Authors: Carol Ginandes 1, Patricia Brooks, William Sando, Christopher Jones, John Aker
Medical hypnosis has been researched for decades, although most of the studies have focused on various functional applications. For example: reducing anxiety pre medical procedure, pain reduction, introduction to anesthesia etc. However, these authors show there have been very few studies done on the role hypnosis may play on physical healing of patients. Hence the term, medical hypnosis.
The authors report on a small randomized clinical trial involving 18 healthy women who underwent a surgical intervention using the same surgical protocols and post operative care. The patients were divided into 2 random groups: one receiving normal care and the other group receiving normal care plus hypnosis targetting faster wound healing.
Both groups received the same post operative assessments by medical staff who were unaware of the study taking place, the patients wounds were documented and assessed as per normal.
those patients who had experienced the hypnotic interventions, showed their wound healing was signtiicantly greater than their other groups over the normal 7 week post operative period.
To quote the authors, “Results of this preliminary trial indicate that use of a targeted hypnotic intervention can accelerate postoperative wound healing and suggest that further tests of using hypnosis to augment physical healing are warranted.”
Publication: American Journal Clinical hypnosis
Authors Carol Ginandes 1, Patricia Brooks, William Sando, Christopher Jones, John Aker
