Skip to main content
Originalarbeit

Die Wirkung von Hypnose auf Parameter des Immunsystems

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1026/1616-3443/a000605

Zusammenfassung.Theoretischer Hintergrund: Mit Hypnose können positive immunmodulierende und therapeutische Effekte bei psychischen sowie somatischen stress-assoziierten Erkrankungen erzielt werden. Fragestellung: Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit immunologischen Veränderungen durch Hypnose und zeigt potentielle zukünftige Forschungsfelder zu biomolekularen Wirkfaktoren von Hypnose auf. Methode: Es werden empirische Befunde zur Wirkung von Hypnose auf Parameter des Immunsystems zusammengefasst. Ergebnisse: Hypnose führt zu einer Anpassungsreaktion des Immunsystems in Form von Veränderungen in der Anzahl von Immunzellen und Zytokinen. Schlussfolgerung: Ein spannendes neues Forschungsfeld liegt in der Untersuchung der Wirkmechanismen von Hypnose auf das Immunsystem sowie dessen Interaktion mit dem Stresssystem und dem Energiemetabolismus.


The Effect of Hypnosis on Parameters of the Immune System

Abstract.Theoretical background: Hypnosis can be beneficial for achieving positive immunomodulatory and therapeutic effects in mental illness as well as in diseases associated with somatic stress. Objective: This research paper focuses on immunological changes induced by hypnosis and explores potential fields of research on the biomolecular effect of hypnosis. Methods: The empirical findings on the effects of hypnosis on immune system parameters are summarized. Results: Hypnosis can induce an adaptive response of the immune system by altering the number of immune cells and cytokines in the bloodstream. Conclusion: Studying the effects of hypnosis on the immune system and its interaction with the stress system and energy metabolism opens up an exciting novel field of research.

