Cited by 44Pain Management and Placebo EffectPain Mechanisms and TreatmentsPain Management and Treatment

Neurophysiology of hypnosis in chronic pain: A review of recent literature

Bicego, Aminata, Rousseaux, Floriane, Faymonville, Marie-Elisabeth, Nyssen, Anne-Sophie, Vanhaudenhuyse, Audrey·2021·American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis

Abstract

Chronic pain is a complex phenomenon which includes biological, psychological, and socio-professional factors that undermine patients' everyday life. Currently, only few patients significantly benefit from pharmacological treatments and many have to stop them because of negative side effects. Moreover, no medication or treatment addresses all aspects of chronic pain at once (i.e., sensations, emotions, behaviors, and cognitions), positioning chronic pain as an important public health issue and thus contributing to high health-care costs. Consequently, patients and health-care providers are increasingly turning to complementary non-pharmacological techniques such as hypnosis. Clinical research has demonstrated a decrease of pain perception, pain interference, depression and anxiety, and an increase in global quality of life when patients with chronic pain have benefited from hypnosis learning. Neuroimaging studies offer a possible explanation of these results by focusing on neural processes of pain modulation in chronic pain patients' brain. Studies conducted with chronic pain patients showed a modulation of pain matrix activity during hypnosis with a specific involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (related to emotional and cognitive processing of pain). Therefore, hypnosis seems to act upon regions underlying emotion and cognition, with an influence on pain perception and emotional regulation. In this review, we propose to carry out a review of the recent literature on hypnosis in chronic pain management. A better understanding of the beneficial effects of hypnosis on chronic pain and its neurophysiology should enable more systematic use of this technique in the management of this complex health problem.

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Crossref · 10.1080/00029157.2020.1869517

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  • Several studies have reported clinical benefits of hypnotic, meditative, and psychedelic trances on pain, emotional regulation, sleep, fatigue, stress, cognitive difficulties, and quality of life.

    “Several studies have reported some clinical benefits of hypnotic, meditative and psychedelic trances on pain, emotional regulation, sleep, fatigue, stress, cognitive difficulties and quality of life [43–48].”

    From Scoping review on shamanistic trances practices (2024) · cites this paper as [46]

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Authors
Bicego, A., Rousseaux, F., Faymonville, M.-E., Nyssen, A.-S., & Vanhaudenhuyse, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Liège (BE)
  • Algology Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Corresponding author
  • Bicego, Aminata
  • Vanhaudenhuyse, Audrey
Venue
American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
Published
2021-10-15
Volume
64
Issue
1
Pages
62-80
ISSN
  • 0002-9157 (ISSN-L)
  • 2160-0562
OpenAlex
W3124763664
Cited by
44
References
88
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5
FWCI
1.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Liège) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Plan National Cancer (138)
  • Benoit Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Treatment
Keywords
hypnosis, chronic pain, pain modulation, anterior cingulate cortex, pain perception, emotion regulation, pain matrix, non-pharmacological pain management, quality of life
MeSH terms
Anxiety, Humans, Hypnosis, Quality of Life, Chronic Pain, Pain Management

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