Hypnosis in contemporary medicine

Abstract

Hypnosis became popular as a treatment for medical conditions in the late 1700s when effective pharmaceutical and surgical treatment options were limited. To determine whether hypnosis has a role in contemporary medicine, relevant trials and a few case reports are reviewed. Despite substantial variation in techniques among the numerous reports, patients treated with hypnosis experienced substantial benefits for many differed medical conditions. An expanded role far hypnosis and a larger study of techniques appear to be indicated. © 2005 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.