CMH Therapeutic Applications & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with a history of psychosis requests hypnotherapy for anxiety. What is the most ethically appropriate first step?
- Begin hypnosis using only relaxation techniques
- Obtain a referral or clearance from the client's psychiatrist (Correct answer)
- Decline the client entirely without explanation
- Proceed if the client signs an informed consent
Correct answer: Obtain a referral or clearance from the client's psychiatrist
Clients with psychosis require medical clearance before hypnotherapy, as altered states can exacerbate psychotic symptoms.
Question 2: Which hypnotic technique is most commonly used to help clients access and process repressed traumatic memories?
- Arm levitation induction
- Age regression (Correct answer)
- Hypermnesia suggestion
- Waking hypnosis
Correct answer: Age regression
Age regression guides clients back to earlier experiences, making it the primary tool for accessing and processing repressed trauma.
Question 3: A hypnotherapist discovers a client is simultaneously receiving treatment from another mental health professional without disclosing this. The best response is to:
- Immediately terminate the therapeutic relationship
- Ignore the situation to preserve rapport
- Discuss coordination of care and obtain the client's consent to communicate with the other provider (Correct answer)
- Report the client to a licensing board
Correct answer: Discuss coordination of care and obtain the client's consent to communicate with the other provider
Coordinating care with other providers—with client consent—ensures treatment consistency and client safety.
Question 4: Post-hypnotic suggestions for pain management work primarily by:
- Eliminating the physiological source of pain
- Altering the client's perception and response to pain signals (Correct answer)
- Inducing temporary amnesia about the pain
- Replacing pain with a positive emotional state permanently
Correct answer: Altering the client's perception and response to pain signals
Hypnotic analgesia modifies the subjective perception and emotional response to pain rather than removing its physical cause.
Question 5: The ethical principle of 'beneficence' in hypnotherapy means the practitioner must:
- Avoid causing harm under all circumstances
- Actively promote the client's well-being and best interests (Correct answer)
- Respect the client's right to make their own decisions
- Maintain equal treatment for all clients regardless of background
Correct answer: Actively promote the client's well-being and best interests
Beneficence requires practitioners to take positive action to benefit clients, going beyond simply avoiding harm.
Question 6: Which of the following is the MOST appropriate use of hypnosis for smoking cessation?
- A single session with a direct suggestion to never crave cigarettes again
- Multiple sessions combining aversion, motivation enhancement, and relapse-prevention suggestions (Correct answer)
- Hypnotic regression to the first cigarette to create disgust
- Exclusively using deepening techniques without any content suggestions
Correct answer: Multiple sessions combining aversion, motivation enhancement, and relapse-prevention suggestions
Research supports multi-session protocols that address motivation, triggers, and relapse prevention for lasting smoking cessation.
Question 7: A client asks you to use hypnosis to recover specific memories for use in a legal case. You should:
- Proceed using age regression and document everything carefully
- Decline, as hypnotically refreshed memory is generally inadmissible and risks confabulation (Correct answer)
- Use only indirect suggestion to minimize memory distortion
- Require the client to have an attorney present during the session
Correct answer: Decline, as hypnotically refreshed memory is generally inadmissible and risks confabulation
Hypnosis can create false memories through confabulation, and most courts do not accept hypnotically refreshed testimony.
CMH Therapeutic Applications & Ethics 2
A client with a history of psychosis requests hypnotherapy for anxiety.
What is the most ethically appropriate first step?