06 Aug Medical hypnosis effective in pain management and palliative care
For many years now, there has been a great deal of media coverage of therapeutic hypnosis, which can provide solutions to a wide range of disorders by involving the patient’s active participation. In particular, it can be used to treat phobias (night terrors, airplanes, elevators, etc.) or insomnia. It is also effective for people wishing to kick an addiction (stop smokingalcohol, cannabis…), psychosomatic disorders or an eating disorders (compulsive snacking), right from the very first session. At the same timemedical hypnosis is also enjoying renewed interest. It is increasingly used as a method of anesthesia in minor surgery or dentistry, to relieve chronic pain (migraine, low back pain) or pain in toddlers, in the care of burn victims, or in palliative care. Some women even choose to give birth under hypnosis, assisted by specially trained midwives. In hospitals, the use of medical hypnosis extends to emergency situations, as well as the announcement of a diagnosis, an examination or a painful procedure that patients dread. In this particular context, they become hyper-receptive to the messages they receive, and all elements of fear, pain, stress, etc. can be transformed into a positive trance by the practitioner, who will apply hypnoanalgesia, alone or in addition to the usual analgesics. With hypnosis in the operating room, the link between the care team and the patient is improved, and the patient even has the opportunity to become an active participant during the procedure. This leads to a reduction ingeneralized anxietyand the frequent reduction of sedative and analgesic doses. In all these situations, we can say that hypnosis is medical, in the traditional sense of the term, because it is a privileged way of developing certain aspects of this practice: the doctor’s presence, his attention to the patient, the exchange between patient and doctor. These traits constitute the first remedy and make the effectiveness of the other remedies possible. Hypnotherapy practiced by a registered doctor is even reimbursed by the French social security system. In conclusion, while medical hypnosis is not a cure, it can be very effective in relieving certain types of physical suffering. It should be noted that it does not work with deep psychiatric pathologies, neurological diseases such as epilepsy, or severe chronic illnesses.