Dr. Fredric Mau

Dr. Fredric Mau recently contributed to the upcoming fifth edition of Essential Psychopathology and Its Treatment, a psychiatric textbook published by Norton. He has served on the medical faculty of a psychiatry residency program, has written three books, and is an international keynote speaker on hypnosis and mental health counseling. In clinical practice for over 20 years, he brings solid practical experience and academic research to his presentations.

Website: https://watermarkcolumbia.com/

Presentation 1:

Matching diagnosis and treatment: The neuroscience of hypnosis and clinical practice

And understanding of how hypnosis aligns neurologically with clinical posttraumatic responses, anxiety disorders, unipolar depression, somatic (body) symptom and dissociative disorders will allow you to more effectively focus your clinical practice.

Content of the presentation

We have reached the point where neurological studies can indicate more effective means of therapy. Modern neuroimaging has shown exactly how hypnosis operates in the brain, and surprisingly this allows us to relate this treatment to specific diagnoses. While cognitive therapies tend to seek symptom management, hypnosis is about fundamentally altering experience, frequently with a goal of eliminating symptoms. This process is solution-focused, brief, and based on emotional rather than cognitive change. It is a standard of care process, not complimentary or alternative. Generally hypnosis is effective for posttraumatic disorders, anxiety and related disorders (such as tics and phobias), somatic symptom and functional neurological disorders, dissociative disorders and unipolar depression, as well as physical pain relief.

Goal of the presentation

Participants will be able to describe the functioning of hypnosis in the brain, relate this to specific diagnoses, and use this information to more effectively focus therapy for clients.

What makes the presentation unique?

The concept of neurologically aligning treatment type with diagnosis is new. Our previous understanding of brain function has been insufficient for this type of analysis.

Presentation 2:

A Practical Use for Rapid Induction in Clinical Hypnosis: Functional Neurological Syndrome Disorders

This is a practical demonstration of a hypnosis party trick which actually is very effective in treating a serious and debilitating mental health issue that currently has no standard treatment!

Content of the presentation

Your client has a medical symptom, but physicians have ruled out a medical cause. Good news: hypnosis is a great neurological fit for treating that. More interesting: Rapid hypnotic induction actually helps! We will explore how hypnosis works in the brain, and how this relates to this specific treatment. This is literally a hands-on demonstration which will show participants exactly how to use this technique with clients.

Goal of the presentation

Participants will be able to describe the neurology of this technique, and use it in clinical practice with clients.

What makes the presentation unique?

There are no standard of care treatments for Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (also known as Conversion Disorder, or by the older name Hysteria). This is a simple, effective, and fun technique for healing FNSD, which looks very different from most forms of clinical hypnosis.

Presentation 3:

Do We have an Ethical Responsibility to Prevent PTSD?

The genetics of hypnotizablity reveal a surprising finding – it is likely that we can predict which individuals are more likely to experience posttraumatic and chronic pain responses to trauma and injury; but what do we do with this information?

Content of the presentation

Genetic research on hypnotizability now exists which indicates that an inexpensive and currently available genetic test may be able to determine which individuals are more likely to exhibit clinical responses to traumatic events, as well as an increased likelihood to experience chronic pain following physical injury.
If this can be validated, do we as a society have an ethical responsibility to screen applicants for jobs where trauma is likely (such as the military or first responders)? If so, how should the information be handled? Or do we even have a right to do this? Or liability if we don’t?

Goal of the presentation

Participants will be able to describe and evaluate a significant emerging ethical issue, as well as the genetic basis for hypnotizability.

What makes the presentation unique?

This is a new and significant ethical issue which has not been raised or addressed in current literature.