Clinical Hypnosis and Self-Hypnosis In Pain Therapy and Palliative Care: Techniques For Improving The Patient's Physical and Psychological Well-Being. Oral paper presentation

A large number of studies have provided evidence for the efficacy of psychological interventions, as clinical hypnosis and self-hypnosis, as an adjuvant therapy, in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety and anxiety-related symptoms in severe chronic illnesses. Hypnosis is a procedure involving cognitive processes -like imagination- in which a subject is guided by a hypnotist to respond to suggestions for changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The role of clinical hypnosis in severe chronic illnesses and in palliative care provides relief from pain, anxiety and other distressing symptoms and enhances quality of life. The use of hypnosis will be reviewed, including special techniques for pain and suffering relief, as innovative solutions to current issues, in palliative medicine. Drawing on current research in neurosciences, pain therapy and palliation, in this workshop, we will investigate the effects of clinical hypnosis on decreasing pain and suffering and increasing positive psychological and neurophysiological states. The workshop offers scientific researches and hypnosis practices for therapists interested in awakening the mind and opening the heart, in suffering and at the end of life.