Our study examines the effect of hypnosis upon 36 individuals who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder incurred in battles or training. The hypnotherapy stresses elements of odor, both in conditioning the subject to relate certain pleasant odors with security and calm, and in gradually reexposing the patient to the olfactory aspects of the traumatic memories. All subjects are taken form the Israel Defense Forces Mental Health Clinic, treated with 6 one-and-a-half-hour hypnotherapy sessions, and evaluated at baseline, end of treatment, after 6 months, and after 12 months, on a battery of clinical scales.
