Hypnosis treatments could save health service millions, say experts

The Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) believe the therapies help relieve pain and stress but warned patients need to be protected from rogue practitioners, who cause harm and end up costing the NHS more.

Jacky Owens, president of the RSM’s Hypnosis Section, said: “Conditions such as depression, pain and irritable bowel syndrome affect millions of people in the UK and a great cost to the NHS. But hypnosis can often work where other treatments have been unsuccessful.”

Ms Owens, a qualified nurse who uses hypnosis in her work with cancer patients, said making hypnosis a standard part of the “NHS toolbox” would lead to the public becoming better informed and mean that vulnerable patients would be less likely to turn to “hypno-cowboys”.

Hypnosis is now recognised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) as a possible intervention for IBS where other treatments are not having an effect. Ms Owens added: “That’s a small step but we’re confident that with more research, hypnosis will be recognised as an extremely useful tool to be used alongside mainstream medicine.”