Efficacy of Hypnotherapy for Agoraphobia

With the present study, the efficacy of 8-12 sessions of individual Hypnotherapy will be compared to a wait-list control groups. At study entry and at the end of treatment with Hypnotherapy, the Agoraphobia symptoms will be assessed via clinician-rating and self-report. It is expected that Hypnotherapy will be superior to a wait-list control regarding the percentage reduction of the anxiety symptoms after three months of treatment.

Inclusion criteria

• Written informed consent
• Patient fulfills DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria for agoraphobia
• 18 - 65 years of age
• Sufficient knowledge of the German language in order to participate in the study
• Sufficient availability to participate in weekly therapy sessions

Exclusion criteria

• Acute suicidality (intended action, concrete plans or intermittent pronounced suicidal ideation)
• Lifetime diagnosis of a bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
• Alcohol or substance use disorder without abstinence in the last 12 months
• Severe cognitive impairments (in cases of suspicion evaluation via Mini Mental State Test (MMST) < 26, will be conducted)
• Other severe primary mental disorders to be treated: severe Major Depressive Disorder, severe personality disorder of borderline type with self-injury, severe combined personality disorder, actual posttraumatic stress disorder, anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive disorder
• Somatic disorder impeding participation in regular psychotherapy sessions
• Outpatient psychotherapy during the last twelve months.
• Medication with anxiolytics or anti-psychotics (antidepressant medication is permitted if stable since more than eight weeks and no planned changes during the duration of therapy)