View in EDS

The Effects of Hypnotherapy on Cognitive Flexibility, Rumination and Stigma in Alzheimer's Patients: A Quasi‐Experimental Study.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Effects of Hypnotherapy on Cognitive Flexibility, Rumination and Stigma in Alzheimer's Patients: A Quasi‐Experimental Study.
Authors: Homayoon, Mohammadreza Noroozi (AUTHOR), Damirchi, Esmaeil Sadri (AUTHOR), Lester, David (AUTHOR)
Source: Counselling & Psychotherapy Research. Jun2026, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p1-10. 10p.
Subjects: Alzheimer's disease treatment, Repeated measures design, Effect sizes (Statistics), Independent living, T-test (Statistics), Data analysis, Clinical trials, Executive function, Rumination (Cognition), Treatment effectiveness, Judgment sampling, Chi-squared test, Descriptive statistics, Control groups, Pre-tests & post-tests, Hypnotism, Research methodology, Analysis of variance, Statistics, Psychological tests, Comparative studies, Data analysis software, Cognitive flexibility, Social stigma, Evaluation, Old age
Geographic Terms: Iran
Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) on improving cognitive flexibility, reducing rumination and alleviating perceived stigma in elderly individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Ardabil, Iran. Methods: In a quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test and post‐test measurements, 70 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease were recruited from memory clinics and daycare centres in Ardabil, Iran. Participants were non‐randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 35), receiving 12 weekly sessions of cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy, or the control group (n = 35), receiving standard care. Outcomes were assessed using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI‐8) at baseline and post‐intervention. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive flexibility (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.57) compared to the control group. Additionally, significant reductions were observed in rumination (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.60) and perceived stigma (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.56) among participants who received hypnotherapy. In contrast, the control group showed no significant changes across any outcome measures. Large effect sizes (η2 > 0.50) indicated clinically meaningful improvements in all target variables. Conclusion: Cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy appears to be an effective non‐pharmacological intervention for enhancing cognitive flexibility and reducing both rumination and stigma in elderly individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that hypnotherapy may contribute to improved psychological well‐being and adaptive functioning in this clinical population. However, given the quasi‐experimental nature of this study, future research employing randomised controlled trials with larger and more diverse samples, longer follow‐up periods and exploration of neurobiological mechanisms is warranted. Hypnotherapy should be considered as a complementary approach within comprehensive, multidisciplinary care models for Alzheimer's disease. Implications for Policy & Practice: The findings suggest that cognitive‐behavioral hypnotherapy should be integrated into standard dementia care protocols as a cost‐effective non‐pharmacological intervention. Policymakers should allocate resources for training mental health professionals in hypnotherapy techniques tailored for Alzheimer's patients. Healthcare systems at memory clinics and daycare centers can implement these programmes to enhance cognitive flexibility and reduce psychological distress. The reduction in stigma supports incorporating hypnotherapy into psychoeducational interventions that improve patients' quality of life and social engagement. Finally, these results advocate for including hypnotherapy in national dementia strategies, particularly in under‐resourced settings where accessible psychological interventions are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Counselling & Psychotherapy Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 194812982
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Effects of Hypnotherapy on Cognitive Flexibility, Rumination and Stigma in Alzheimer&#39;s Patients: A Quasi‐Experimental Study.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Homayoon%2C+Mohammadreza+Noroozi%22&quot;&gt;Homayoon, Mohammadreza Noroozi&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Damirchi%2C+Esmaeil+Sadri%22&quot;&gt;Damirchi, Esmaeil Sadri&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Lester%2C+David%22&quot;&gt;Lester, David&lt;/searchLink&gt; (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22Counselling+%26+Psychotherapy+Research%22&quot;&gt;Counselling &amp; Psychotherapy Research&lt;/searchLink&gt;. Jun2026, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p1-10. 10p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Alzheimer&#39;s+disease+treatment%22&quot;&gt;Alzheimer&#39;s disease treatment&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Repeated+measures+design%22&quot;&gt;Repeated measures design&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Effect+sizes+%28Statistics%29%22&quot;&gt;Effect sizes (Statistics)&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Independent+living%22&quot;&gt;Independent living&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22T-test+%28Statistics%29%22&quot;&gt;T-test (Statistics)&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Data+analysis%22&quot;&gt;Data analysis&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Clinical+trials%22&quot;&gt;Clinical trials&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Executive+function%22&quot;&gt;Executive function&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Rumination+%28Cognition%29%22&quot;&gt;Rumination (Cognition)&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Treatment+effectiveness%22&quot;&gt;Treatment effectiveness&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Judgment+sampling%22&quot;&gt;Judgment sampling&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Chi-squared+test%22&quot;&gt;Chi-squared test&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Descriptive+statistics%22&quot;&gt;Descriptive statistics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Control+groups%22&quot;&gt;Control