Treating Pain With Hypnosis

The use of hypnosis for pain control has a strong foundation in the experimental literature, as well as in numerous anecdotal reports. Up until the past two decades, however, there were very few controlled studies supporting its clinical efficacy. A review of the recent literature suggests that hypnosis can be effective for both acute and chronic pain. Clinicians can optimize their effectiveness by attending to both the experimental literature (e.g., increasing patients' expectations) and clinical findings (e.g., matching hypnotic suggestions to the type of pain).