Conclusions Due to exploratory design s and high risk of bias , the effectiveness of hypnosis or hypnotherapy in stress reduction remains still unclear .
Background Although hypnosis and hypnotherapy have become more popular in recent years , the evidence for hypnosis to influence perceived stress is unclear .
In this systematic review we search ed and evaluated r and omized clinical studies investigating the effect of hypnosis on perceived stress reduction and coping .
Effects of a Behavioral Stress-Management Program on Anxiety, Mood, Self-Esteem, and T-Cell Count in HIV-Positive Men
This study evaluated the effects of a behavioral stress-management program on anxiety , mood , self-esteem , and T-cell count in a group of HIV-positive men who were asymptomatic except for T-cell counts below 400 . The program consisted of 20 biweekly sessions of progressive muscle relaxation and electromyograph biofeedback-assisted relaxation training , meditation , and hypnosis .  Ten subjects were r and omly assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group , and the 2 groups were compared on pre- to posttreatment changes in the dependent measures . Analysis showed that , compared with the no-treatment group , the treatment group showed significant improvement on all the dependent measures , which was maintained at a 1-mo . follow-up . Since stress is known to compromise the immune system , these results suggest that stress management to reduce arousal of the nervous system and anxiety would be an appropriate component of a treatment regimen for HIV infection
Conclusions Due to exploratory design s and high risk of bias , the effectiveness of hypnosis or hypnotherapy in stress reduction remains still unclear .
Background Although hypnosis and hypnotherapy have become more popular in recent years , the evidence for hypnosis to influence perceived stress is unclear .
In this systematic review we search ed and evaluated r and omized clinical studies investigating the effect of hypnosis on perceived stress reduction and coping .