Hypnosis and its place in modern pain management - review article

Abstract

This is an evidence-based review of the efficacy of hypnosis in pain management. Hypnosis is as old as mankind. It is reported in the Ebers Papyrus in ancient Egyptian cures. It went into decline in the Middle Ages with the rise of Christianity, being erroneously associated with witchcraft. There was resurgence of interest in the 19th century. In the early 1950s, the British Medical Association endorsed the teaching of hypnosis in all medical schools. The literature is replete with anecdotal and controlled studies of the efficacy of hypnotherapy in pain management. Not much is found of the effectiveness in acute pain conditions. Nevertheless, in spite of some methodological flaws in many reports, there seems to be sufficient clinical evidence of sufficient quality, to conclude that hypnosis has demonstrable efficacy in the treatment of chronic pain.