groups&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Pre-tests+%26+post-tests%22&quot;&gt;Pre-tests &amp; post-tests&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Hypnotism%22&quot;&gt;Hypnotism&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Research+methodology%22&quot;&gt;Research methodology&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Analysis+of+variance%22&quot;&gt;Analysis of variance&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Statistics%22&quot;&gt;Statistics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychological+tests%22&quot;&gt;Psychological tests&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Comparative+studies%22&quot;&gt;Comparative studies&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Data+analysis+software%22&quot;&gt;Data analysis software&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Cognitive+flexibility%22&quot;&gt;Cognitive flexibility&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Social+stigma%22&quot;&gt;Social stigma&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Evaluation%22&quot;&gt;Evaluation&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Old+age%22&quot;&gt;Old age&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Iran%22&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) on improving cognitive flexibility, reducing rumination and alleviating perceived stigma in elderly individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer&#39;s disease (AD) in Ardabil, Iran. Methods: In a quasi‐experimental design with pre‐test and post‐test measurements, 70 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer&#39;s disease were recruited from memory clinics and daycare centres in Ardabil, Iran. Participants were non‐randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 35), receiving 12 weekly sessions of cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy, or the control group (n = 35), receiving standard care. Outcomes were assessed using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI‐8) at baseline and post‐intervention. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive flexibility (p &lt; 0.001, partial η2 = 0.57) compared to the control group. Additionally, significant reductions were observed in rumination (p &lt; 0.001, partial η2 = 0.60) and perceived stigma (p &lt; 0.001, partial η2 = 0.56) among participants who received hypnotherapy. In contrast, the control group showed no significant changes across any outcome measures. Large effect sizes (η2 &gt; 0.50) indicated clinically meaningful improvements in all target variables. Conclusion: Cognitive‐behavioural hypnotherapy appears to be an effective non‐pharmacological intervention for enhancing cognitive flexibility and reducing both rumination and stigma in elderly individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer&#39;s disease. These findings suggest that hypnotherapy may contribute to improved psychological well‐being and adaptive functioning in this clinical population. However, given the quasi‐experimental nature of this study, future research employing randomised controlled trials with larger and more diverse samples, longer follow‐up periods and exploration of neurobiological mechanisms is warranted. Hypnotherapy should be considered as a complementary approach within comprehensive, multidisciplinary care models for Alzheimer&#39;s disease. Implications for Policy &amp; Practice: The findings suggest that cognitive‐behavioral hypnotherapy should be integrated into standard dementia care protocols as a cost‐effective non‐pharmacological intervention. Policymakers should allocate resources for training mental health professionals in hypnotherapy techniques tailored for Alzheimer&#39;s patients. Healthcare systems at memory clinics and daycare centers can implement these programmes to enhance cognitive flexibility and reduce psychological distress. The reduction in stigma supports incorporating hypnotherapy into psychoeducational interventions that improve patients&#39; quality of life and social engagement. Finally, these results advocate for including hypnotherapy in national dementia strategies, particularly in under‐resourced settings where accessible psychological interventions are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Counselling &amp; Psychotherapy Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194812982
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/capr.70119
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Alzheimer's disease treatment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Repeated measures design
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Effect sizes (Statistics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Independent living
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: T-test (Statistics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Clinical trials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Executive function
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rumination (Cognition)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Treatment effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Judgment sampling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Chi-squared test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Control groups
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pre-tests & post-tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hypnotism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Analysis of variance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Comparative studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive flexibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social stigma
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Old age
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Iran
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Effects of Hypnotherapy on Cognitive Flexibility, Rumination and Stigma in Alzheimer's Patients: A Quasi‐Experimental Study.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Homayoon, Mohammadreza Noroozi
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Damirchi, Esmaeil Sadri
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lester, David
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 14733145
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 26
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Counselling & Psychotherapy Research
              Type: main
ResultId 1