Effectiveness of Clinical Hypnosis in Headache and Migraine Treatment

"Hypnosis is used increasingly for healthcare applications in hospitals, clinics, and psychotherapy practice. A substantial body of research demonstrates the efficacy of hypnosis as part of the integrative treatment of many conditions that traditional medicine has found difficult to treat."

So says Mark B. Weisberg, PhD, in his most interesting if a bit too densely written for a casual reader article "50 Years of Hypnosis in Medicine and Clinical Health Psychology: a Synthesis of Cultural Crosscurrents".

It is a good review of clinical hypnosis with an interesting sample that might interest my gentle readers:

"With one patient with severe recurrent migraine headache, hypnotic suggestions for future pain relief were delivered immediately after the patient self-injected sumatriptan (Imitrex). The patient could later evoke the analgesic benefits of the medication by re-entering the trance state."

In 1999, together with Alfred L. Clavel Jr, MD, Dr. Weisberg has published a paper "Why is chronic pain so difficult to treat?" that examined psychophysiologic cycle of pain.

"Pain and anxiety can lead to increased muscle tension and poor body mechanics, which can lead to more pain with activity. In a patient with a premorbid history of moderate anxiety or depression, this can lead to increased frustration, catastrophizing, and feelings of hopelessness."

The authors than go to suggest a multi-disciplinary approach to cases with such co-morbidities. And one of the proposed approaches is hypnosis (or self-hypnosis - Ed. note).

Presupposing that medicine is more of an art than a science in that it does not ever guarantee the results, clinical hypnosis is even more so. A great deal hinges on the intangibles. At least with a pill one knows what one pays for.

However a skeptic yours truly may be, there are some pretty solid examples of the mind-over matter portion of the treatment when it comes to migraines and headaches.

Take for example, "Review of the Efficacy of Clinical Hypnosis with Headaches and Migraines". It's a meta-study by Dr. Corydon Hammond that concludes that hypnosis in the treatment of headaches and migraines does indeed a well-established and effective treatment and is virtually free of the side effects and risks of adverse reactions.

In another study, "Comparison of Self-Hypnosis and Propranolol in the Treatment of Juvenile Classic Migraine" a self-hypnosis was combined with conventional medical approach - Propranolol, a beta blocker was given to a group of children as a migraine preventive. A control group received placebo. After 3 month, the groups were switched. After 6 month, each child was taught self-hypnosis and used it for 3 months.

"The mean number of headaches per child for 3 months during the placebo period was 13.3 compared with 14.9 during the propranolol period and 5.8 during the self-hypnosis period. Statistical analysis showed a significant association between decrease in headache frequency and self-hypnosis training."

It does look like Clinical Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis are becoming a valuable part of what we now call Integrative Medicine. Yours truly is yet to benefit from this approach to pain management but if any of you, my gentle readers, have any experience with Hypnosis or Self-Hypnosis, do share.

link: 50 Years of Hypnosis in Medicine and Clinical Health Psychology: a Synthesis of Cultural Crosscurrents