Doctors and nurses are trained to use hypnosis alongside conventional medicine
new scientist published a feature in April detailing how medical hypnosis has become “standard practice” in hospitals in several countries.
Far from a medical stunt, listening to hypnosis recordings has been shown to reduce pain and nerves in patients during procedures, and may even reduce the amount of sedatives needed, he continued. Ta.
France is one of the countries that has adopted this practice, where it is used to block pain during cancer treatment and even during heart surgery.
In some cases, patients can be helped by giving them virtual reality glasses to view soothing landscapes or go on virtual trips, such as walking through space or a forest.
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“People will recover better and have less chronic pain.”
Julie Mayon, training and scientific director at the French Institute of Hypnosis (IFH) in Paris, said: “Hypnosis can not only reduce pain and anxiety, but also reduce the discomfort of treatment.
“In the long term, your memories of your hospital stay may be more positive, your recovery may be accelerated by reducing anxiety, your sleep may be improved, your chronic pain may be reduced, and your overall life may be improved.” The quality will improve.”
But she is quick to point out that hypnosis is not “a profession in itself.”
Rather, she says, it’s an area that qualified physicians can use as an additional tool. “That’s why we only train medical professionals at IFH.”
Photo: Julie Mayon is the Training and Scientific Director at the Institut Français d’Hypnose (IFH) in Paris.Credit: Julie Mayon
Feels like you’re driving on a famous route
Training can last from, for example, seven days for a nurse who wants to help patients with uncomfortable dressing changes to three years for a psychologist.
Dr. Mayon explains that hypnosis is a method of putting people into a dissociative state similar to the mental absenteeism that many adults experience when driving famous routes.
“They’re doing everything they need to do, but mentally they’re not 100 percent,” she said. “That’s a condition where hypnosis can help patients in the hospital.”
She added that over time, people can learn to put themselves in such conditions.
“With practice, it can even help people who are afraid of the dentist, especially if the dentist is trained in hypnosis,” she says.
Read more: 250 centers across France offer relief for chronic pain patients
Relationship of trust between patient and anesthesiologist
Hypnosis does not replace other treatments or anesthetics, but it can help reduce the dosage.
Dr. Mayon also emphasized that if hypnosis is not working effectively, there is still the option of switching to, for example, general anesthetics.
Similarly, when offering hypnosis to a pregnant woman to aid in childbirth, the pregnant woman may use other techniques in conjunction.
“Hypnosis increases emotional, psychological, and physical comfort, but it doesn’t lock someone into anything,” Dr. Mayon said.
Hypnosis has no side effects and does not interact negatively with other medications or treatments. However, when using it during surgery, advance preparation is required.
“Patient consent is required and there must be a trusting relationship between the patient and the anesthetist. For example, activities that the patient will enjoy and find relaxing should be discussed.”
Hypnosis is not regulated in France.
Dr. Mayon points out that hypnosis generally improves communication between patients and medical professionals because, as part of their training, doctors are required to assess a patient’s emotional state before proceeding with treatment.
She sounds the alarm when people are looking for hypnosis outside of hospitals.
“Unfortunately, hypnotherapy is not regulated in France, which means that some people advertising ‘hypnotherapy services’ have no medical qualifications at all and have only had a few days’ training in hypnosis. There are some people.”
A minority are “complete charlatans,” she added.
She recommends searching registration databases such as IFH to find qualified professionals who work in obstetrics, psychology, or the field in which patients need help and who also have training in hypnosis. I am.
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