Oregon Society of Clinical Hypnosis

A Component Section of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis

Our Next Event

SoulCollage And Behavioral Change In Clients Struggling With Addiction

October 24, 2008

Speaker: Suzie Wolfer LCSW

In her 23 year career, Suzie Wolfer LCSW, has worked extensively with chemical dependency and dual diagnosis at Providence Hospital as well as in her private practice. She leads weekly SoulCollage therapy groups at Providence Outpatient Behavioral Health. Her talk is based on a paper presented at the SoulCollage Facilitator annual conference entitled “Externalization and the SoulCollage Process in Psychotherapy.” Her special areas of expertise include chemical dependency, eating disorders, personality disorders, and resilience through art, spirituality and creativity. In her private practice she offers groups in: advanced SoulCollage practice, mindfulness and emotional intelligence workshops. She offers SoulCollage Facilitator Training in Oregon and internationally as well as CEU workshops for therapists in SoulCollage . To learn more about her background and training visit www.suziewolfer.com and www.counseling-portlandoregon.com. Learn more about SoulCollage at www.soulcollage.com

Soulcollage And Behavioral Change In Clients Struggling With Addiction: A Powerful Tool to Externalize and Manage Problem Behaviors by Suzie Wolfer LCSW Epidemiological research indicates that 1 out of every 10 people has at least some of the genetic markers for chemical dependency. SoulCollage can help clients identify the “voice” of the addiction, externalize it and take charge of it. By creating an image of the “Conman” and his habitat on a SoulCollage card, the client has successfully externalized the thinking errors that accompany addiction. She can then separate her sense of self and personality, from the problem. And the space created between the person and the problem is where change happens and new thinking and behaviors are born. SoulCollage puts the client in the management chair as he takes on the role of the CEO of a corporation that includes the “Conman.” When used in psychotherapy, even the shadow cards can become powerful allies in recovery, as the client learns to understand their point of view, needs and skills. Locating the problem outside the client’s personal identity, allows them to relate to and interact with the problem, and thus increase their self efficacy with this genetic pattern without the stigma of being labeled an alcoholic or addict.

Please RSVP to: Susan Rustvold 503.705.8454 or srustvo@pdx.edu

OHSU School of Dentistry, 6th Floor, Conference Room 606
611 S.W. Campus Drive Portland 97239

Click here to view a map of the location.

Pay Meeting Fee Online

Meeting Fee: $15.00

Future Meetings

October 24, 2008 - SoulCollage And Behavioral Change In Clients Struggling With Addiction
February 27, 2009 - February 2009 meeting
April 24, 2009 - April 2009 Meeting
May 29, 2009 - May 2009 Meeting
December 5, 2008
December 5, 2008 - Dimensions of the Hypnotic Experience and Transitional Space
January 30, 2009 - January 2009 meeting

Upcoming Courses

Past Events

Psychological Approaches to Treating Chronic Pain: The Use of Hypnosis

December 1, 2006

Speaker: Normund J. Akots, Ph.D.

Dr. Akots received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1988 and completed two years of postdoctoral training at the Menninger Clinic, where he specialized in diagnostic psychological testing and the treatment of severe personality disorders. He provided contract services to Providence St. Vincent Hospital for 10 years and functioned as the Clinical Supervisor of the Adult Psychiatric Unit for a majority of that time.

Dr. Akots will address:

Psychological factors associated with pain and pain amplification
The inherent utility and effectiveness of hypnosis for pain treatment
Hypnosis being integrated within various psychotherapeutic approaches
Using hypnosis with pain patients specifically

Hypnosis for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: What Underlies Treatment Effects?

September 28, 2007

Speaker: Roger D. Carlson, Ph.D.

Roger Carlson is a psychologist in private practice in the Portland area and is an authorized user of the Palsson IBS protocol. He has treated clients using the protocol who have reported marked reduction of IBS symptoms. Dr. Carlson is immediate past president of OSCH, and a member of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

A well-researched treatment protocol for irritable bowel syndrome has been developed by Dr. Olafur Palsson and his colleagues at the University of North Carolina. An outline of the protocol and its use will be presented. Its use boasts a success rate of over 80% in the reduction or elimination of IBS symptoms. The principle questions to be explored at our September meeting are: What are the processes that underlie the success of the use of this protocol? What principles as learned from the success of the use of the protocol might inform us about hypnotic treatments in other areas of somatic distress?

Integrating Treatment Modalities in Helping People with Chronic Pain

October 26, 2007

Speaker: Kern Olson, Ph.D.

Dr. Kern Olson was born, raised and educated in Minnesota. He completed graduate work in New Mexico (MA), Wyoming (Ph.D), and an internship at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Medical Psychology. He served as an Army Psychologist at the Presidio of Monterey. He directed the mental health center and saw clients in private practice in rural Wyoming for 10 years. He has been a licensed psychologist in Oregon since 1977. He helped found the pain management program at OHSU and the Pain management program at St Vincent Medical Center. He also helped develop the sleep disorders program at St. Vincent Medical Center. Dr. Olson is currently in private practice in northwest Portland specializing in pain management and treatment of sleep disorders.

