Keywords

adjunctive treatment, analgesia, chronic pain, holistic health, hypnosis, mind-body connection, subconscious

Abstract

Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition, demanding advancements in current interventions. Conventional medical paradigms have traditionally treated the mind and body separately, but advancement has advocated shifts toward more integrated mind-body approaches to address holistic health. Despite prevailing skepticism and friction within patient-doctor relationships surrounding hypnosis, there is substantial support for its use as a pain management tool (Declercq, 2023; Thompson et al., 2019). This analysis explores the potential of hypnosis as a viable treatment for chronic pain, highlighting its merits and addressing current research limitations. Noteworthy findings underscore hypnosis’ distinctive influence on the physical body through mental suggestion, its broad applicability, its cost-effectiveness, its potential as a precursor to analgesic drugs, and its utility in augmentation of psychotherapies (Jensen et al., 2020; Kaczmarska et al., 2023; Pascalis et al., 2000; Vanhaudenhuyse et al., 2015). Using hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment may substantially reduce dependence on pain medications, improve sustainability, and empower patients (Eason & Parris, 2019; Noergaard et al., 2019; Vanhaudenhuyse et al., 2015). However, constraints exist concerning the efficacy of hypnosis for specific chronic pain types and the prevalence of misconceptions (Adachi et al., 2014; Declercq, 2023). Further research is warranted to comprehensively understand hypnosis mechanisms and its nuanced role within diverse treatment contexts.