The role of hypnosis and related techniques in insomnia

Abstract

Hypnosis is a widespread technique in psychotherapy with applicability in various psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders. Although there are very few studies in this area of research, some results argue in favor of using hypnosis for various sleep disorders. Insomnia is a common health problem, in both primary form and associated with other pathologies, causing a reduction of self-efficiency/cognitive abilities and an overall decreased life quality. Classical psychotropic medication that is commonly used to treat insomnia can cause significant side effects, produce phenomena of dependence and is generally effective only during the period of treatment. Since the current means of pharmacologic treatment for insomnia present significant limitations, especially when treating chronic insomnia, a more suitable alternative could be attained by non-pharmacological approaches such as hypnosis.