Hypnosis Shown to Speed Healing After Surgery

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I have been a major proponent and supporter of hypnosis and the effect it can have on people. I have helped people with different problems such as wanting to quit smoking to getting rid of a phobia. I have helped people reduce the amount of pain they are in and I have also helped people gain confidence in their every day lives. I believe that hypnosis can help a very wide range of people and the issues they face.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, research was performed by Carol Ginandes (Harvard Medical School) and Patricia Brooks (Union Institute). They were researching whether hypnosis could aide in healing after a surgery.

The study included eighteen women who were undergoing breast reduction surgery. These eighteen women were broken into three groups of six. One group received normal care. The second group received counseling by a psychologist. And the third group went to hypnotherapy sessions before and after their surgery. Both the psychological support group and the hypnosis group received eight sessions once a week.

Before their surgery, participants in the hypnosis group worked on reducing the amount of pain they would feel during and after the surgery and they also focused on reducing anxiety before and after the surgery. In all eight of the sessions, the hypnotherapist gave suggestions for the participants to expect a certain level of discomfort. They were told to focus on rapidly healing the tissue from their surgery and to visualize a reduction in scar tissue. The women in the study were also told to visualize themselves doing their normal day-to-day activities soon after surgery. The participants also received a recording of their hypnosis session so that they could listen to it as they recovered.

Two different assessments were made on all eighteen participants. One week after the surgery and seven weeks after the surgery, medical personnel physically examined the progress each participant was making. These doctors and nurses knew that they were participating in a study but did not know which group each participant belonged to. Also, doctors reviewed photographs taken of the wounds. During these two evaluations, the participants evaluated themselves on two criteria: their healing progress and the amount of pain they were in.

Results showed, without a question, that the group who received hypnosis healed faster than the participants in the other two groups. This study opened the doors to the idea that hypnosis can have a positive effect on the mind’s ability to heal the body.