American Medical Association

In 1958 the American Medical Association endorsed hypnosis as a legitimate and valuable therapuetic adjunct to standard medical care. 

It is important to remember that hypnosis is not a replacement for medical care. You should always consult your physician or health care provider  for appropriate treatment of illness  or injury.


Pain Management: Beyond Pharmacology to Acupuncture and Hypnosis

Jama 2000  - Click here to access full article on JAMA website.

"Hypnosis, a therapy used in pain management since the mid-1800s,  is based on conscious relaxation in association with patient-designed suggestions and exercises. Hypnosis assists patients in obtaining deep levels of relaxation, which often leads to more peaceful sleep, increased energy, and a diminished experience of pain.                                                
The prerequisites for treatment are the capacity for a degree of concentration, imagination, and a willingness to participate fully. The patient remains in control of the process throughout the session, which reduces any risk for adverse reactions." 

Jane E. Loitman, MD
Brown University School of Medicine, 
Providence, RI 
JAMA. 2000;283:118-119


The American Cancer Society

Click here to access the American Cancer Society webiste


"Hypnosis and hypnotic suggestion have been a part of healing practices for thousands of years. The word comes from the Greek, "hypnos," which means sleep. The use of trance-like states along with helpful suggestions were important features of the early Greek healing temples. Variations of those techniques were practiced throughout the ancient world.

Hypnosis is commonly used to reduce stress and anxiety, and create a sense of well being. It is also promoted to change undesirable behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol dependence, and bedwetting. It is used along with other methods by some mental health professionals to help patients overcome common fears, such as the fear of flying or of meeting people. Hypnosis is sometimes used to help relieve pain caused by cancer. Supporters generally do not claim that hypnosis can cure cancer or any other disease, or that it always attains the desired results. However, they say that it can be a useful addition to conventional therapy for some conditions."


The Truth and Hype About Hypnosis

Scientific American July 2001 web site article.
Click here to access the full article.

"A 1996 National Institutes of Health technology assessment panel judged hypnosis to be an effective intervention for alleviating pain from cancer and other chronic conditions. Voluminous clinical studies also indicate that hypnosis can reduce the acute pain experienced by patients undergoing burn-wound debridement, children enduring bone marrow aspirations and women in labor. A meta-analysis published in a recent special issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, for example, found that hypnotic suggestions relieved the pain of 75 percent of 933 subjects participating in 27 different experiments. The pain-relieving effect of hypnosis is often substantial, and in a few cases the degree of relief matches or exceeds that provided by morphine."