Hypnosis for Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Literature Review

Hypnosis has been considered to have potential analgesic effects for over 150 years, yet it appears to be a relatively infrequently employed treatment modality for the management of chronic pain. One of the issues involved is the need for further controlled studies on its use, especially for many specific types of chronic pain. One of the most difficult forms of chronic pain to manage is neuropathic pain, where the pain is considered to be due to pathology in the nervous system itself.

A recent literature review published in Pain Medicine examined the research on the use of hypnosis for chronic neuropathic pain published in the past 25 years (January 1996-August 2021). The review only included actual studies and excluded case reports. In the slides below, find an overview of the studies examined, key results, and takeaway points for primary care clinicians.