Potentialities and limitations of hypnosis for the treatment of pain

Abstract

With regard to the potentialities of hypnosis for the treatment of pain, relevant studies on hypnotic pain control are discussed. Studies with experimentally produced pain unanimously show that hypnosis is effective in controlling pain, whereas clinical studies are much more ambiguous in this respect. Three basic strategies of hypnotic pain control are outlined to which the different techniques can be subsumed: dissociative, associative, and symbolic strategies. Accountable for the limitations of hypnosis are some issues like hypnotic state, hypnotizability, rapport, hypnotic techniques, and pain as a multifactorial process. These issues are discussed and their contribution to contraindications are outlined. Especially the differences between symptom- and problem-oriented hypnotic approaches are highlighted.