Literatur

  • Barling, N. R. & Raine, S. J. (2005). Some effects of hypnosis on negative affect and immune system response. Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 33 (2), 160. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Black, D. S. & Slavich, G. M. (2016). Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials: Mindfulness meditation and the immune system. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373 (1), 13 – 24. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12998 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Black, P. H. (2002). Stress and the inflammatory response: A review of neurogenic inflammation. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 16 (6), 622 – 653. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-1591(02)00021-1 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Boeck, C., Koenig, A. M., Schury, K., Geiger, M. L., Karabatsiakis, A., Wilker, S., Waller, C., Gündel, H., Fegert, J. M., Calzia, E. & Kolassa, I.-T. (2016). Inflammation in adult women with a history of child maltreatment: The involvement of mitochondrial alterations and oxidative stress. Mitochondrion, 30, 197 – 207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mito.2016.08.006 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Bongartz, W. (1993). Hypnose und immunologische Funktionen. In D. Revenstorf (Ed.), Klinische Hypnose (pp. 122 – 142). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77964-0_7 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bongartz, W. (1996). Der Einfluss von Hypnose und Stress auf das Blutbild: Psychohämatologische Studien. P. Lang. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bongartz, W., Flammer, E. & Schwonke, R. (2002). Die Effektivität der Hypnose: Eine meta-analytische Studie. Psychotherapeut, 47 (2), 67 – 76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00278-002-0207-z First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Brown, J., Mulhern, G. & Joseph, S. (2002). Incident-related stressors, locus of control, coping, and psychological distress among firefighters in Northern Ireland. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15 (2), 161 – 168. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014816309959 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Cloitre, M., Koenen, K. C., Cohen, L. R. & Han, H. (2002). Skills training in affective and interpersonal regulation followed by exposure: A phase-based treatment for PTSD related to childhood abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70 (5), 1067 – 1074. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.70.5.1067 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Danese, A. & Lewis, S. (2017). Psychoneuroimmunology of early-life stress: The hidden wounds of childhood trauma? Neuropsychopharmacology, 42 (1), 99 – 114. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.198 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Dietrich, A. & Al-Shawaf, L. (2018). The transient hypofrontality theory of altered states of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 25(11 – 12), 226 – 247. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Dolbier, C. L. & Rush, T. E. (2012). Efficacy of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation in a high-stress college sample. International Journal of Stress Management, 19 (1), 48 – 68. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027326 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Ebbing, H.-J. (2005). Einflüsse von Cortisol auf immunkompetente Zellen bei gesunden Probanden. Doctoral dissertation. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Elkins, G. R., Barabasz, A. F., Council, J. R. & Spiegel, D. (2015). Advancing research and practice: The revised APA Division 30 definition of hypnosis. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 57 (4), 378 – 385. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Fauci, A. S. (1975). Mechanisms of corticosteroid action on lymphocyte subpopulations. I. Redistribution of circulating T and b lymphocytes to the bone marrow. Immunology, 28 (4), 669 – 680. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Fauci, A. S. (1976). Mechanisms of corticosteroid action on lymphocyte subpopulations. II. Differential effects of in vivo hydrocortisone, prednisone and dexamethasone on in vitro expression of lymphocyte function. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 24 (1), 54 – 62. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Fox, P. A., Henderson, D. C., Barton, S. E., Champion, A. J., Rollin, M. S. H., Catalan, J., Mccormack, S. M. G. & Gruzelier, J. (1999). Immunological markers of frequently recurrent genital herpes simplex virus and their response to hypnotherapy: A pilot study. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 10 (11), 730 – 734. https://doi.org/10.1258/0956462991913420 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Glaser, R. & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (1997). Chronic stress modulates the virus-specific immune response to latent herpes simplex virus Type 1. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 19 (2), 78 – 82. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02883323 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Gruber, B. L., Hall, N. R., Hersh, S. P. & Dubois, P. (1988). Immune system and psychological changes in metastatic cancer patients using relaxation and guided imagery: A pilot study. Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy, 17 (1), 25 – 46. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506078809455814 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Gruzelier, J. (2002). A review of the impact of hypnosis, relaxation, guided imagery and individual differences on aspects of immunity and health. Stress, 5 (2), 147 – 163. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890290027877 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Gruzelier, J., Smith, F., Nagy, A. & Henderson, D. (2001). Cellular and humoral immunity, mood and exam stress: The influences of self-hypnosis and personality predictors. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 42 (1), 55 – 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8760(01)00136-2 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Hall, H. R. & Olness, K. (2015). Hypose, Imagination, Selbstregulierung und Immunaktivität. In Psychoneuroimmunologie und Psychotherapie. Schattauer. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hammond, D. C. (2010). Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 10 (2), 263 – 273. https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.09.140 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Heinrichs, M., Stächele, T. & Domes, G. (2015). Stress und Stressbewältigung. Hogrefe Verlag. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Herbert, T. B. & Cohen, S. (1993). Stress and immunity in humans: A meta-analytic review. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55 (4), 364 – 379. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199307000-00004 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Hewson-Bower, B. & Drummond, P. D. (1996). Secretory immunoglobulin a increases during relaxation in children with and without recurrent upper respiratory tract infections. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 17 (5), 311 – 316. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004703-199610000-00004 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Hilgard, E. R. (1965). Hypnotic susceptibility. Harcourt, Brace and World. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hitzler, M., Karabatsiakis, A. & Kolassa, I.-T. (2019). Biomolekulare Vulnerabilitätsfaktoren psychischer Erkrankungen: Einfluss von chronischem und traumatischem Stress auf Immunsystem, freie Radikale und Mitochondrien. Psychotherapeut, 64, 329 – 348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00278-019-0366-9 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Hudacek, K. D. (2007). A review of the effects of hypnosis on the immune system in breast cancer patients: A brief communication. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 55 (4), 411 – 425. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207140701506706 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Igarashi, H., Medina, K. L., Yokota, T., Rossi, M. I. D., Sakaguchi, N., Comp, P. C. & Kincade, P. W. (2005). Early lymphoid progenitors in mouse and man are highly sensitive to glucocorticoids. International Immunology, 17 (5), 501 – 511. https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxh230 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Johansson, B. & Uneståhl, L.-E. (2006). Stress reducing regulative effects of integrated mental training with self-hypnosis on the secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and cortisol in plasma: A pilot study. Contemporary Hypnosis, 23 (3), 101 – 110. https://doi.org/10.1002/ch.314 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Johnson, V. C., Walker, L. G., Heys, S. D., Whiting, P. H. & Eremin, O. (1996). Can relaxation training and hypnotherapy modify the immune response to stress, and is hypnotizability relevant? Contemporary Hypnosis, 13 (2), 100 – 108. https://doi.org/10.1002/ch.56 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Karrasch, S., Hitzler, M., Gumpp, A. M., Karabatsiakis, A. & Kolassa, I.-T. (2020). Molekulartoxische Folgen von chronischem und traumatischem Stress und deren Reversibilität durch entspannungs- und achtsamkeitsbasierte Interventionen. Verhaltenstherapie, 30 (1), 29 – 43. https://doi.org/10.1159/000505380 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Glaser, R., Strain, E. C., Stout, J. C., Tarr, K. L., Holliday, J. E. & Speicher, C. E. (1986). Modulation of cellular immunity in medical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 9 (1), 5 – 21. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844640 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Marucha, P. T., Atkinson, C. & Glaser, R. (2001). Hypnosis as a modulator of cellular immune dysregulation during acute stress. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69 (4), 674 – 682. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.69.4.674 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Preacher, K. J., MacCallum, R. C., Atkinson, C., Malarkey, W. B. & Glaser, R. (2003). Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100 (15), 9090 – 9095. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1531903100 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Kirsch, I., Montgomery, G. & Sapirstein, G. (1995). Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63 (2), 214 – 220. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.63.2.214 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Kossak, H.-C. (2000). Hypnose. In M. LindenM. Hautzinger (Eds.), Verhaltenstherapiemanual: Techniken, Einzelverfahren und Behandlungsanleitungen (pp. 197 – 207). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10777-5_36 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lill-Elghanian, D., Schwartz, K., King, L. & Fraker, P. (2002). Glucocorticoid-Induced Apoptosis in Early B Cells from Human Bone Marrow. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 227 (9), 763 – 770. https://doi.org/10.1177/153537020222700907 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Mawdsley, J. E., Jenkins, D. G., Macey, M. G., Langmead, L. & Rampton, D. S. (2008). The effect of hypnosis on systemic and rectal mucosal measures of inflammation in ulcerative colitis. Official Journal of the American College of Gastroenterology | ACG, 103 (6), 1460 – 1469. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Maydych, V., Claus, M., Dychus, N., Ebel, M., Damaschke, J., Diestel, S., Wolf, O. T., Kleinsorge, T. & Watzl, C. (2017). Impact of chronic and acute academic stress on lymphocyte subsets and monocyte function. PLOS ONE, 12 (11), e0188108. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188108 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Miller, G. E. & Cohen, S. (2001). Psychological interventions and the immune system: A meta-analytic review and critique. Health Psychology, 20 (1), 47 – 63. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.20.1.47 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Milling, L. S., Valentine, K. E., McCarley, H. S. & LoStimolo, L. M. (2018). A meta-analysis of hypnotic interventions for depression symptoms: High hopes for hypnosis? American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 61 (3), 227 – 243. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2018.1489777 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Mills, E. L., Kelly, B. & O’Neill, L. A. J. (2017). Mitochondria are the powerhouses of immunity. Nature Immunology, 18 (5), 488 – 498. https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3704 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Neumann, P. (2005). The use of hypnosis in modifying immune system response. Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 33 (2), 140. