Patient Attitudes to Hypnotherapy in a General Medical Practice: A Brief Communication

Abstract

A study to investigate public awareness of hypnotherapy planned to identify sources of information and compare their impact on patient acceptance of hypnosis in medical treatment. A structured questionnaire was presented to a random sample of patients coming to a medical center; the sample was representative of 10% of the total medical center population. 910 people participated and 884 questionnaires were analyzed. 80% of the sample had previously heard of the use of hypnosis in medicine, 36.6% would accept hypnotherapy if recommended by their doctor, 5.5% would refuse treatment by hypnosis, and almost all of the remainder of the sample would request further information before making a decision. There was a significant association between preknowledge of medical hypnosis and acceptance of hypnotherapy as was there between source of information and attitude to treatment. 41% of the sample were unaware of any medical indications for hypnosis.