OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. It covers all evidence-based scientific studies on integrative, alternative and complementary approaches to improving health and wellness.

Topics contain but are not limited to:

  • Acupuncture
  • Acupressure
  • Acupotomy
  • Bioelectromagnetics applications
  • Pharmacological and biological treatments including their efficacy and safety
  • Diet, nutrition and lifestyle changes
  • Herbal medicine
  • Homeopathy
  • Manual healing methods (e.g., massage, physical therapy)
  • Kinesiology
  • Mind/body interventions
  • Preventive medicine
  • Research in integrative medicine
  • Education in integrative medicine
  • Related policies

The journal publishes a variety of article types: Original Research, Review, Communication, Opinion, Comment, Conference Report, Technical Note, Book Review, etc.

There is no restriction on paper length, provided that the text is concise and comprehensive. Authors should present their results in as much detail as possible, as reviewers are encouraged to emphasize scientific rigor and reproducibility.

Publication Speed (median values for papers published in 2023): Submission to First Decision: 5.9 weeks; Submission to Acceptance: 14.7 weeks; Acceptance to Publication: 8 days (1-2 days of FREE language polishing included)

Special Issue

Hypnosis: from Neural Mechanisms to Clinical Practice

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2019 (Closed) Submit Now

Guest Editor

Giuseppe De Benedittis, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and former Director of the Interdepartmental Pain Center, University of Milan, Italy
Vice-President of the Italian Society of Hypnosis
Member of the Board of the International Society of Hypnosis

Website | E-Mail

Research Interests: Neurophysiology of pain; Hypnotic analgesia; Psychodynamics of chronic pain

About This Topic

As an area of scientifìc inquiry and clinical practice, hypnosis dates back over 240 years, remaining a fascinating and elusive concept for science for a long time. However, the explosive advances in neuroscience in the last few decades have provided a ‘bridge of understanding’ between neural mechanisms and clinical practice. Nowadays, hypnosis is increasingly being recognized by the international scientific community not only as an effective technique for clinical applications (e.g., pain, a wide variety of psychological and psychosomatic disorders) but also as a valid and flexible physiological tool to explore the central and peripheral nervous system. This seems to be a real Copernican revolution in the field.

The future of hypnosis depends greatly on the capacity of hypnosis researchers to integrate hypnosis research into knowledge bases of research in broader areas. This goal can be achieved by capitalizing the potential of hypnosis to extend major socio-cognitive psychology, the neural basis of consciousness, and applications in medicine, psychology and psychiatry.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (icm@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Editorial

Hypnosis: From Neural Mechanisms to Clinical Practice

Received: 25 August 2020;  Published: 31 August 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2003039
Open Access Review

Hypnosis for Resilience

Received: 04 February 2020;  Published: 08 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2003032

Abstract

The topic of resilience is of paramount importance. Although the term resilience was coined in the fields of physics and engineering, its use has spread to the fields of social sciences, biology, psychology, and psychiatry, as well as to the industry. Moreover, the term is now endowed with a wide range of meanings. The topic of resilience [...]
Open Access Original Research

Hypnotic Responsiveness and Dissociation: A Multi-Variable Analysis

Received: 18 February 2020;  Published: 11 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002029

Abstract

Since Charcot [1], researchers and theorists have associated hypnotic responsiveness with dissociation. However, contemporary researchers have typically not documented impressive or statistically significant correlations between the most commonly used measure of dissociation, the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II [2, 3] and hypnotic responsive [...]
Open Access Review

Recent Insight on How the Neuroscientific Approach Helps Clinicians

Received: 14 February 2020;  Published: 09 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002028

Abstract

Hypnosis is a modified state of consciousness widely used to decrease pain perception in research protocols and clinical practice. In recent decades, hypnosis has been increasingly proposed to patients to re-engage their resources and capacities to modulate pain and emotional distress and to improve their treatment and recovery of well-being [...]
Open Access Project Report

Feeling Safe during Intensive Care: Protocol of a Pilot Study on Therapeutic Suggestions of Safety under Hypnosis in Patients with Non-Invasive Ventilation

Received: 11 December 2019;  Published: 28 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002025

