Similarities and Dissimilarities in Hypnotic and Nonhypnotic Procedures for Headache Control: A Review

Abstract

Similarities and differences between hypnosis and similar psychological procedures in the treatment of headache are reviewed. A brief outline of various hypnotic and nonhypnotic interventions for headache reduction shows that none of these procedures has consistently proved to produce superior results. Possible common denominators such as control of physiological processes, placebo factors, and the alteration of cognitive factors are discussed. The positive relationship between hypnotic susceptibility and hypnotic pain reduction indicates that the value of hypnosis seems to be less a matter of therapeutic procedure per se than of which context activates a patient's hypnotic potential for pain reduction.