Hypnosis improves outcomes of breast surgery

Women who participate in a 15-minute presurgical hypnosis session conducted by a psychologist before undergoing excisional breast biopsy or lumpectomy require about one-third less propofol and lidocaine and report about half the pain intensity, unpleasantness, fatigue, and discomfort, and about one-quarter the nausea and emotional upset following the surgical procedures, when compared to women who receive nondirective empathic listening (attention control), according to the findings of a randomized clinical trial involving 200 women.

And, not incidentally, the brief hypnosis session reduces costs by about $772 per patient, mainly by reducing time in the operating room.

A limitation of the study was that patients were not blinded to their group assignment. Whether the results would be similar in a blinded situation and with the hypnosis administered by a nonpsychologist is unclear.