HYPNOSIS AND SELF-HYPNOSIS, ADMINISTERED AND TAUGHT BY NURSES, FOR THE REDUCTION OF CHRONIC PAIN - A CONTROLLED CLINICAL-TRIAL

Hypnosis is a technique whereby an individual can reach a particular s tate, quite unrelated to sleep, characterized by aroused, attentive an d focused concentration. Although there are numerous clinical applicat ions of hypnosis, there are virtually no controlled clinical trials to support its effectiveness. We propose a controlled randomized clinica l trial comparing a ''control'' group of chronic pain patients treated by a programme including conventional oral medication combined with v arious nerve blocks and/or spinal administration of drugs, with a ''tr eatment'' group having a similar treatment programme plus hypnosis car ried out by nurses. Outcome measurements include mainly the variation of pain intensity, the amount of analgesic drug consumption, spontaneo us physical activity, and the change in health-related quality of life . The assessment of the outcome variable is done at the initial workup , weekly for the first 3 weeks, and at 6 and 12 weeks. A follow-up sur vey is conducted at 6 months.