Smith, W. H. (1993). Hypnotherapy with rape victims. In J. W. Rhue, S. J. Lynn, & I. Kirsch (Eds.), Handbook of clinical hypnosis (pp. 479-491). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/10274-021
The use of hypnosis as it is presented in this chapter has evolved from a psychodynamic perspective, but it is somewhat eclectic in approach. Hypnosis has been used extensively with patients suffering from various other forms of posttraumatic disorders, but its application to rape victims is a recent development. To my knowledge, there are no controlled studies comparing hypnotherapy with other forms of treatment for rape trauma, so research is still at the individual-case-study level of exploration of this approach. Many characteristics of the hypnotic experience fit the special needs of rape victims and are therefore particularly well suited to treatment efforts with this group. The relaxation of defenses allows recovery of memories when necessary; achieving control over anxiety and greater mastery of self-experience counters the feeling of helplessness; and enhanced positive transference facilitates the development of trust, insight, and correction of distorted cognitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)