Hypnosis for Infants - Pain Management

Below are news briefs on studies published in the January issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: January 3, 2005, 12:01 am (ET)

Some medical procedures are painful and frightening, particularly for children. When standard pain relief is not a viable option, other methods of reducing pain need to be considered. The study, "Hypnosis Reduces Distress and Duration of an Invasive Medical Procedure for Children," looked at using hypnosis to help ease pain and fear in children undergoing invasive medical procedures. The authors studied the effect of self-hypnosis on children undergoing a common procedure to determine abnormalities in the urinary tract. (Children were taught self-hypnosis prior to the procedure.) The authors found that children who were previously terrified of the procedure were able to undergo treatment with the help of hypnosis. The study concluded that hypnosis has the potential to improve the overall medical care of children who undergo painful or anxiety-provoking medical procedures.