Hypnosis and OEA: Navigating Pitfalls and Capitalizing on Strengths of Hypnosis for OEA

Abstract
The umbrella designation of Organized and Extreme Abuse (OEA) encompasses all forms of severe abuse, thereby necessitating differentiation within the OEA category to facilitate appropriate treatment interventions. Through this lens, abuse using ritual and mind control tactics is one necessary subcategory due to the unique complexities that can hinder conventional or established clinical interventions. Hypnosis is a known tool in the establishment and maintenance of ritual abuse and mind control, which renders it potentially quite helpful or quite harmful, depending on the skill of the operator. On a broader scale, hypnosis has been a tool used for decades in the treatment of trauma and dissociative disorders, and its use remains among the most contentious debates in the mental health world and within the general public. Hypnosis’s reputation has varied with the times, and it often falls victim to the media’s interest in more salacious stories, ideally involving good guys, bad guys and a “just world” ending. When hypnosis and its associated practitioners became the bad guys in the world of childhood trauma and memory “recovery,” hypnosis researchers and practitioners appeared to place purposeful distance between themselves and further exploration into the relationship between hypnosis and ritual abuse/mind control (RAMC). As a result, there exists almost no research involving the influence of hypnosis, the potential therapeutic use of hypnosis, and the possible risks of hypnosis with survivors of OEA, and with RAMC in particular. This workshop not only examines the shifts in perspective surrounding hypnosis and its use in treating trauma, but also offers techniques based on years of experience as a qualified hypnotherapist while working with survivors of OEA. Using case examples, different interventions will be examined to elucidate the risks and/or the rewards of using hypnosis with such a unique population. The discussion surrounding risks will address not only the potential hazards in the therapy room, but also those coming from individuals holding both misinformation and power outside of the therapy room, e.g., board members of the provider’s licensing body. As such, appropriate documentation and ethical considerations will be covered as well.