Hypnotherapy for the Management of Chronic Pain
- 31 May 2007
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
- Vol. 55 (3), 275-287
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00207140701338621
Abstract
This article reviews controlled prospective trials of hypnosis for the treatment of chronic pain. Thirteen studies, excluding studies of headaches, were identified that compared outcomes from hypnosis for the treatment of chronic pain to either baseline data or a control condition. The findings indicate that hypnosis interventions consistently produce significant decreases in pain associated with a variety of chronic-pain problems. Also, hypnosis was generally found to be more effective than nonhypnotic interventions such as attention, physical therapy, and education. Most of the hypnosis interventions for chronic pain include instructions in self-hypnosis. However, there is a lack of standardization of the hypnotic interventions examined in clinical trials, and the number of patients enrolled in the studies has tended to be low and lacking long-term follow-up. Implications of the findings for future clinical research and applications are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Satisfaction with, and the Beneficial Side Effects of, Hypnotic AnalgesiaInternational Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2006
- Pain Reduction is Related to Hypnotizability but Not to Relaxation or to Reduction in Suffering: A Preliminary InvestigationAmerican Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2005
- Hypnosis and clinical pain.Psychological Bulletin, 2003
- A meta-analysis of hypnotically induced analgesia: How effective is hypnosis?International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2000
- Self-Hypnosis Training as an Adjunctive Treatment in the Management of Pain Associated with Sickle Cell DiseaseInternational Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 1997
- Evolution and current status of pain programsJournal of Pain and Symptom Management, 1990
- Education and self-hypnosis in the management of low back pain: A component analysisBritish Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1989
- Behavioral assessment and treatment of chronic pain: Current status and future directions.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1982
- Behavioral assessment and treatment of chronic pain: Current status and future directions.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1982
- Self-regulation of pain: The use of alpha-feedback and hypnotic training for the control of chronic painExperimental Neurology, 1975