Hypnosis treatment of clinical pain: Understanding why hypnosis is usefil

Abstract

Clinical and expimental research literatme indicates hypnosis is very useful for severe and persistent pain, yet reviews suggest hypnosis is not widely used. To encourage more widespread clinical application, the author reviews recent controlled clinical studies in which hypnosis compares favorably with other interventions; links advances in understandmg endogenous pain modulation to a neurophysiologic view of hypnosis and hypnoanalgesia; relates the neurophysiology of hypnoanalgesia to management of chronic pain; challenges the view that hypnotic pain control is only for the highly hypnotizable patient; and raises issues about how people learn to control painwith hypnosis. Training in hypnotic analgesia may usefully enhance nervous system inhibitory processes that attenuate pain.