Relaxation and hypnosis in the treatment of insomnia.

Abstract The study compared the effectiveness of hypnosis and relaxation training in the treatment of insomnia among 22 student volunteers. Using a subjective rating scale, subjects in both the hypnosis and relaxation conditions reported substantial improvement in their sleep problem following training, but objective records showed that only subjects in the relaxation condition achieved a significant reduction in the actual incidence of insomnia. The difference between conditions may have been the result of lower expectation of success on the part of hypnosis subjects.