Paradoxical hypnotic experiences in escaping constraining dilemmas: a clinical example

Deciding how to choose from opposing options often seriously impacts people's final selections. Such constraining options are frequently associated with feelings of hopelessness, depression, or chronic pain. As an example of such situations, a model is presented with material from a single case that utilized previous contradictory experiences in the treatment of a woman patient who suffers from chronic pelvic pain. The case summarizes how previous experiences, which have been paradoxical, can serve as substrates of behavioral change, which in turn can emerge in a way that allows the patient to integrate these experiences, personally and slowly, without conscious effort.