Hypnotic Interventions and Disease

Hypnotic interventions have also been applied to various types of pain. Clinical trials indicate that these interventions may be a particularly effective adjunct in the management of arthritis, with reductions in pain maintained for up to 4 years and reductions in the number of physician visits. When applied to more general acute and chronic pain management, headache, and lower-back pain, hypnotic interventions show some evidence, although results vary based upon the patient population and the type of intervention studied.

Evidence from multiple studies with various types of cancer patients suggests that hypnotic interventions can improve mood, quality of life, and coping, as well as ameliorate disease-and-treatment related symptoms, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and pain. Some studies have suggested that hypnotic interventions can alter various immune parameters, but it is unclear whether these alterations are of sufficient magnitude to have an impact on disease progression or prognosis