Efficacy of hypnotism in the management of psychiatric disorders

Background: Since the days of Hippocrates, main accomplishment has been symptom relief and containment more often than cure. Traditional therapeutic approaches that analyze why a problem exists or explore developmental dynamic interactions may be unnecessary to treat habitual Axis I problems, such as smoking, phobias, anxiety, dissociative symptoms, chronic pain, etc. These problems can respond quickly, many times in a single session, when patients are taught self-hypnosis with a strategy designed to help them take charge of their lives and develop a new perspective on the problem. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted in the Medline, PubMED databases. Studies which focused primarily on how does hypnosis works and its efficacy among various psychiatric disorders were included. Based on which studies from 1990-2020 were reviewed for this review article. Conclusion: After shedding of many years, hypnosis is finally breaking its old Hollywood image of a dastardly villain using hypnosis to control minds. A growing interest in meditation and other spiritual practices in the over recent years, hypnosis is being widely accepted as a reliable, fast and effective tool for healing and change work. Hypnosis is one of the specialized techniques and is not a therapy itself. It should be used as an adjunctive intervention within a complete psychological and medical treatment package. It is a window into the brain-mind, helping patients’ better control stress, pain, habits, dissociative symptoms, and psychosomatic problems.