1. Hypnotic Ego Strengthening
Sheryll Daniel, Ph.D.
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
San Antonio, TX
October 2013

2. Faculty Disclosure Sheryll Daniel, Ph.D.
I have no real or apparent financial interest, or conflict of interest, regarding any of the material in this presentation.
I will not be discussing any investigational or off-label uses of medications or medical devices in this presentation.

3. Why Use Hypnosis in Treatment?
Understand, acknowledge and tolerate wounds
Distance from painful past events and create room for a more positive present and future
Selective attention to strength, joy, mastery
Imagine what can be; make it real through imagery, spending time with it

4. Why Use Hypnosis in Treatment?
Notice, appreciate and reinforce strengths
The medium is the message: Things can be different than I have known them to be, or knew they could be; I have capacities I did not know I had
Enhancement of curiosity

5. The Language of Hypnosis
Communication by the therapist is kind, mindful
Ericksonian approaches: language is permissive, empowering
Language offers, suggests and opens possibilities

6. Ego-Strengthening
Ability to tolerate own emotional responses, including ambivalence
Ability to tolerate and choose responses to external life events
Ability to self-soothe in response to troubling situations and emotions
Ability not to be either paralyzed or compelled by own emotional responses

7. Ego-Strengthening
Increasing understanding of own triggers for reactivity
Ability to take responsibility for own moods and feelings
Increasing independence/insulation from demands of id, constraints of superego
Development of healthy boundaries

8. The Role of Ego Strength in Medical and Dental Settings
Supports ability to tolerate procedures
Facilitates pain management
Supports capacity to face the future in the face of grave or uncertain prognoses
Supports a collaborative, active approach to the patient role

9. Specific Hypnotic Techniques for Ego-Strengthening
Reduction of anxiety
Reduction of other difficult feelings
Recalling a feeling that is incompatible with the difficult feeling
Self-soothing in session
Post-hypnotic suggestion for self-soothing

10. Specific Hypnotic Techniques for Ego-Strengthening
Positive uses of selective attention
This situation is not my entire life
This feeling is not all of me
Even in this moment, I can have other experiences
Age progression to after the difficult situation is over

11. Specific Hypnotic Techniques for Ego-Strengthening
Metaphors for boundaries
Metaphors for decreased reactivity
Time distortion for decreased reactivity
Age progression
Age regression
Enhancement of desired or adaptive emotional responses

12. Ego-Strengthening in Medical and Dental Settings
Reduction of anxiety
Direct or indirect suggestion of capacity to handle the procedure
Age progression to after the procedure is finished; see how you handled it
Permission to need and accept help
Suggestion that resources needed in the future can be sought out and utilized