Recommended Reading:
Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy
We strongly recommend that all students subscribe to The International Journal for Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis (IJCEH) the leading research journal in the field of hypnosis. IJCEH subscription is free with registration for REBHP members. Other leading journals in the field are the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (AJCH) and the British journal Contemporary Hypnosis. You can also visit our Listmania list on Amazon UK, where books may be purchased.
Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy List on Amazon UK
We have marked the most important books below with an asterisk (*). Many important books on hypnosis are out of print or difficult to obtain. Abe Books is probably the largest marketplace for books on the internet and the best place to look for copies of old textbooks.
The main books recommended for diploma students are,
- Essentials of Clinical Hypnosis: An Evidence-Based Approach (2006) by Lynn & Kirsch
- Hartland's Medical & Dental Hypnosis: Fourth Edition (2001) by Heap & Aravind
- Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions & Metaphors (1990) edited by Hammond
- Evidence-Based Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2009) by Dobson & Dobson
See below for more information on these titles.
1. General Hypnotherapy
* The Discovery of Hypnosis: The Complete Writings of James Braid (2009)
Donald Robertson (ed.)
This is the complete edition of James Braid's writings, the founder of hypnotherapy in his own words with preface and commentary by Donald Robertson, principal of the UK College.
* Hartland's Medical and Dental Hypnosis: Fourth Edition (2001)
Michael Heap & Kottiyattil K. Aravind
This is the main general-purpose textbook we recommend for clinical hypnotherapy.
* Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors (1990)
D. Corydon Hammond
This is the best collection of scripts and techniques, containing excerpts from many different respected authors.
The Practice of Hypnotism: Second Edition (2000)
André M. Weitzenhoffer
A well-respected textbook giving an overview of hypnotherapy.
Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: In Medicine, Dentistry, and Psychology, Second Revised Edition (2007)
William S. Kroger
A traditional clinical textbook by well-respected author with a broadly behavioural orientation.
DSM-IV-TR: Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: 4th Edition (2000)
The American Psychiatric Association (APA)
The main reference book classifying psychiatric conditions.
The New Encyclopaedia of Stage Hypnotism (1996)
Ormond McGill
The main textbook of stage hypnosis, not recommended except as an example of this approach to hypnosis.
2. Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy
* Essentials of Clinical Hypnosis: An Evidence-Based Approach (2006)
Steven Jay Lynn & Irving Kirsch
An excellent introduction overview of the evidence-based / cognitive-behavioural approach to clinical hypnosis written by two of the most prolific researchers in the field.
* Cognitive Hypnotherapy: An Integrated Approach to the Treatment of Emotional Disorders (2008)
Assen Alladin
A recent textbook by a well-respected authority on cognitive hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy: A New Approach (1987)
William L. Golden, E. Thomas Dowd & F. Friedberg
A small book providing a good introduction to a cognitive-behavioural approach.
Cognitive Hypnotherapy (2000)
E. Thomas Dowd
A good overview of Dowd’s approach which combines Beck’s cognitive therapy with hypnosis.
They Call it Hypnosis (1990)
Robert A. Baker
An excellent, very readable book, on the cognitive-behavioural theory of hypnotism; not a clinical textbook.
* The Clinical Use of Hypnosis in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (2006)
Robin A. Chapman (ed.)
A collection of articles by different authors.
Hypnosis & Behaviour Modification: Imagery Conditioning (1976)
William S. Kroger & William D. Fezler
An early textbook on behavioural hypnotherapy.
Hypnotism: Imagination, and Human Potentialities (1974)
T.X. Barber, N.P. Spanos, & J.F. Chaves
A seminal review of the research supporting a cognitive-behavioural (non-state) theory of hypnosis.
Clinical Hypnosis & Self-Regulation: Cognitive Behavioural Perspectives (1999)
Irving Kirsch, Antonio Capafons, Etzel Cardeña-Buelna & Salvador Amigó
An important collection of articles on cognitive-behavioural approaches to hypnosis and self-hypnosis training.
* Hypnosis & Behavior Therapy: The Treatment of Anxiety & Phobias (1983)
J. Christopher Clarke & J. Arthur Jackson
An early and well-designed textbook on behavioural hypnotherapy; despite the title it also contains references to the cognitive and rational therapies of Beck and Ellis as used in hypnosis.
3. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Dummies (2006)
R. Wilson
A simple overview and introduction.
* Evidence-Based Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2009)
Deborah Dobson & Keith Dobson
A very thorough and up-to-date introduction to CBT, based on contemporary research evidence.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (1980)
David Burns
A popular self-help book based on Aaron Beck’s cognitive therapy.
* Cognitive Therapy & the Emotional Disorders (1976)
Aaron Beck
A seminal textbook giving an overview of Beck’s cognitive therapy in the treatment of different conditions.
Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide (1998)
Albert Ellis & Catherine MacLaren
This short book provides a good introduction to Ellis’ REBT approach.
* The Practice of Behaviour Therapy, Fourth Revised Edition (1990)
Joseph Wolpe
The principal textbook of behaviour therapy. Particularly relevant to hypnotherapy given the similarities with Wolpe’s systematic desensitisation.
The Practice of Multimodal Therapy (1981)
Arnold A. Lazarus
A key textbook outlining Lazarus’ Multimodal Therapy (MMT).