THE EFFICACY OF HYPNOTIC ANALGESIA IN ADULTS:A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

摘要

This article both summarizes the previous reviews of randomized, controlled trials ofhypnotic analgesia for the treatment of chronic and acute pain in adults, and reviewssimilar trials which have recently been published in the scientific literature. The resultsindicate that for both chronic and acute pain conditions: (1) hypnotic analgesia consis-tently results in greater decreases in a variety of pain outcomes compared to no treat-ment/standard care; (2) hypnosis frequently out-performs non-hypnotic interventions(e.g. education, supportive therapy) in terms of reductions in pain-related outcomes; and(3) hypnosis performs similarly to treatments that contain hypnotic elements (such asprogressive muscle relaxation), but is not surpassed in efficacy by these alternative treat-ments. Factors that may influence the efficacy of hypnotic analgesia interventions arediscussed, including, but not limited to, the patient's level of suggestibility, treatmentoutcome expectancy, and provider expertise. Based upon this body of literature, sugges-tions are offered for practitioners who are using, or would like to use, hypnosis for theamelioration of pain problems in their patients or clients.