by Tim Brunson, PhD

The recent cliché-like interest in the application of mindfulness practices within psychotherapy is now being extended to the exploration of its similarities and differences with clinical hypnotherapy. At best this is a difficult and frustrating stretch as it almost always entails a more than simplistic understanding of Buddhism. Furthermore, considering the half-dozen or so rather conflicting definitions of the word hypnosis, any analysis runs the risk of using an antiquated understanding of the field. So, this normally results in an oversimplification of Buddhist mindfulness being compared to a rather incomplete understanding of hypnosis.

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This paper reviews the evidence for mind-body therapies (eg, relaxation, meditation, imagery, cognitive-behavioral therapy) in the treatment of pain-related medical conditions and suggests directions for future research in these areas. Based on evidence from randomized controlled trials and in many cases, systematic reviews of the literature, the following recommendations can be made: 1) multi-component mind-body approaches that include some combination of stress management, coping skills training, cognitive restructuring and relaxation therapy may be an appropriate adjunctive treatment for chronic low back pain; 2) multimodal mind-body approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, particularly when combined with an educational/informational component, can be an effective adjunct in the management of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis; 3) relaxation and thermal biofeedback may be considered as a treatment for recurrent migraine while relaxation and muscle biofeedback can be an effective adjunct or stand alone therapy for recurrent tension headache; 4) an array of mind-body therapies (eg, imagery, hypnosis, relaxation) when employed pre-surgically, can improve recovery time and reduce pain following surgical procedures; 5) mind-body approaches may be considered as adjunctive therapies to help ameliorate pain during invasive medical procedures.

Clin J Pain. 2004 Jan-Feb;20(1):27-32. Astin JA. California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA. john@integrativearts.com