A few years ago, I had life-saving emergency surgery. While the surgical outcome was a complete success, my recovery felt like a constant struggle. I was used to being active and feeling strong, but afterward, I felt weak and worried I would never be able to return to my old self. Beyond the physical, I struggled emotionally, too. I felt emotionally checked out and less involved in my life than I used to be. For over a year, I felt stuck. Then, a turning point came when I discovered hypnotherapy. It helped me recover both emotionally and physically, and it made me wonder: with all the evidence supporting this experience, why didn’t my surgeon or anyone in the hospital suggest it?
A Look at the Evidence
Since treating clients with post-surgery issues, I started investigating the healing role of hypnotherapy. I discovered that my personal experience is far from an isolated case; it’s backed by a growing body of scientific research. For decades, hypnosis has been used as a supplementary, non-pharmacological tool for patients undergoing surgery. Recent meta-analyses, which combine the results of multiple studies, confirm its widespread benefits.
Medical hypnosis has been shown to have positive effects on mental distress, pain, medication consumption, recovery time, and even the length of the surgical procedure. One meta-analysis of 50 studies involving over 4,200 patients found that hypnosis can significantly reduce emotional distress and pain after surgery (Holler et al., 2021). Another study focusing specifically on breast cancer surgery found that preoperative hypnosis reduced both anxiety before the procedure and pain afterward (Zeng et al., 2022). In fact, hypnosis is considered particularly effective, and superior to other psychological techniques, for preventing postsurgical side effects (Tefikow et al., 2013).
For my physical recovery, the results were incredible, and studies suggest this, too, is more than just a feeling. A clinical trial on patients undergoing breast surgery found that those who received a targeted hypnotic intervention had significantly accelerated wound healing compared to those who received standard care (Ginandes et al., 2003). The findings indicate that using hypnosis can speed up postoperative wound healing.
The Question: Why Isn’t This Standard Care?
So, if the evidence is so compelling and the general public is open to it, with one survey showing that 67% of people are willing to accept hypnosis in a medical setting, why isn’t it offered more widely? (Lind et al., 2021).
One of the key reasons is a matter of resources and training. Despite the clear evidence, hypnosis is not universally used in surgical settings. The slow acceptance of hypnosis is often due to the “advanced expertise, time, and effort required by clinicians” to provide it (Holler et al., 2021). While some institutions are making progress—like a large cardiac center in Germany that is making hypnotherapeutic techniques available as an adjunctive therapy—it is still not part of the usual treatment protocol in many places (Tigges-Limmer et al., 2024).
This situation highlights a crucial point: while medical science excels at addressing the immediate physical trauma of an emergency, the holistic approach to healing—addressing the mental, emotional, and physical recovery as a single process—is often left to the patient to discover.
My healing journey took longer than I ever expected, but it led me to a powerful tool that should be part of the standard conversation around surgical recovery. I hope that as more studies validate these experiences, this powerful, non-pharmacological option becomes a standard part of care for all patients.
References
Ginandes, C., Brooks, P., Sando, W., Jones, C., & Aker, J. (2003). Can medical hypnosis accelerate post-surgical wound healing? Results of a clinical trial. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 45(4), 333-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2003.10403546
Holler, M., Koranyi, S., Strauss, B., & Rosendahl, J. (2021). Efficacy of Hypnosis in Adults Undergoing Surgical Procedures: A meta-analytic update. Clinical Psychology Review, 85, 102001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102001
Lind, S. B., Jacobsen, H. B., Solbakken, O. A., & Reme, S. E. (2021). Clinical Hypnosis in Medical Care: A Mixed-Method Feasibility Study. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 20, 15347354211058678. https://doi.org/10.1177/15347354211058678
Tefikow, S., Barth, J., Maichrowitz, S., Beelmann, A., Strauss, B., & Rosendahl, J. (2013). Efficacy of hypnosis in adults undergoing surgery or medical procedures: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(5), 623-636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.03.005
Tigges-Limmer, K., Brocks, Y., Winkler, Y., Stock Gissendanner, S., & Gummert, J. (2024). Clinical experience with medical hypnosis as an adjunctive therapy in heart surgery. Frontiers in Psycholology, 15, 1356392. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356392
Zeng, J., Wang, L., Cai, Q., Wu, J., & Zhou, C. (2022). Effect of hypnosis before general anesthesia on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing minor surgery for breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gland Surgery, 11(3), 588-598. https://doi.org/10.21037/gs-22-114