Let’s say you are a clinician working in a pain clinic and a drug rep offers you a new drug that had no harmful side effects, works as well as if not better than many of the drugs you already prescribe and has a number of benefits other than just pain relief….might you be tempted to give it a try?
Welcome to clinical hypnosis!
It has been a surprisingly neglected intervention despite a huge research base. For a variety of reasons including its image as entertainment and various incorrect myths, some clinicians avoid looking any closer. As a consequence, they stick to the traditional approach largely based on drugs and CBT etc.
Of course hypnosis has been used for many years for a variety of applications such as painful procedures in children, palliative care, childbirth as well as managing anxiety and depression and pain etc. Just enabling the person to completely relax is a first step in so many scenarios such as going into an MRI scanner or facing a serious operation. Also, teaching the person self hypnosis gives them a sense of agency and control in what may be a threatening situation.
However, I see signs that things may eventually be changing in the medical world. Increasing numbers of dentists, doctors, nurses and psychologists are seeking training and find the techniques simple, quick to learn and easy to administer. They sometimes express surprise that they had not come across clinical hypnosis earlier in their training.
Those of us who have used clinical hypnosis for many years are keen to spread the word, both to our colleagues and to the wider community about its benefits. Of course, as with all treatments, it is not a panacea but a useful tool that should be available to our patients.
Dr Mark Jensen, University of Washington, author, researcher and former President of the International Society of Hypnosis suggests hypnosis could soon be first line treatment for chronic pain.
Perhaps the world is about to change.
Dr Maureen Tilford, Former GP; Secretary, Philosophy and Ethics Special Interest Group, British Pain Society; Council Member, Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section, Royal Society of Medicine; Trustee, British Society for Clinical and Academic Hypnosis