This 3.5-hour workshop will provide an overview of hypnotic strategies and suggestions for helping individuals better manage automatic thoughts that contribute to their overall psychological function. It will begin with a brief presentation of research findings demonstrating the beneficial effects of hypnotic cognitive therapy for altering automatic “self-talk” (i.e., self-suggestions). Three hypnotic cognitive therapy techniques will be discussed and modeled, and participants will be encouraged to practice the strategies during the workshop. The workshop will end with a discussion regarding how participants might best incorporate the approaches into their practice.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the role that automatic thoughts (also known as “self-suggestions”) play in an individual’s psychological function.
2. Understand the clinical implications of research findings supporting the importance of hypnotic suggestibility as enhancing the effects of self-suggestions.
3. Be able to use three specific techniques to increase the frequency of a patient’s or client’s adaptive automatic self-suggestions, including the use of (a) open questions, (b) reflective listening (of statements reflecting adaptive thoughts), and (c) age progression.

Clinical Exercises:
1. Use of open questions to develop and understanding of the self-suggestions which occur most often in a patient or client.
2. Use of reflective listening to identify the hypnotic suggestions that could be most beneficial to a patient or client.
3. Use of age progression to encourage positive movement towards a patient’s or client’s most important goals.