Clinical hypnosis: implications in anaesthesia and perioperative care

Allan M Cyna; David W Hewson; Jonathan G Hardman

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2023.02.024

Clinical hypnosis: implications in anaesthesia and perioperative care

Br J Anaesth. 2023 Jun;130(6):647-650. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.02.024. Epub 2023 Mar 24.

Authors

Allan M Cyna¹, David W Hewson², Jonathan G Hardman³

Affiliations

¹ Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, Australia; Discipline of Acute Care Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
² Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Academic Unit of Injury, Recovery and Inflammation Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Anaesthesia, Queen's Medicine Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Academic Unit of Injury, Recovery and Inflammation Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Anaesthesia, Queen's Medicine Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.

PMID: 36967280
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.02.024

Abstract

A randomised trial published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia describes hypnosis compared with general anaesthesia in 60 children undergoing superficial surgery. We describe a definition of clinical hypnosis; the goals and conduct of hypnotic communication; and its potential as both an adjunct and, in suitable cases, alternative to traditional pharmacological anaesthesia.

Keywords: anaesthesia adjuvants; anaesthesia and analgesia; general anaesthesia; hypnosis.

Publication types

Editorial
Comment

MeSH terms

Anesthesia, General
Child
Humans
Hypnosis*
Perioperative Care