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Niggemann, B. & Zänker, K. S. (2015). Immunologische Grundlagen der Psychoneuroimmunologie. In Psychoneuroimmunologie und Psychotherapie (pp. 50 – 65). Schattauer. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • OECD. (2018). Health at a glance: Europe 2018 : State of health in the EU cycle. OECD Publishing. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • OECD & European Union. (2020). Health at a glance: Europe 2020: State of health in the EU cycle. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/82129230-en First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Olness, K., Culbert, T. & Uden, D. (1989). Self-regulation of salivary immunoglobulin a by children. Pediatrics, 83 (1), 66 – 71. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Rotaru, T.-Ștefan & Rusu, A. (2016). A meta-analysis for the efficacy of hypnotherapy in alleviating PTSD symptoms. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 64 (1), 116 – 136. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2015.1099406 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Wisniewski, S. R., Nierenberg, A. A., Stewart, J. W., Warden, D., Niederehe, G., Thase, M. E., Lavori, P. W., Lebowitz, B. D., McGrath, P. J., Rosenbaum, J. F., Sackeim, H. A., Kupfer, D. J., Luther, J. & Fava, M. (2006). Acute and longer-term outcomes in depressed outpatients requiring one or several treatment steps: A STAR*D report. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163 (11), 1905 – 1917. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.11.1905 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Ruzyla-Smith, P., Barabasz, A., Barabasz, M. & Warner, D. (1995). Effects of hypnosis on the immune response: B-cells, T-cells, helper and suppressor cells. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 38(2), 71 – 79. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Sakaguchi, S., Yamaguchi, T., Nomura, T. & Ono, M. (2008). Regulatory T cells and immune tolerance. Cell, 133 (5), 775 – 787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2008.05.009 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Sandhir, R., Halder, A. & Sunkaria, A. (2017). Mitochondria as a centrally positioned hub in the innate immune response. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Molecular Basis of Disease, 1863 (5), 1090 – 1097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.10.020 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Schoen, M. & Nowack, K. (2013). Reconditioning the stress response with hypnosis CD reduces the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and influences resilience: A pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 19 (2), 83 – 88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.12.004 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Steffen, A., Thom, J., Jacobi, F., Holstiege, J. & Bätzing, J. (2020). Trends in prevalence of depression in Germany between 2009 and 2017 based on nationwide ambulatory claims data. Journal of Affective Disorders, 271, 239 – 247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.082 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Trakhtenberg, E. C. (2008). The effects of guided imagery on the immune system: A critical review. International Journal of Neuroscience, 118 (6), 839 – 855. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207450701792705 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Trautmann, S., Rehm, J. & Wittchen, H. (2016). The economic costs of mental disorders: Do our societies react appropriately to the burden of mental disorders? EMBO Reports, 17 (9), 1245 – 1249. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201642951 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Turakitwanakan, W., Mekseepralard, C. & Busarakumtragul, P. (2013). Effects of mindfulness meditation on serum cortisol of medical students. 96, 7. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Walker, L. G. (2004). Hypnotherapeutic insights and interventions: A cancer odyssey. Contemporary Hypnosis, 21 (1), 35 – 45. https://doi.org/10.1002/ch.286 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Weicker, H. & Werle, E. (1991). Interaction between hormones and the immune system. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 12(S 1), S30–S37 https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-1024747 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • West, A. P., Shadel, G. S. & Ghosh, S. (2011). Mitochondria in innate immune responses. Nature Reviews Immunology, 11 (6), 389 – 402. https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2975 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Whitehouse, W. G., Dinges, D. F., Orne, E. C., Keller, S. E., Bates, B. L., Bauer, N. K., Morahan, P., Haupt, B. A., Carlin, M. M., Bloom, P. B., Zaugg, L. & Orne, M. T. (1996). Psychosocial and immune effects of self-hypnosis training for stress management throughout the first semester of medical school. Psychosomatic Medicine, 58 (3), 249 – 263. First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Willemsen, R., Vanderlinden, J., Deconinck, A. & Roseeuw, D. (2006). Hypnotherapeutic management of alopecia areata. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 55 (2), 233 – 237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2005.09.025 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Woof, J. M. & Kerr, M. A. (2006). The function of immunoglobulin A in immunity. The Journal of Pathology, 208 (2), 270 – 282. https://doi.org/10.1002/path.1877 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Yu, D. T., Clements, P. J., Paulus, H. E., Peter, J. B., Levy, J. & Barnett, E. V. (1974). Human lymphocyte subpopulations. Effect of corticosteroids. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 53 (2), 565 – 571. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI107591 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Zachariae, R., Hansen, J. B., Andersen, M., Jinquan, T., Petersen, K. S., Simonsen, C., Zachariae, C. & Thestrup-Pedersen, K. (1994). Changes in cellular immune function after immune specific guided imagery and relaxation in high and low hypnotizable healthy subjects. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 61(1 – 2), 74 – 92. https://doi.org/10.1159/000288872 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • Zech, N., Hansen, E., Bernardy, K. & Häuser, W. (2017). Efficacy, acceptability and safety of guided imagery/hypnosis in fibromyalgia – A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Pain, 21 (2), 217 – 227. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.933 First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar