A Meta‐Analysis of Hypnotherapeutic Techniques in the Treatment of PTSD Symptoms

The efficacy of hypnotherapeutic techniques as treatment for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was explored through meta‐analytic methods. Studies were selected through a search of 29 databases. Altogether, 81 studies discussing hypnotherapy and PTSD were reviewed for inclusion criteria. The outcomes of 6 studies representing 391participants were analyzed using meta‐analysis. Evaluation of effect sizes related to avoidance and intrusion, in addition to overall PTSD symptoms after hypnotherapy treatment, revealed that all studies showed that hypnotherapy had a positive effect on PTSD symptoms. The overall Cohen's d was large (−1.18) and statistically significant ( p < .001). Effect sizes varied based on study quality; however, they were large and statistically significant. Using the classic fail‐safe N to assess for publication bias, it was determined it would take 290 nonsignificant studies to nullify these findings.