Hypnosis is widely used as a non-pharmacological intervention for pain management. It has been successfully applied in various medical procedures to manage pain besides other treatment methods. Palliative care, for example, is one of the clinical cases that present a lot of challenges to patients and their caregivers due to the psychological problems they present. Patients under palliative care often exhibit psychological symptoms that require medical intervention. Surgical operations result in much pain and anxiety during and after the patients undergo such procedures, hence the importance of special patient care and treatment. Hypnosis has been determined to be a reliable and effective method in pain management. Its use in a wide variety of clinical cases has been confirmed by various researchers. Clinical operations such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and the placement of a central midline catheter (MC) often result in so much pain that require additional pain-management procedures, and can be effectively managed through hypnosis to hasten patient recovery.
In a case report presented by Fathi et al. (2019), the researchers discuss the application of hypnotherapy in managing intra-operative and post-operative anxiety and pain. Hypnotherapy, in this case, is a non-pharmacological procedure that can be used to help in postoperative recovery especially among patients who have undergone ACL. The researchers discuss the case of a 37-year old patient who had undergone so much pain due to a left-knee injury for around six months without treatment, and that of a 27-year old woman with pain in her right knee for more than eleven months before being admitted for treatment. The patients were then admitted to the hospital and taken through surgery. Hypnoanesthesia was administered to the patients to help in reducing pain and anxiety. Hypnotic induction was performed through verbal suggestions and eye-fixation. Various methods were then used to deepen the hypnotic trance. The procedures continued throughout the surgery period, after which analgesics were administered to the patients. A follow-up study after they had been discharged showed that the patients had recovered from the pain and anxiety. This led to the conclusion that hypnosis can be an alternative therapy to general anesthesia.
In a similar study, del Prado et al. (2019) present the case of a 52-year old man who was suffering from obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The patient was also diagnosed with HIV and had been living with the condition for 23 years. His other conditions included addiction to parenteral drugs, liver disease and alcoholism. The patient was administered in the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) and assessed. He was experiencing nightmares, insomnia and anxiety due to his deteriorating condition. The doctors determined that placement of MC was appropriate for his condition. Thus, psychological intervention was necessary because the procedure involves a lot of pain. The patient was taken through ten sessions of clinical hypnosis, where the first session involved educating the patient about the procedure. The remaining sessions composed of “pre-inductive, application of hypnotic induction techniques, administration of specific suggestions, and post-hypnotic” phases. The induction phase involved the use of ocular fixation. Various hypnotic suggestions were also used in the other phases. The placement of the MC was successful despite the problems encountered. Insomnia, fear, pain and anxiety were easily controlled. The patient survived for one week without these symptoms for one week before he died. However, Dyspepsia was the only symptom that was not easy to manage.
In sum, these case studies show that clinical hypnosis is a simple procedure that can be used to manage psychological problems emanating from some conditions. The two cases presented show that pain and anxiety may require alternative therapies a part from general anesthesia to help patients cope with their conditions. The placement of MC and ACL reconstruction are medical procedures that present a lot of challenges to the caregivers and the patients. They require psychological intervention methods to help in patient preparation and pain management, hence the importance of hypnosis.
References
Fathi, M., Ariamanesh, A. S., Joudi, M., Joudi, M., Sadrossadati, F., & Izanloo, A. (2019). Hypnosis as an Approach to Control Pain and Anxiety in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Meniscal Surgeries: Two Case Presentations. Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, (In Press).
del Prado, C. I., Cruzado, J. A., Ordi, H. G., & Ramírez, P. C. (2019). Use of hypnosis for the placement of a midline catheter in a patient at the end of life. Palliative & supportive care, 1-5.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified life coach and hypnotherapist serving Atlanta GA, Augusta GA, Statesboro GA, and Savannah GA. He performs hypnotherapy and life coaching appointments both in person and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
