A national survey of hypnosis training--its status in psychiatric residency programs: a brief communication

Hypnosis training in psychiatric residency programs has not previously been well documented in the literature. This article examines the extent of such training in residency programs and the attitudes of residency directors to training and the use of hypnosis. A brief survey requesting information on hypnosis training was sent to all psychiatric residency directors in the United States. Sixty-three percent of responding program directors (n = 154) report offering either required or elective coursework in hypnosis. Of programs offering hypnosis training, the mean number of hours was 8, suggesting that many psychiatrists have only limited exposure to hypnosis during residency. The authors conclude that hypnosis training is widely variable within psychiatric residency programs and is dependent on the faculty and training director interests within individual programs.