Hypnosis may reduce pain and emotional distress after surgery

Hypnosis may reduce pain and emotional distress after surgery

While preparing for surgery, a little hypnosis might make you more than just sleepy, verrrrrry sleepy.

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City recruited 200 women who were about to undergo breast cancer surgery. Half of the women were randomly assigned to speak with a psychologist one hour before surgery, while the other half received hypnosis along with suggestions about relaxation, and reduction of pain, fatigue, and nausea.

Results showed that women in the hypnosis group experienced less pain, fatigue, nausea, and emotional distress compared to the women who didn’t have hypnosis. And curiously, surgical time was reduced in the hypnosis group, resulting in lower surgical costs.

Twenty years ago, mainstream doctors would have treated hypnosis-aided surgery as nonsense. Many still would today, of course, but in an editorial that appears with this study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (August 2007), David Spiegel, M.D., of the Stanford University School of Medicine writes in support of hypnosis, noting that the mind can be a powerful resource for pain control.

Source:
“Hypnosis Before Cancer Surgery Reduces Pain and Cost” Ivanhoe Newswire, 8/29/07, ivanhoe.com