Dr. Olson will present a brief historical overview of pain management and discuss the current model of pain and its treatment. He will explore the typical presentation of the patient with pain, addressing the question: who is our patient/client? Dr. Olson will outline treatment options, including suggestive therapies, and provide a demonstration using a combination of hypnotic relaxation technique and biofeedback.

Music Therapy: Sounding the Bridge Between Art and Science

November 30, 2007

Speaker: Christine Korb, MM, MT-BC

Christine Korb, MM, MT-BC is Director of Music Therapy and Associate Professor at Marylhurst University. She is a music therapy researcher, book reviewer, and published composer. She is principal investigator and creator of the Soul Song Project, a longitudinal research project surrounding choral singing. She describes herself as a dog lover, currently enjoying the company of two Shetland sheep dogs and an American Eskimo mix.

Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship. Music therapy is used to benefit children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease and other aging related conditions, substance abuse problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities, and acute and chronic pain. The idea of music as a healing influence that could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato and the discipline has been developed and formalized during the 20th century. Some applications of Music Therapy resemble goals and phenomena of hypnosis: focused attention which allows dissociation of perceptions and sensations, attending with intensity and precision to thoughts and events, and the ability to rally innate resources in unusual ways. Come and experience some aspects of Music Therapy and learn more about what it is, its many applications and contexts, and the education, research and organizations that support Music Therapy.

EFT: Cutting Edge Emotional Release

January 25, 2008

Speaker: Debbie Nesbitt, RN

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an effective healing modality based on the ancient principles of acupuncture. It is a simple tapping procedure that gently realigns the body’s energy system, without the use of needles. EFT incorporates an emotional element to the healing process, addressing unresolved emotional issues as a likely cause of physical disease, psychological dysfunction, and personal performance limits. EFT has been used successfully for a wide variety of issues and can be used as an adjunct with hypnotherapy. This evening’s discussion will review current research in energy psychology, present theories on how Emotional Freedom Technique works, but more importantly, will give you an opportunity to actually learn and experience EFT for yourself.

Debbie Nesbitt, a registered nurse for over 25 years, has a private practice in Vancouver, Washington specializing in the use of hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), guided imagery and Emotional Freedom Technique. She has additional training in holistic nursing, complementary medical hypnosis, Anodyne (hypnosis for pain management), and HypnoBirthing®. Debbie is currently working on a nursing master’s degree for Psychiatric Mental Health through Gonzaga University. Upon completion she plans to pursue a doctorate in nursing with an emphasis in using hypnosis for treating addictions. Committed to community, Debbie is the founder of a non-profit organization (Natural Approach to Parenting) and serves on the Clark County Substance Abuse Advisory Board.

February Meeting: Ericksonian Principles Applied to Unconscious Process and Communication

February 29, 2008

Speaker: Bart Walsh, MSW

Communication is always taking place in some form when two or more people are together. Only one portion of that communication is happening with conscious volition. Physical movement, posturing, affectation, eye position, vocal tone, choice of words and much more reflect other forms of expression, which may or may not be congruent with conscious intent. Various means of delivering and receiving information outside conscious awareness will be discussed and part of experiential exercises. This presentation will address some basic operating principles derived from the work of Milton H. Erickson and the practical application of these principles to hypnotherapeutic work.

Goldfinger: A Framework for Resolving Affect Using Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 40, No. 1, July 1997.
Utilization Sobriety: Brief, Individualized Substance Abuse Treatment Employing Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol.45, No. 3, January 2003
The Missing Link to Successful Weight Loss, co-authored with Annie McKenzie, Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2004.
Utilization Sobriety: A Substance Abuse Solution. Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2005.
Hypnotic alteration of body image in the eating disordered. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 50, No. 4, April, 2008.

In his spare time Bart loves to play and compose music.

Ericksonian Principles Applied to Unconscious Process and Communication

February 29, 2008

Speaker: Bart Walsh MSW

Bart Walsh, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and Diplomat in Clinical Social Work. Bart has extensive experience in community mental health and conducts a private psychotherapy practice, working with individuals, couples and families. His orientation to counseling, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy is essentially a strengths perspective with a solution focus. Bart also directs The Milton H. Erickson Institute of Portland. The Institute offers information, clinical services and training in hypnotherapy to qualified professionals. Bart has presented workshops domestically and in Europe. His publications include the following: • Goldfinger: A Framework for Resolving Affect Using Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 40, No. 1, July 1997. • Utilization Sobriety: Brief, Individualized Substance Abuse Treatment Employing Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol.45, No. 3, January 2003 • The Missing Link to Successful Weight Loss, co-authored with Annie McKenzie, Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2004. • Utilization Sobriety: A Substance Abuse Solution. Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2005. • Hypnotic alteration of body image in the eating disordered. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 50, No. 4, April, 2008. In his spare time Bart loves to play and compose music.

