Hypno

I have written this summary for Giancarlo Russo, a unique person and therapist in rehabilitation and hypnosis. It was him who drew my attention to hypno in rehab and I am always glad to find something that would please him in connection with his beloved field. He endeared himself to me by his outstanding mentality as a free intellectual, wide and deep knowledge and his apparently gifted personality.

Publishing this small summary/review helps to spread information about a blessed tool for those who work with patients in chronic pain and rehabilitation: hypnosis.

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A very fresh book published in Hungary entitled “Pain-relief in practice” ends up with a chapter on applied psycho- and hypnotherapy in healing in the realm of Dolor. Defining psychotherapy and the process of terapeutic work itself in details, the author, Gabriella Vértes describes psycho-mechanisms that lead to the appearance of chronic pain, psychodynamics of pain and therapeutic approach as a multi-component activity.

Hypnosis and the hypnotic “process” are introduced in detalis and in a brief historical review Abbé Faria (1756-1819) is mentioned, who, as a pioneer in the scientific study of hypnosis, first discovered its pain-relieving effect.

During the last 10-15 years hypnosis and hypnotherapy has been examined in an unbelievable amount of scientific studies with EEG and PET observing changes in subcortical activity, cortical synchronisation, ascending cholinerg activity, cortical arousal level and so on.

A case description is involved on Erythema emocionale with no neurological or dermathological “reasons”. Pharmacological approach (steroids) had no effect. Under hypnosis the patient’s hidden anxiety has been revealed, therapeutical work started, coping mechanisms strenghtened and in a few months the symptoms weakened, later dissapeared.

The chapter concludes that hypnotherapy is highly effective and fast in pain treatment, since it makes different necessary interventions possible in the hypnotic state, also radically shortens the length of time of rehabilitation. Since it is not pharmacological field, it does not load the patient with dealing with side-effects.