Hypnosis 'reduces cancer pain'

By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff, at the BA festival

Childhood cancer patients suffer less pain when placed under hypnosis, scientists have claimed.

Children who had been hypnotised in trials reported they had less pain from medical procedures as well as cancer-related pain.

Dr Christina Liossi, from University of Wales, Swansea, suggested there was even tentative evidence that hypnosis prolonged the lives of cancer patients. The research is being presented at the BA Festival of Science in Exeter. In one study, 80 children were placed in four groups: two experimental groups who were treated with an anaesthetic and hypnosis.

Two control groups were just given the anaesthetic. "All [40] children who used hypnosis with a local anaesthetic felt much less pain than children who were just given the local anaesthetic," said Dr Liossi. The children, aged six to 16, were placed under hypnosis by experts and then taught to hypnotise themselves before they underwent procedures. Children not treated with hypnosis were talked to and counselled instead.

"We asked children to rate their pain from 0 to 5 on a graded scale. Before we perform hypnosis we ask them to rate their pain on this scale," Dr Liossi explained. "Then we introduce hypnosis and then we ask them to rate pain again and they report much less."

Brain changes

Other evidence presented at the festival also supports the idea that hypnosis is a genuine physical state and that people are not simply deceiving themselves into thinking they are hypnotised.

There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients. But at the moment there isn't enough evidence Dr Christina Liossi

Individuals who are highly susceptible to being placed under hypnosis show that there are changes in the left frontal cortex of the brain and a structure called the cingulated gyrus when viewed through a functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner.

"The frontal lobe is concerned with our planning, our future actions, our analysis of the here and now, our critical evaluation and the things we do so we don't make silly mistakes," said Dr John Gruzelier of Imperial College, London.

"If you think about what the hypnotist does, he asks you to go with the flow and not critically analyse what you're doing." Dr Liossi suggested there was even evidence that hypnosis might prolong life in adult cancer patients.

"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these," she said. Adult cancer patients placed under hypnosis show fewer cancer-related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and pain, said Dr Liossi.

"There are some studies and there are some encouraging results from these that hypnosis can probably improve the survival of cancer patients. "But at the moment there isn't enough evidence."

Published: 2004/09/10 16:06:01 GMT

Hypnosis 'doubles IVF success'

By Caroline Ryan BBC News Online health staff in Berlin

Hypnosis can double the success of IVF treatment, researchers have claimed.

A team from Soroka University, Israel, found 28% of women in the group who were hypnotised became pregnant, compared with 14% of those who were not.

The study of 185 women was presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Berlin.

But other experts said the research failed to account for key differences between the two groups.

The longer a couple have been trying to conceive, the less likely they are to conceive Dr Francoise Shenfield

 

The Israeli researchers were looking to see if hypnosis could make the embryo transfer stage of IVF more successful.

During this stage, the embryo is transferred into the womb. However, if the womb is contracting, it can affect the chances of the transplant being a success.

It was hoped hypnotherapy could help women relax and therefore improve the chances of success.

Stress

Women undergoing IVF were assessed to see if they were suitable to be hypnotised. Eighty-nine women were then given hypnosis while their embryos were implanted. Some underwent more than one cycle of IVF treatment. Ninety-six other women underwent embryo transfers without hypnosis. All received one cycle each.

Dr Eliahu Levitas, who led the research, told the conference: "Embryo transfer is known to be a stressful time for patients, and it may be that the procedure is the peak of their stress in IVF. "Hypnosis may be related to a tranquilising effect.

"Performing embryo transfer under hypnosis may significantly contribute to an increased clinical pregnancy rate." But experts said the study failed to take into account key differences between the groups which would have a major influence on their chances of conceiving. On average, women in the non-hypnosis group had been trying to conceive for 7.4 years, compared with 4.7 years for those who did receive hypnosis.

Dr Francois Shenfield, of University College London Hospital, UK, said: "One of the very important confounding factors in this field is the duration of infertility."The longer a couple have been trying to conceive, the less likely they are to conceive spontaneously, and with technical help."

Published: 2004/06/29 12:58:28 GMT

Pain-free labour under hypnosis

Women are increasingly turning to hypnosis techniques to help them beat the pain of childbirth.
Complementary therapies such as aromatherapy and yoga are now frequently used during pregnancy as relaxation aids, but many women find that they can even get through labour itself without artificial pain relief.

Kerry Woodcock used an advanced relaxation technique called "hypno-birthing" during her 24-hour labour. She said: "You don't look like a zombie, you are completely aware of everything that is going on around you. "You are in a relaxed state and might not know how much time is passing."

Traditionally, women have been offered - and mostly accepted - a variety of pain relieving methods such as gas and air, pethidine and epidural painkilling injections.

Many complain later that, although they suffered little pain, the experience of birth had been denied them because they were not sufficiently aware of what was going on at the time.

Melanie Grey, from the Royal College of Midwives, however said that mothers should not be pressurised into having less pain relief than they actually wanted. She said: "I don't think there are any physical dangers - the dangers are emotional. A woman may feel they have failed if they don't get through childbirth using hypnosis alone."

Clinical hypnotherapist Deborah Henley told the BBC that often all the woman would feel after using the techniques was a sensation of pressure and tension within the womb.

She said: "What we are doing is preparing a woman before the birth, reducing her fears, and increasing her confidence."

BBC News, Thursday, 17 August, 2000

Hypnotherapists claim hypnosis can help cancer patients

Experimental and clinical hypnotists will discuss the growing role of hypnotism in helping to treat medical conditions at their annual conference in Birmingham this weekend, reports BBC News Online's Mandy Garner.

Hypnosis should be a core therapy in the treatment of cancer, according to a leading psychologist.

Phyllis Alden, consultant psychologist in the department of clinical oncology at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, believes hypnosis can not only help ease the anxiety of being treated for cancer, but can reduce its symptoms. "Psychology is becoming a key part of cancer services," she said. She added that research was increasingly showing that hypnosis could improve cancer results. However, she admitted many of the studies lacked controls. Hypnosis is now being used to treat a wide variety of conditions in the NHS, including pain relief, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.

BBC News Friday, 23 April, 1999