April Membership meeting: Hypnosis: Fallacies and Facts

April 25, 2008

Speaker: Robert Butler, Phd, ABPP

Dr. Butler's clinical interests focus on clinical neuropsychology, brain injury rehabilitation and hypnosis. He received his Ph.D. in 1984 from Ohio State University in Columbia, and completed his Neuropsychology fellowship at the University of California-Los Angeles. He became board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology (ABPP-Cn) in 1996 and has been associate professor in the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at the OHSU department of pediatrics. He was interviewed by the Oregonian for a recent article on the therapeutic benefits of clinical hypnosis.

Dr Butler will address issues of presenting clinical hypnosis to clients--how to uncover and address misconceptions they may have regarding hypnosis. He'll address fears such as surrendering control to another person, being influenced by another person, loss of consciousness, and what side effects there may be to hypnosis. In addition, he'll present the facts of the scientific basis of hypnosis and its use clinically with clear specific beneficial effects for many individuals in psychotherapy, stress management, and in enhancing quality of life.

May Membership meeting

May 30, 2008

Speaker: Susan Rustvold, DMD, MS

Dr. Rustvold works with patients having orofacial pain in the Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) clinic at Kaiser Permanente. She earned her DMD at OHSU in 1985 and MS in counselor education at PSU in 1996. She is past chair of the department of behavioral sciences at OHSU.

We have explored the scientific and research bases for the use of hypnosis in the management of acute and chronic pain in recent meetings. Here we focus on specific strategies and techniques and the situations or therapeutic goals for which they may be most beneficial. Cory Hammond, PhD (1990) outlined over thirty strategies for the use of clinical hypnosis in management of pain that he grouped under four broad treatment categories: 1. Unconscious exploration to enhance insight or resolve conflicts that contribute to or maintain pain 2. Creating anesthesia or analgesia 3. Cognitive-perceptual alteration of pain that is chronic and/or involves several sites 4. Decreasing awareness of pain (distraction techniques) Hammond’s framework will serve as a foundation for the presentation. Interview strategies for obtaining sensory and qualitative descriptions of the pain are included. In addition, scripts with commentary written by Marlene Hunter, MD, will be reviewed.

Neuroscience and Hypnosis. 6-9pm

July 18, 2008

Speaker: Amir Raz, PhD

Amir Raz received his Ph.D. in computation and information processing in the Brain from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He went on to be a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Michael I. Posner in the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, USA. He was then appointed to the position of assistant professor at Cornell University, and subsequently Columbia University, New York. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including the 2006 Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders and the 2005 Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association (Division 30). He is currently Associate Professor at McGill University and a diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Hypnosis. Using neuroimaging and other techniques, his research elucidates the relationship between disparate attention networks and attentional planes such as hypnosis.

Dr. Raz will address hypnosis and neuroscience: a cross talk between clinical and cognitive research. His research spans attention, expectation, placebo and consciousness, as well as developmental psychopathology and neuroimaging.

Hypnotic Alteration of Body Image in the Eating Disordered

September 26, 2008

Speaker: Bart Walsh MSW

Bart Walsh, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and Diplomat in Clinical Social Work. Bart has extensive experience in community mental health and conducts a private psychotherapy practice, working with individuals, couples, families and groups. His orientation to counseling, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy is essentially a strengths perspective with a solution focus. Bart also directs The Milton H. Erickson Institute of Portland. The Institute offers information, clinical services and training in hypnotherapy to qualified professionals. Areas of special training and focus include hypnotherapy, sex therapy, trauma recovery, chronic illness, eating disorders and substance abuse. Bart’s publications include the following: Goldfinger: A Framework for Resolving Affect Using Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 40, No. 1, July 1997. Utilization Sobriety: Brief, Individualized Substance Abuse Treatment Employing Ideomotor Questioning. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol.45, No. 3, January 2003 The Missing Link to Successful Weight Loss, co-authored with Annie McKenzie, Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2004. Utilization Sobriety: A Substance Abuse Solution. Peaceful Pilgrim Press, 2005. Hypnotic alteration of body image in the eating disordered. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 50, No. 4, April, 2008. In his spare time Bart loves to play and compose music.

Hypnosis lends itself nicely to certain aspects of eating disorder (ED) treatment, as eating disorders like anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) clearly display hypnotic trance phenomena. Changing or disrupting any element of an eating disorder complex may inspire beneficial shifts in other parts of the complex. This presentation illustrates a number of successfully applied hypnotic approaches designed to establish a reality-based body image in an eating disordered person over a relatively brief treatment sequence.