Hypnosis as a treatment of chronic widespread pain in general practice: A randomized controlled pilot trial
2008

Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Relief

Sample size: 12 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Grøndahl Jan Robert, Rosvold Elin Olaug

Primary Institution: Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway

Hypothesis

Does standardized hypnosis treatment improve symptoms in patients with chronic widespread pain?

Conclusion

Hypnosis treatment may positively affect pain and quality of life for patients with chronic muscular pain, with effects persisting for at least one year.

Supporting Evidence

  • The treatment group improved from an average score of 62.5 to 55.4.
  • The control group deteriorated from 37.2 to 45.1.
  • The 12 patients who completed treatment showed a mean improvement from 51.5 to 41.6.
  • One year later, the average score was 41.3, indicating lasting improvement.

Takeaway

This study shows that hypnosis can help people with long-lasting pain feel better and improve their lives.

Methodology

A randomized controlled trial with 16 patients, where 12 completed hypnosis treatment over 10 weeks.

Potential Biases

Patients may have been biased to report positive outcomes to please their therapist.

Limitations

The small sample size limits the generalizability of the results.

Participant Demographics

12 women and 4 men, aged 23–54 years, with chronic widespread pain.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.045

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2474-9-124

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