THE PLACE OF HYPNOSIS IN PSYCHIATRY, PART 2: ITS APPLICATION TO THE TREATMENT OF SEXUAL DISORDERS

This paper is based on a world-wide search of the literature focusing on the application of hypnotherapy in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. The authors review a range of treatment procedures which have been shown to be highly effective for a wide range of sexual dysfunctions listed in the DSM-IV. This paper demonstrates that hypnotherapy is a very valuable tool for a wide variety of sexual dysfunctions. Some of these treatments are behaviourally oriented, in particular the cognitive re-structuring used in the treatment of frigidity; others are more psychodynamically oriented, such as the use of age regression in the treatment of premature ejaculation; and a third group combines these approaches. Detailed accounts of the treatment procedures are given so that hypnotherapy practitioners may incorporate these techniques in their consulting rooms. Sexual disorders, according to the DSM-IV classification, are divided into four main groups: (1) sexual dysfunctions; (2) the paraphilias; (3) gender identity disorders; and (4) sexual disorders not otherwise specified. This paper will be limited to an exploration of the value of hypnotherapy as applied to the firs