Recent developments in the study of hypnotic pain reduction: a new golden era of research?

This article presents a selective review of recent developments in research on hypnotic pain reduction. A profusion of well-controlled studies of hypnotic analgesia in children suggests that hypnosis ranks among the more effective psychological tools for managing the distress experienced by youngsters undergoing invasive medical procedures. This literature also draws attention to the importance of matching interventions to natural pain coping strategies. Virtual reality hypnosis shows much promise as a treatment and may offer hope to people who might otherwise be unable to experience hypnotic analgesia. Response expectancies appear to be a key psychological mechanism of hypnotic pain reduction. Neuroimaging studies point to activity in the midcingulate cortex as a possible biological mechanism of hypnotic analgesia. More generally, based upon the findings of a sound empirical literature, important meta-analytic and qualitative reviews have concluded that hypnosis is effective for reducing both experimental and clinical pain. Indeed, the study of hypnotic pain reduction is vigorous, innovative, and may well have entered a golden era of research. Copyright © 2008 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.