About Stress and Psychology Expert Al Barrios, Ph.D. «

Dr. Barrios is…

a clinical psychologist (B.S.Caltech, 1955; Ph.D. UCLA 1969) is founder and current director of the Self-Programmed Control Center based in Los Angeles. His Ph.D. dissertation (UCLA, 1969) entitled “Towards Understanding the Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy: A Combined Clinical, Theoretical and Experimental Approach” was nominated for the national Creative Talent Award in 1969.

As a result of his extensive work in the area of hypnosis, he has become one of the leading authorities in this field with a number of key articles published in academic journals. This includes the most quoted of these articles, “Hypnotherapy: A Reappraisal” in the journal Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice (1970). His most recently published articles include: “A Theory of Hypnosis Based on Principles of Conditioning and Inhibition“ Contemporary Hypnosis (2001); and “Commentary on a Theory of Hypnosis, Parts I and II“, Contemporary Hypnosis (2007).

From his theory of hypnosis he also derived a theory explaining the therapeutic and behavioral effects of the hallucinogenic drugs which was published in 1965 in the The International Journal of Neuropsychiatry. From this theory he was able to derive a theory of schizophrenia which led to the publication of the article, “Theory on the Cause and Possible Cure for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder” in Asylum: The Magazine for Democratic Psychiatry (2012).

One other major outcome from his theory of hypnosis was his Self-Programmed Control (SPC) program for facilitating change and helping people raise their levels of emotional intelligence (emotional control) and achieve self-actualization (achieve their highest potentials in life).

This SPC program has subsequently been successfully applied in several areas including Education where the dropout rate amongst students-at-risk was reduced from 56% to 16%; Drug Rehabilitation where he achieved success rates in reducing addiction to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes as well as in weight control, ranging from 70% to 91%; Industry, where absenteeism was significantly reduced and work morale and productivity considerably increased; and Welfare Reform Work Incentive programs like WIN and CETA where the success rate for securing jobs was raised from 28% to 89%.

Dr. Barrios is best known for his very popular invention – The Stress Control Biofeedback Card which, now known of and used worldwide, has propelled him to become a recognized authority in the field of stress control. Because of the SPC Program’s greater control over stress as well as the great ability to help revive the immune system in people, it has become a most valuable tool in Integrative Medicine even being successful in the healing of cancer.

In 1996 Dr. Barrios received the First Annual Cancer Federation Award in Psychoneuroimmunology and that same year was nominated for the Norman Cousins Award in Mind-Body Health.