Treating Depression With Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches [Paperback]

Michael D. Yapko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1583913041 | ISBN-13: 978-1583913048 | Publication Date: May 4, 2001

Depression is a debilitating human condition and a common cause of suffering worldwide. This elicits a sense of urgency for mental health professionals to meet this challenge of the treatment of depression. Hypnosis plays a vital role in that treatment and in the efficacy of psychotherapy.

This book focuses on the structuring and delivering of hypnotic interventions for major depression, with a substantial use of concepts and techniques from cognitive-behavioral and strategic approaches as a foundation. Current research on depression is used in this book to emphasize the still-growing knowledge of depression. Hypnosis has shown itself to be effective in not only reducing symptoms, but in teaching the skills (such as rationale thinking, effective problem-solving and coping strategies, and positive relationship skills) that can even prevent recurrences. Mental health professionals will find the detailed examples of hypnotic strategies invaluable to their own practice and application of hypnosis in the treatment of depression.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (May 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583913041
• ISBN-13: 978-1583913048
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist residing in Fallbrook, California. He is internationally recognized for his work in clinical hypnosis and outcome-focused psychotherapy, routinely teaching to professional audiences all over the world. He has been invited to present his innovative ideas and methods to colleagues in over 30 countries across six continents, and all over the United States.

Dr. Yapko has had a special interest which spans more than three decades in the intricacies of brief therapy, the clinical applications of hypnosis, and treating the disorder of major depression. He is the author of ten books and editor of three others, as well as numerous book chapters, and articles on the subjects of the brief therapy of depression and the use of clinical hypnosis in strategic psychotherapies.

Dr. Yapko is a member of the American Psychological Association, a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of the International Society of Hypnosis, and a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He is a recipient of The Pierre Janet Award of Clinical Excellence, a lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Hypnosis, and The Milton H. Erickson Award of Scientific Excellence for Writing in Hypnosis from the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. He is also a recipient of The Milton H. Erickson Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy.

On the personal side, Dr. Yapko is happily married to his wife, Diane, a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Together, they enjoy hiking in the Great Outdoors in their spare time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A helpful clinical guide, May 12, 2002

By 

Anthony Louis (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Treating Depression With Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches (Paperback)

This is a readable book on using hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive, behavioral, or interpersonal therapy of depression. The author's views are sensible, balanced, and clinically relevant. He references the clinical and research literature to butress his arguments. The book is a bit skimpy for the price. The author refers the reader to his other books, CDs, and tapes for futher information, making this a bit like an infomercial. In addition, the author sometimes sets up a straw man to make his points. For example, he writes about therapists who tell their clients to "get their anger out" by pounding a chair with a bat. This example sounds like a caricature of therapy and I can't believe anyone but the most incompetent novice therapist would take such a stance -- but living on the East Coast, I may be ignorant of how therapy is practiced in California where the author resides. Nonetheless, the book contains valuable insights for clinicians who treat depression. It is also one of the few books that deals with the use of hypnosis in depression, which used to be a strict "no-no" according to traditional schools of hypnosis. In that sense this book is a breath of fresh air in the often dogmatic and opinionated world of hypnosis.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource for Mental Health Therapists, March 7, 2007

By 

Leo Joslin (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Treating Depression With Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches (Paperback)

This book is a follow-up to Dr. Michael Yapko's original text, Hypnosis and the Treatment of Depressions. It further expands and refines his ideas, presenting a theoretically sound approach for utilizing hypnosis as a vehicle for the delivery of well-researched treatments for depression, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.

I found this book to be a valuable resource, full of relevant information presented in a concise and coherent manner, and easy to read. It reviews what is known about depression, discusses hypnosis and its clinical applications, and examines how to engage clients hypnotically while addressing issues that often contribute to depression. Such issues include client attributional styles, ambiguity, negative expectations, perceptions of controllability, and coping styles. The book also includes two-column transcripts of actual therapy sessions, wherein session content is presented side-by-side with explanatory commentary and analysis. Studying these sessions enhanced my understanding of the ideas presented in this book.

This book is most helpful for readers who already have clinical training and experience in both psychotherapy and hypnosis. As a Psychotherapist (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist), and a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, I consider this book to be essential reading for therapists working hypnotically with depression, along with other texts by Dr. Yapko, specifically Trancework and Hypnosis and the Treatment of Depressions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Information for Mental Health Professionals, September 28, 2008

By 

Floyd Vandevere "Flyingfingers" (California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treating Depression With Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches (Paperback)

I am so pleased that this was my introduction to Michael Yapko. (He does not encourage therapists to have their clients beat chairs as a previous reviewer stated). As a Program Manager for an Outpatient, Non-Profit, County sub-contracted, Mental Health Clinic for adults with chronic mental health issues, (and certified in hypnotherapy), I and my treatment team assist a lot of individuals with depression or co-morbid depression. Being a non-profit organization, I often have to hire clinicians who are not fully versed in psychotherapeutic theory or technique. I found this book to be an invaluable tool in helping them learn effective cognitive, behavioral and strategic interventions in treating depression and the theory behind these interventions. The reader does not have to know or even use hypnosis as a tool in therapy in order to learn these effective interventions for treating depression. Additionally, I appreciated the questioning of the effectiveness in treating depression with psychopharmacology, without adjunctive cognitive and emotional restructuring. A brief but succinct exploration of the psycho-social etiology of depression was also a welcomed feature to this book. All-in-all a very thorough and in-depth explanation on the causes of depression and how to effectively understand and intervene therapeutically, in treating it.