Pippa also believes that the hypno-anaesthesia helped to speed up her recovery from the surgery. “It was very much faster than it would have been. There was no bruising and I felt normal within a week. I didn’t have any nausea or dizziness. But I was incredibly tired after the operation. You have to be very gentle with yourself; the body is doing all the work.”
Although there are fewer than ten hypnotherapists performing hypno-anaesthesia in the UK, interest in the technique is growing fast. In Europe one method that is being routinely used in some hospitals is to combine local anaesthetic with hypno-anaesthesia. In this way, patients can avoid general anaesthetic without needing to enter such a deep trance.
The local anaesthetic blocks the pain signals coming from the area being operated on, while the hypno-anaesthesia relaxes the patient and, by reducing pain perception, makes the local anaesthetic work much better. Using this method, most patients do not need hypnoanaesthesia practice sessions before surgery.
For those who try hypno-anaesthesia, most people need only a few practice sessions to be able to access the required depth of trance. “It is rather like learning to drive; it varies from person to person,” says Montagu. “Some people find it harder than others to let go and relax.”
Pippa recommends it to anyone who thinks that they would benefit. “I think it is absolutely wonderful. People shouldn’t be frightened of it because the power of the human body is enormous. It is about having faith in yourself and the power of your own mind.”
WHAT’S THE EVIDENCE? DR GEORGE LEWITH
Can anyone be hypnotised? A hypnotic state is best described as a relaxed state of heightened suggestibility. About 90 per cent of the population can be hypnotised with 20 to 30 per cent able to enter a deep trance. There is no explanation as to why it doesn’t work on the remaining 10 per cent.
What happens to your brain when you are hypnotised? Although much has been written about hypnosis, doctors and scientists are still not exactly sure how it works. But we do know from research carried out last year at the University of Iowa, in the United States, using magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain, that it activates areas of the brain which are consistent with the beneficial clinical effects of hypnosis, particularly in relation to pain relief.
Does it work? There are many examples of successful hypnotherapy varying from hypno- anaesthesia to the stage hypnosis of Paul McKenna. Hypnosis has a number of proven medical applications, in particular in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic pain. One study by Peter Whorwell, a professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Manchester University, involving 30 patients with IBS, found that when treated with hypnosis they all showed a dramatic improvement after three months. Other studies of surgical intervention using hypnosis consistently found that recovery time was quicker, there were fewer infections, and quicker wound healing with fewer operative complications. This might mean that general anaesthetics are bad for you, but it also means that hypnosis is less complicated by comparison. Hypnosis can be used to reduce pain and anxiety in children and to help adults with severe muscle pain and burns. The technique of combining hypno- anaesthesia with local anaesthetic is becoming increasingly common in France and Belgium.
Could operations under hypnosis soon become the norm? We do not need a placebo-controlled trial to know that hypnotherapy works but we do need to know its complication and failure rate. Last year a team of doctors at a hospital in Saint Julien, in France, performed a series of 35 laparoscopic gall bladder removals (through a fibre-optic tube inserted into the stomach) using hypno-anaesthesia. Twenty-two were completed without complication but the remaining 13 people needed to revert to conventional general anaesthesia. It may be more effective for less painful procedures that don’t involve opening the abdomen or in combination with local anaesthetic.
Dr George Lewith is head of the complementary medicine research unit at Southampton Medical School
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What is it?
HYPNO-ANAESTHESIA — the use of medical hypnosis in place of anaesthetic drugs to overcome pain — is based on the principle that the patient can be instructed to experience pain signals as harmless sensations. In this way, the patient does not need to be unconscious during surgery.
SUITABLE FOR most types of surgery, apart from heart, lung or brain surgery. With a few practice sessions, many people will be able to achieve the degree of relaxation necessary for the technique to work. For any surgical procedure that would normally require a general anaesthetic, an anaesthetist must be present during the operation by law. Hypno-anaesthesia is not without its risks — you should be confident that your therapist knows what he/she is doing.
COST Sessions are always private and cost from £60 an hour.
CONTACT There are few hypnotherapists in the UK who have experience of performing hypno-anaesthesia. Among those who have used hypnosis for a variety of operations normally requiring general anaesthetic is Dr John Butler, who can be contacted via the British Society of Hypnotherapists (020-7385 1166; www.hypnotism.org.uk), and Charles Montagu, who is co-founder of the Health Partnership (020-7589 6414) based in Central London. His hypnotherapy practice is taking bookings a year in advance. An initial 90-minute consultation costs £250, and then £150 is charged for 60-minute follow-ups.
FURTHER CONTACTS
The National Council for Hypnotherapy (0800 9520545; www.hypnotherapists.org.uk), or the British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis (07000 560309; www.bsmdh.org)
