Empowering patients or clients to have authority and control over their medical experiences is vital to beneficial therapeutic care. Likewise, well-crafted use of professional communication skills in setting expectations about clinical procedures and outcomes can mean the difference between a traumatic medical visit versus one being remembered with gratitude. Clinical studies show that clinicians trained in hypnotic skills can effectively help patients be more receptive to well-placed suggestions that may help reduce discomfort, eliminate the need for certain medications, lessen the side effects of treatments, and offer moderation over anxiety.
Dr. Elvira Lang-Anderson, MD, PhD, is an award-winning interventional radiologist and founder of Comfort Talk®. This skills-based program fosters improvement of patient satisfaction, optimizing outcomes, and the ability to complete medical procedures through rapid rapport and “word choice” techniques. She has studied patient/provider interactions and their impact on health outcomes, staff satisfaction, and the results of different techniques on the overall efficiency of healthcare systems.
She has also earned the Ernest R. Hilgard Award for Scientific Excellence for her lifetime of published work. Through her publications and work as the Past President of the New England Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, she focuses on providing training for licensed healthcare professionals within the scope of their practice. She is the author of Patient Sedation Without Medication and Managing Your Medical Experience.
Hypnosis in Mind-Body Interactions, Suggestibility, and Influence
Dr. Lang-Anderson and I talked about how words influence perceived outcomes. If patients are told that a procedure will be painful or traumatic, they are likelier to experience that result. We discussed how, alternatively, when a patient receives a suggestion such that a particular numbing medication might be “warm,” “cold,” or have a “delicious sense of tingling,” that person is less likely to be traumatized in the interaction. We also talked about how using such word choices is both truthful and may create curiosity in the patient instead of a state of anxiety.
I noted how suggestibility can be exploited in cases of Undue Influence. Conversely, within a practitioner’s health-promoting professional scope and ethical means to improve patient outcomes and overall experience. Dr. Lang-Anderson founded Comfort Talk® to assist healthcare professionals in gaining such skills to assist in self-hypnotic relaxation, as well as potential reduction in pain, anxiety, drug use, or complications in medical procedures. We also discussed how such techniques can be used to empower the patient, assisting them in reclaiming their mind and body autonomy in medical settings.
I recalled how clinical hypnotherapy assisted me in recovery through my diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma 17 years ago and my work with the late Max Shapiro, PhD, a clinical hypnosis specialist. The suggestions that the biopsy procedure would go “smoothly, efficiently,” with “minimal blood flow,” and exhibiting the results of everyone being amazed at how fast I would recover precisely produced those results. I had weekly sessions, which I recorded and listened to on my iPod nano-, especially when I had trouble sleeping or was experiencing a lot of anxiety. Such experiences demonstrate the intricate connection between the mind and body. I encourage people to learn self-hypnosis skills as they can help them be their “best selves.”
Clinical Trials Show Improved Completion Rates and Reduction in Anticipatory or Pre-Operative Anxiety
In clinical trials, it has been found that patients with higher anticipatory or pre-operative anxiety often report higher levels of procedural pain. This link between pain and anxiety has many outcomes, including effects on overall patient satisfaction, willingness to complete procedures, and operational efficiency. We discussed how the Comfort Talk® staff training and mobile application is now leading the way in reducing reliance on pharmacologic solutions, such as narcotics, and assisting in anxiety reduction within procedures such as MRI, biopsy, or dentistry.
The Comfort Talk® Pro mobile application uses self-hypnotic word sequences combined with topics including relaxation, confidence, comfort, and peace, resulting in anxiety reduction and greater efficiency in medical procedures. Comfort Talk® Training Options are available to help ensure institutions and their providers are adept at utilizing techniques and clinically proven word sequences to improve outcomes. Three levels of training are offered, including online, live, and trainer training, to help ensure appropriate use in clinical practice.
Ensuring Professional and Research-Backed Hypnotic Suggestions for Patients
Therapeutic alliance and building a trusted professional relationship with patients or clients are cornerstones of successful outcomes in a clinical setting. There can be an overreliance on pharmacological use, such as opioids, to reduce pain when other techniques are not available or widely understood. Clinically proven self-hypnotic suggestions and professionals trained in word sequences showing anxiety and pain reduction have the potential benefit of improving the overall patient experience, as well as clinical efficiency.
Dr. Lang-Anderson and I wrapped up our interview by discussing challenges in current healthcare environments, such as increasing cases of practitioner burnout. We discussed how resetting that situation might be achieved through a renewed focus on patient empowerment, clinical efficiency, and ensuring that people are supported in controlling their minds and experiences.
I reminded listeners to be cautious about hypnotic programming suggestions from unverified sources, ensuring that phobia indoctrination isn’t an aspect of hypnotic care that we want. We want to focus on clinically proven therapeutic hypnotic suggestions that empower the individual to stay in control of their mind/body spaces, as we have proven that hypnotic suggestions, word choice, and other techniques can significantly influence that individual. At the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, we seek to help ensure that influence benefits the individual in their empowerment and supports people in letting go of what does not serve their best interests.
Resources:
Comfort Talk® Pro App – Comfort Talk
Training Options – Comfort Talk
Books – Comfort Talk – Patient Sedation Without Medication and Managing Your Medical Experience
