RESOURCES
Finding Research
Evidence-based practice requires therapists to stay current with the research relevant to their work. This page sets out where that research is published and how to find it.
Dedicated hypnosis journals
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (IJCEH)
First published in 1953, IJCEH is the journal of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, published by Taylor and Francis. It covers empirical research, clinical trials of hypnosis interventions, neurophysiological studies and systematic reviews, and is generally regarded as the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field.
American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (AJCH)
The official publication of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, published quarterly by Taylor and Francis. It carries empirical research, case studies and treatment models, and is more clinically oriented than IJCEH, with a stronger case-study tradition.
Contemporary Hypnosis and Integrative Therapy
The journal of the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis and the European Society of Hypnosis, published by Crown House. It is the UK and European journal of record for the field.
Print publication ceased in 2022. Check current availability before relying on it as a live subscription.
Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
A peer-reviewed journal published by the Australian Society of Hypnosis, useful for Southern Hemisphere research.
Where else to look
Most clinically significant research on hypnosis is not published in the hypnosis journals. Work on a specific condition usually appears in the journal for that condition. Research on hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome, for example, is published in gastroenterology journals rather than in hypnosis titles.
- Cognitive behavioural and clinical psychology: Behaviour Research and Therapy, Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Cognitive Therapy and Research, Clinical Psychology Review, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, British Journal of Clinical Psychology.
- Pain: Pain, The Journal of Pain, European Journal of Pain.
- Gastroenterology: Gut, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Neurogastroenterology and Motility.
- General medicine and psychosomatics: Psychosomatic Medicine, and occasional high-profile work in The Lancet and the BMJ.
How to search
- PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov): free, the primary route into the biomedical literature, and the best starting point for most searches.
- Cochrane Library (cochranelibrary.com): systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the highest tier of evidence synthesis, with free access in the UK via the NHS.
- PsycINFO: the American Psychological Association’s psychology database, usually available through institutional or professional body access.
- NICE Guidance (nice.org.uk): UK clinical guidelines.
- Google Scholar (scholar.google.com): broad coverage, useful for citation tracking and finding accessible full text, though less precise than PubMed.
- Trip (tripdatabase.com): clinical meta-search across journals, Cochrane reviews and guidelines, supporting structured searching.
A note on evidence quality
Not all published research carries equal weight. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses synthesise multiple studies and sit above individual randomised controlled trials, which in turn sit above single case studies and uncontrolled observations. The Cochrane Library is the primary source for evidence synthesis.
Members should note that the evidence base develops over time. Positions that were current a decade ago may have been revised.
Last reviewed: September 2026.