A case study illustrating traps, pitfalls and concerns for the hypnodontist

This case study is about hypnosis for intractable pain in the case of a patient who had trigeminal neuralgia, which through medical intervention had become anaesthesia dolorosa. The study will address the demand characteristics set up by the patient. Inherent in the demands were pitfalls and traps that ultimately resulted in a pyrrhic victory. This case illustrates the need to know the limits for the hypnodontist: of their jurisdictionally permitted scope of practice; their own abilities; whose goals are being met by the intervention; and what outcomes define success for the patient and the hypnodontist. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.