Hypnosis to prepare for surgery and facilitate recovery

1. Hypnosis to prepare for surgery and facilitate recovery

2. Two or Three words can have a profound change in one’s life. Our words have a profound effect. What and How we say our words will impact our ability to heal.

3. “Hang on this shot is ‘gonna hurt!” “I think you will be pleasantly surprised how little discomfort there will be…..” Exchange the word pain for discomfort.

4. In the 19th century, John Elliotson and James Esdaile reported the successful use of mesmeric somnambulism as an anesthetic for surgery. Ether and chloroform soon proved to be more reliably effective.

5. Pre-operative preparation

6. Remind the patient that hypnosis is beyond placebo • Educate that Hypnosis is not placebo • Hypnosis itself has its own placebo effects • Hard to control for placebo in hypnosis studies

7. Pre-op • Stress that you are with them. They are not alone. • Use a relaxation technique for induction. • Dissociation: body here, mind there • Stress words “feeling good, comfortable and happy” • Use the words “sleep” • Place in suggestions for thirst and hunger after abdominal surgery unless contra-indicated.

8. Pre-op • Use a breathing technique to discourage atelectasis. • Use specific post hypnotic suggestions tied to the surgery. “When you have your surgery and awake from anesthesia…” • Tie in a posthypnotic suggestion for pain control to simple every day activity. • Time distortion future

9. Pre-op • Augment the drugs. “Your medication can be a signal to start a pleasant daydream in a safe and pleasant location of your choosing” • Augment the procedure. “The whole operating area in your body becomes limp, soft and comfortable throughout the procedure and afterwards.” • Augment the recovery room. “You will awake as from a restful and restorative deep sleep, pleasantly surprised to find the operation complete and the healing beginning”

10. Pre-op • “You will recover quickly, completely and comfortably.” • “You will be pleased to see how easily you can pass water, breathe deeply and move your bowels.” • “You will be pleasantly surprised to see how quickly you will feel like yourself again” • Have the patient practice with an MP3 file

12. Pre-op • “Use a queue for post operative pain control. • Eg. “When the nurse, doctor or others touch you on either shoulder like this {touch the shoulder} you will instantly receive a boost of your own natural pain medicine found within.” • Use guided imagery of a controller and “adjust the discomfort to a level that is best for you.” • Remind the patient “discomfort is an alarm to notify the body of a problem and has done its job well. It is no longer needed unless there is a new development. Your body will let you know and you will become aware of any new developments.”

13. Intra-operative care

14. During the operation • “From this time forward you will pay attention to only a voice that specifically calls you by name first. The rest of the conversations become gibberish and unimportant.” • “Mr/Mrs X your operation is complete and you can look forward to getting better fast. You will awake now in your own time All your bodily functions will return rapidly as the anesthesia wears off. “

15. Post Operative

16. Post Op • Pain control use controllers. • Dials, sliders, “just inherently know how to” • Use fractionation dial up first, then down • Imagery of ‘cool’ especially in orthopedic • Use color scales and shift • Split screen and merge image • Kids Blow out bubbles, movies in there eyelids

17. Post op • Make an MP3 file for after surgery • Work on specific surgical problem • ie,. ROM for orthopedic surgery • Wound healing for plastics • Chewing comfortably for molars • Time distortion see future use clock hands as a suggestion to move time forward • “Amazed at how well you do”. • Acceptance of therapy devices

18. Post op • May wish to put statements in either pre-op or post-op that allow the patient to change the words said to positive words • Translator • “If anyone should say something that is less than helpful to your healing, you will automatically make this a positive statement of healing”