Various study findings have confirmed hypnotic induction is effective in managing pain and anxiety during surgical procedures. Thus, hypnosis can be used as a complimentary and an alternative method of treatment for acute procedural pain. It has proved to be an effective adjunct treatment procedure for most patients undergoing surgery.
A study conducted by Marc, Rainville & Dodin (2008) determined that hypnotic intervention can reduce the use of nitrous oxide for patients undergoing a first-trimester surgical abortion. The participants of the study were divided into two groups, one receiving hypnotic treatment while the other one receiving standard supportive medical care for pain and anxiety.
The preliminary stages involved administering suggestions that aimed at inducing imagery and relaxation. The suggestions were meant to reduce muscle tension and to help the patients replace their pain with another feeling or sensation. The researchers in this study determined that there was a reduction in the number of requests for nitrous oxide, hence confirming the effectiveness of hypnosis in pain and anxiety management.
In a study that included women undergoing elective abortion, Dufresne et al. (2009) evaluated the efficacy of hypnoanalgesia compared to standard care. The researchers also assessed the opinions of the women regarding hypnosis, and their hypnotic susceptibility scores one month after undergoing the treatment.
The results indicated that opinions on hypnosis were influenced by the patient’s hypnotic experiences during the treatment procedure but did not depend on their susceptibility scores. The patient’s level of susceptibility to hypnosis did not depend on their previous experiences during the surgical procedure using hypnotherapy or in the absence of it. These results that hypnotic experience may lead to a change in attitude towards hypnosis.
Dufresne et al. (2009) identified various factors that describe hypnotizability among women seeking pregnancy termination. It was determined that exposure or no exposure to hypnotic experience does not influence these women’s susceptibility even after one month after treatment. These results are in line with previous studies showing that hypnotizability is a stable trait that does not change over time.
However, they differ from other studies that managed to increase moderately the level of susceptibility in individuals by modifying various sociocognitive factors in patients. The researchers also determined that hypnosis was effective in controlling anxiety and pain in women undergoing elective abortion. The results support previous study findings that confirmed the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in managing pain, stress and anxiety despite an individual’s level of hypnotizability.
The evaluation of these interventions for women can help medical practitioners and researchers understand how hypnotherapy and other nonphamacologic interventions can be adopted in medical practice to help in the management of pain and anxiety.
References
Dufresne, A., Rainville, P., Dodin, S., Barre, P., Masse, B., Verreault, R., & Marc, I. (2009). Hypnotizability and opinions about hypnosis in a clinical trial for the hypnotic control of pain and anxiety during pregnancy termination. Intl. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 58(1), 82-101.
Marc, I., Rainville, P., & Dodin, S. (2008). Hypnotic induction and therapeutic suggestions in first-trimester pregnancy termination. Intl. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 56(2), 214-228.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified hypnotherapist serving Augusta GA and Statesboro GA. He performs hypnotherapy appointments both in person and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