Abstract

Patients in the intensive care unit are confronted with an extreme situation that may cause stress and anxiety. The negative experiences may cause patients to suffer for the long-term after leaving the intensive care unit. One such stressor in the intensive care unit is non-invasive ventilation. Positive therapeutic suggestions under hypnosis [...]
Open Access Review

Neural Mechanisms of Hypnotic Analgesia

Received: 18 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002023

Abstract

There is increasing evidence demonstrating that hypnosis could be effective in the down-modulation of pain sensation in both acute and chronic pain states. In the neurophysiological context, recent evidence has deciphered, to a certain extent, the mystery of pain relief upon hypnosis. It is probable that hypnotic suggestions of analgesia are [...]
Open Access Original Research

States of Consciousness, the qEEG, and Noetic Snapshots of the Brain/Mind Interface: A Case Study of Hypnosis and Sidhi Meditation

Received: 20 January 2020;  Published: 13 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002019

Abstract

Noetic analysis is a methodology to quantify the mind during hypnosis, meditation, or other stimulus conditions/states of consciousness in a reliable and valid manner. The methodology uses retrospective phenomenological assessment (RPA) to comprehensively assess subjective experience. By having the participant complete a first person, self [...]
Open Access Research Article

Electrodermal Correlates of Hypnosis: Current Developments

Received: 07 February 2020;  Published: 01 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002017

Abstract

Hypnosis has proven to be an effective treatment in disorders that affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, the studies investigating the nature of its effect on the ANS have reported contradictory results. Measurement of electrodermal activity (EDA) is an objective way to assess the activity of the sympathetic branch [...]
Open Access Original Research

Sociodemographic Variables and History of Trauma and Disease Influence Consciousness after Hypnotic Induction

Received: 01 January 2020;  Published: 17 March 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001014

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, several neuroimaging and neurophysiological experiments have lent support to the neuropsychology of consciousness, and several definitions have followed to describe it. The phenomenological perspective of consciousness facilitates the description of the individual’s awareness experience of internal states (e.g., perce [...]
Open Access Review

The Importance of Rapport in Hypnotic Clinical Practice

Received: 18 January 2020;  Published: 27 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001010

Abstract

This article is based on the assumption that the therapist's focused attention, open awareness and kind intention are the basic ingredients for creating a relationship of trust with the patient from the first session. He also stresses that when the attention of a genuine therapist, without prejudice or judgment, is centered on how the patient [...]
Open Access Review

Paradigms in Integrative Medicine and the Place of Clinical Hypnosis

Received: 20 January 2020;  Published: 19 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001007

Abstract

The face of illness has changed with progress in public health, immunizations, and antibiotic medication. Today, medical clinics are more likely to see patients with chronic illnesses, stress-related conditions, and complex bio-psycho-social conditions. This is a global trend, affecting patients worldwide, as Western lifestyle and diet have [...]
Open Access Review

Hypnosis for Clinical Pain Management: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews

Received: 30 December 2019;  Published: 05 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001005

Abstract

There is a growing body of research evaluating the effects of hypnosis for the management of clinical pain. A summary of the recent systematic review would help understand the quality of evidence regarding the efficacy of hypnosis, and provide directions for future research. We conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-anal [...]
Open Access Original Research

Imagined and Actual Movements with and without Suggestions for anesthesia in Subjects with Different Hypnotizability

Received: 10 September 2019;  Published: 18 December 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1904066

Abstract

Background: Hypnotizability is a psychophysiological trait associated with several differences including the level of functional equivalence (FE) between imagery and perception - that is similarity of the cortical activations and network configurations associated with each of them. FE is stronger in the individuals with high hypnotisabilit [...]
Open Access Comment

Clinical, Theoretical and Conceptual Issues in Chronic Pain and Their Application in a Hypnosis Practice

Received: 01 July 2019;  Published: 26 September 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1903057

Abstract

Hypnosis interventions consistently produce significant decreases in pain associated with a variety of chronic-pain problems (Elkins, Jensen & Patterson 2007) while neurophysiological studies have shown that specific hypnotic suggestions have clear effects on the brain and spinal cord functioning (Jensen & Patterson 2014; Flynn, 2019 [...]
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