Healthcare Support
Facing Medical or Dental Treatment? Reduce Anxiety, Pain & Recovery Time with Hypnotherapy
Treatment Can Be Overwhelming - But It Doesn’t Have To Be. Take Control With Hypnotherapy.
Concerns are completely normal when preparing for treatment, but they don’t have to take over your experience.
Hypnotherapy is a proven, science-backed tool that helps you:
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Stay calm and confident before surgery
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Feel less pain and need fewer medications
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Recover faster with fewer complications
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Avoid post-surgery nausea and discomfort
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Reduce the impact of fears and phobias
By preparing your mind and body, hypnotherapy can help you transform your experience for the better.
How Hypnotherapy Helps at Every Stage of Your Care
1. Before Treatment - Empower Your Mind & Calm Your Body
Whether preparing for surgery, a medical procedure or a dental visit, hypnotherapy helps reduce anxiety, fear and stress. It aids in calming the mind, allowing you to approach your treatment with confidence.
Hypnotherapy is particularly effective for overcoming specific challenges such as fear of enclosed spaces (e.g. MRIs or dental procedures), needle phobia or dental anxiety, promoting a sense of calm and control. It prepares your body by lowering blood pressure and heart rate, creating an ideal state for healing and a smoother treatment experience.
2. During Surgery - Lower Pain & Reduce Anaesthesia Needs
Hypnosis has been shown to alter pain perception, reducing the amount of anaesthesia and pain medication needed. Studies indicate that patients who use hypnotherapy require 30% less anaesthesia and experience fewer side effects, which can make the procedure more comfortable and help you recover more quickly.
3. After Surgery - Speed Up Recovery & Ease Discomfort
Post-treatment recovery can be smoother and faster with the help of hypnotherapy. By reducing stress, improving immune function and lowering inflammation, hypnotherapy accelerates the healing process. It can also help reduce post-operative pain, nausea and fatigue, leading to a quicker, more comfortable recovery.
Helped Through Surgery For Breast Cancer
'I was only on paracetamol for 2–3 days after my mastectomy (DIEP + reconstruction). On Day 5, the specialist pain nurse was surprised I wasn’t on morphine-based medication. She even asked if I had a high pain threshold (I don’t). When she asked what I’d been doing, I explained that I’d had hypnotherapy sessions with Claire focusing on relaxation, breathing techniques and mental rehearsal before the surgery and listened to hypnosis audios throughout my recovery.
I’m so grateful for Claire’s support. I would never have managed this without her. Highly recommended; the mind plays such a vital role in preparing and healing.'
Female Business Owner.
The Science Behind Hypnotherapy in Healthcare
1. Hypnosis for adults undergoing surgery or medical procedures:
Tefikow, S., Barth, J., Maichrowitz, S., Beelmann, A., Strauss, B. and 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), pp. 623–636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.03.005.
Summary: This meta-analysis evaluated 34 randomized controlled trials involving 2,597 patients to assess the impact of hypnosis on surgical and medical procedure outcomes. The findings demonstrated significant benefits of hypnosis on several measures e.g. emotional distress, pain, medication consumption, physiological parameters, recovery and surgical procedure time. It also suggested that further high-quality research to strengthen the evidence-base was needed. PubMed+2PubMed+2PubMed+2
2. Hypnotherapy for Anxiety in Medical Procedures:
Lang, E.V., Benotsch, E.G., Fick, L.J., Lutgendorf, S., Berbaum, M.L., Berbaum, K.S., Logan, H. and Spiegel, D. (2018) ‘Hypnosis for anxiety reduction in medical procedures: a randomized controlled trial’, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(6), pp. 863–874. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22565.
Summary: This study assessed the efficacy of self-hypnotic relaxation in reducing anxiety and pain during outpatient medical procedures. A total of 236 women undergoing large core needle breast biopsy were randomly assigned to receive standard care, structured empathic attention, or self-hypnotic relaxation. The results indicated that anxiety levels decreased significantly in the hypnosis group compared to the standard care group, with both hypnosis and empathy groups experiencing less steep increases in pain. The study concluded that hypnosis is an effective and cost-efficient adjunct to medical procedures for anxiety management.
3. Hypnotherapy for Dental Anxiety:
Soares Zappalá, I., César Guimarães, A.F., Leonan-Silva, B., Douglas-Oliveira, D.W., Flecha, O.D., Tavano, K.T.A. and Botelho, A.M. (2025) ‘Effectiveness of hypnosis in controlling anxiety during dental treatment: exploratory trial’, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 67(4), pp. 325–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2025.2502734.
Summary: The aim of the study was to investigate whether hypnosis could be used as an alternative approach to reducing dental anxiety. Hypnosis proved to be an effective strategy.
4. Hypnotherapy for Fibromyalgia
Ozgunay, S.E., Kasapoglu Aksoy, M., Deniz, K.N., Onen, S., Onur, T., Kilicarslan, N., Eminoglu, S. and Karasu, D. (2024) ‘Effect of hypnosis on pain, anxiety, and quality of life in female patients with fibromyalgia: prospective, randomized, controlled study’, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 72(1), pp. 51–63.
Summary: A prospective, randomised controlled trial looked at the effects of hypnotherapy on pain, depression, anxiety, aerobic exercise practices, quality of life and disease impact score of females with fibromyalgia. The study showed that it was an effective method in reduding pain, depression, anxiety symptoms and improving quality of life.