication which they condense "into three stages or loci of a single system of cybernetic information transduction: the mind-brain, the brain-body, and the cellular-genetic (p. 159)." They convincingly subsume Pavlovian conditioning, Freudian repression, Jungian complexes, dissociative phenomena, and altered states of consciousness under the rubric state-dependent memory, learning, and behavior (SDMLB). Ideomotor finger signals then become a therapeutic means of gaining access to those state-dependent memories and learning that are not otherwise readily accessible to consciousness but are adversely impacting one's functioning at emotional and physiological levels. However, the book goes further, in that it not only outlines the use of ideomotor signals to uncover unconscious material but also to actively facilitate its therapeutic resolution, often with minimal if any processing at the conscious level. The authors contend that when using ideomotor signals in hypnosis, formally inducing trance becomes unnecessary because establishing the signals in fact facilitates the trance. This validates aspects of my above-mentioned personal experimentation with the technique, but I had not realized previously that this was a common response. Now that I am using ideomotor signaling more frequently and confidently when working with clients, I have observed this to be true for others also.

The following brief passage (one of the many I highlighted in the text) illustrates not only the complexity of the work but the author's gift for synthesis. Here they discuss the concept of "imprinting" in the context of traumatic experiences and subsequent emotional and psychosomatic illness: "The presence of great emotional or physical stress evokes a state which is indistinguishable from that of hypnosis. The unconscious response to injury is similar to the effect of a strongly given posthypnotic suggestion. Unlike ordinary learning by repetition, this memory is completed (learned) on initial impact" (p. 239).

The authors outline three stages of assessing the validity of ideomotor signaling. In brief, they contend that 1.) Emotional and physiological memory can be seen first through changes in respiration, pulse rate, and emotional reactions. These occur before finger movement occurs. 2.) Ideodynamic signals indicate the accessing of memory at an unconscious level. 3.) Verbal reporting of the experience follows.

The authors' emphasis on client empowerment, mind-body healing, and the necessity of hope and confidence in clients' ability to recover is completely congruent with the spirit of the hypnotherapy training I received through Infinity Institute. Like Winafred Blake Lucas' two-volume "Regression Therapy" text, "Mind-Body Therapy" is a monumental work that I will consult often and for years to come. In fact, it would make an excellent companion volume to the Lucas books. Rossi and Cheek even acknowledge the possibility of past lives ("When therapy is lagging . . . we should consider the possibility that something very important has happened at birth or prior to birth. In some instances the problem may even have taken place either in an earlier life experience or been picked up from what the followers of Jung call the `collective unconscious' (p.437).). However, their overall presentation of hypnotic healing is primarily (and so thoroughly) grounded in biology and physiology that I would hope it could satisfy even those who require material explanations of all phenomena.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable early look at the mind and medicine..., September 26, 2006

By 

Providence Hypnosis "http://www.providencehyp... (Rhode Island, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mind-Body Therapy: Methods of Ideodynamic Healing in Hypnosis (Paperback)

This exceptional book, a collaboration of two gifted characters, is as relevant today as two decades ago when it was a pioneering look at the mind body process. It explores many different facets of the use of communication, suggestion and hypnosis in medical situations. The information is so interesting and accessible that the book could appeal to anyone with a curiosity about the mind/body relationship. Cheek was an Ob/Gyn who regularly used hypnotism in his practice. Rossi an ally, student and collaborator of the late, famous Dr Milton Erickson, is a theorist, a psychologist / hypnotherapist and clear-thinking, research-driven psychobiologist. The examples of work with medical patients in this book show the profound and binding impact of experience on the health of the body. Processes of communication are used to explore past experiences of patients (usually consciously forgotten) that had a dramatic impact on current reproductive health. The book is part detective story and a meandering look at many different facets of the mind in medical situations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real deal, November 18, 2008

By 

Micah Alexander "The Nin ja" (KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind-Body Therapy: Methods of Ideodynamic Healing in Hypnosis (Paperback)

I had the pleasure and opportunity to meet both of the authors and discuss hypnosis and their work. This book has the ability to transform you to the next level of skills to become a more effective clinician. Read it and re-read it carefully; there are many principles to be intuited and practiced.