Investigators from the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-University and Technical University in Munich, Germany, used a retrospective study to assess the effectiveness of a combined therapy of traditional Chinese medicine and hypnotherapy (systemic autoregulation therapy or SART) as a novel treatment for endometriosis-associated symptoms, especially for the 15% of patients with severe endometriosis who suffer from pain in spite of pharmacological and surgical treatment.
 
Forty-seven patients with severe endometriosis, treated with the SART protocol, were followed up through standardized telephone interviews.  Follow-up data were compared to baseline assessments.

Researchers from the University of Greenwich, London, UK investigated whether hypnosis plus Virtual Reality (VR) performed more effectively than hypnosis alone.
 
Thirty-five healthy participants were randomized to self-hypnosis with VR imagery, standard self-hypnosis, or relaxation interventions. Changes in sleep, cortisol levels, and mood were measured.

Researchers from the Unidad de Investigació Médica in Merida, Mexico, explored the efficacy of Ericksonian Hypnosis for managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
 
Forty-three female fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to receive either six months of Ericksonian hypnosis (n = 20) or a sham-hypnosis protocol (n = 23).  Each month, measures were taken using the Patient and Physician Global Disease Assessment, a count of tender points,  and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Question:

While I think your items are helpful, I really think it is unfair that you barely give the profession of hypnosis any acknowledgment when that is what "guided imagery" is.  You should tell it like it is and give credit to the profession.
Janny

 Dear Janny,
I confess to being baffled by your comment.  Although this website started out years ago as a guided imagery site that featured only my work at first, it then expanded over the years into a mind-body site that featured many experiential methods and practitioners, including hypnosis, breathwork, meditation, acupressure, music therapy, biofeedback, yoga, tai chi, and much more. 

Researchers from the University of Hartford reviewed the findings to see if a high level of hypnotic suggestibility (considered a stable individual trait) is necessary for a hypnotic pain intervention to relieve headache pain.

Higher suggestibility has been found to be associated with greater relief from hypnotic pain interventions, and although individuals in the high suggestibility range show the strongest response to hypnotic analgesia, people of medium suggestibility (who represent approximately one third of the population) also have been found to obtain significant relief from hypnosis.

The researchers conclude that high hypnotic suggestibility is not necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention for headache – medium suggestibility works too .  But the available evidence does not support the efficacy of hypnotic pain interventions for people who fall in the low hypnotic suggestibility range.  According to some studies, these subjects may benefit from imaginative analgesia suggestions (guided imagery), or suggestions for pain reduction that are delivered while the person is not under hypnosis.

Citation:  Milling LS. Is high hypnotic suggestibility necessary for successful hypnotic pain intervention? Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2008 Apr;12 (2): pages 98-102. milling@hartford.edu

After one hypnosis session before a lumpectomy or breast biopsy, patients require 22% less analgesia and 34% less sedation; and report 53% less pain intensity, 74% less nausea, 46% less fatigue, 47% less discomfort, and 74% less emotional upset

Researchers from New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine randomly assigned 200 women scheduled for a breast biopsy or lumpectomy to a brief pre-surgical session of either supportive therapy or hypnosis. The hypnotic procedure included guided relaxation, the use of imagery, and symptom-focused suggestions. All the women were treated with anesthesia and pain medications during the procedures and given painkillers as needed afterward.

The study found that during surgery, the hypnotized women required 22% less analgesia and 34% less sedation. After surgery, they reported 53% less pain intensity, 74% less nausea, 46% less fatigue, 47% less discomfort, and 74% less emotional upset. They also spent 11 fewer minutes in surgery, resulting in a cost savings of almost $800 per patient.

The authors conclude that a brief, one-session hypnosis intervention appears to be one of the rare clinical interventions that can simultaneously reduce both symptom burden and costs.

Citation: Montgomery GH, Bovbjerg DH, Schnur JB, David D, Goldfarb A, Weltz CR, Schechter C, Graff-Zivin J, Tatrow K, Price DD, Silverstein JH. A randomized clinical trial of a brief hypnosis intervention to control side effects in breast surgery patients. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2007 Sep 5;99 (17): pages 1304-12. Epub 2007 Aug 28. guy.montgomery@mssm.edu

In a randomized, controlled clinical trial, Dutch researchers from St. Antonius Hospital find that hypnotherapy dramatically decreases pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome or with functional abdominal pain

Researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands, conducted a randomized, controlled trial to look at the efficacy of gut-directed hypnotherapy (HT) for reducing abdominal pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).