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Psychosocial Genomics

An Introduction to Psychosocial Genomics: How the body speaks to us about the effects of non-invasive processes such as therapeutic hypnosis
Hill, R. 2010 . Australian Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis 31 (1), pp. 5-16

Until recently, therapeutic hypnosis and the mind-body therapies have had little capacity to make empirical measurements of their benefit with an objective, common standard of reference. Among many therapies such as the talk therapy (e.g. cognitive-behaviour psychotherapy, counselling, etc), energy therapies(e.g.reiki,acupuncture,homeopathy) and massage therapies (e.g. remedial, Shiatsu, trigger point), for example, there Is no general agreed upon measure by which they can all be evaluated. Mostly, studies have depended upon phenomenological reporting of improvement In sense of well-being, affect, and other perceptions of health improvement. By its nature, however, phenomenological reporting has a high level of subjectivity. Although subjectivity In itself is not a reason to discount such evidence, it would certainly be beneficial if there was a way of objectively measuring responses In the body. After several decades of prescient study, Ernest Rossi (1986, 2002, 2004, 2007) has found a common, objective measurement, which provides a yardstick that transcends personal subjectivity. He proposes that the new DNA microarray technology provides objective evidence for evaluating all the mindbody therapies. This new field of empirical investigation, which he calls, “Psychosocial Genomics,” measures changes in the deep psychoblological process of “activity or experience-dependent gene expression and brain plasticity”associated with creativity and psychotherapy. By examining which genes are turned on or off before and after therapeutic hypnosis, Rossi has been able to establish that genes beneficial to health and well being are expressed in the hours and days following the use of his Activity-Dependent Mirror Hand Protocol for therapeutic hypnosis (Rossi, lannotti et al., 2008). This paper outlines the conceptions and research of Ernest Rossi into the deep psychoblological basis of consciousness and the nascent possibilities for future research in therapeutic hypnosis and all the mind-body therapies.