Page 25 - JCBP-3-3

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Utilizing hypnosis to cope with fibromyalgia

safety of these interventions. While there is emerging De Benedittis conducted an RCT on 24 patients
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evidence supporting psychological interventions for with FMS and found that hypnotherapy combined with
FMS, the overall quality of evidence remains low. More standard medical treatment produced greater pain relief,
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controlled studies that meet standard methodological improvement in health-related QoL, increased energy, and
requirements are needed to identify moderating and enhanced restorative sleep in the long run (6 months), with
mediating variables, as well as cost-benefit analyses patient satisfaction significantly higher in the hypnosis
that align patients’ psychological characteristics with group. These findings suggest that hypnotherapy is a
appropriate treatments. 4 promising treatment for FMS. While initial results may
vary, consistent home practice and periodic reinforcement
5. The potential of hypnosis in treating FMS sessions can lead to sustained pain relief.
symptoms and signs: Current evidence
Zech et al. reviewed the effectiveness, safety, and
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FMS management can be challenging because it often patient acceptance of guided imagery/hypnosis (GI/H)
seems to be unresponsive to most treatments. Nonetheless, for fibromyalgia. The authors analyzed RCTs that
hypnosis has demonstrated promise in controlling chronic compared GI/H with control groups, evaluating various
pain from various sources, either alone or in combination outcomes such as pain relief, QoL, psychological distress,
with other treatments. 1-2,13,40-42 It is noteworthy that disability, acceptability, and safety. The review included
hypnosis has an excellent safety profile, with few adverse seven RCTs with a total of 387 participants and found
effects that are typically. 43 that GI/H was more effective than control groups in
Several case studies and controlled trials support the achieving pain relief and reducing psychological distress
potential effectiveness of hypnosis for FMS. 36,44-49 A study at the end of therapy. Two RCTs with 95 participants
by Haanen et al. found hypnosis to be more effective than compared GI/H + CBT to CBT alone, revealing that the
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physical therapy in relieving pain, with benefits lasting up combined therapy reduced psychological distress more
to 24 weeks. However, Castel et al. reported no significant effectively at the end of treatment. However, most of
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difference between hypnosis and relaxation in terms of pain the studies had poor methodological quality, and safety
relief. In a small randomized controlled trial (RCT), Martínez- was not reported in any of them. These findings suggest
Valero et al. revealed that both hypnosis and CBT were more that hypnosis may be an effective adjunctive therapy for
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effective than drug treatment for FMS, with no significant managing chronic pain and dysfunctional symptoms in
difference between the two psychological interventions. FMS, but more extensive research is needed to support
these claims.
Bernardy et al. conducted a meta-analysis of six RCTs
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involving 256 FMS patients, with an average follow-up Aravena et al. explored the efficacy of audio-
period of 8 weeks. The results indicated that hypnosis recorded hypnosis for improving fibromyalgia symptoms
resulted in a large effect size for pain relief and a medium in 95 patients with FMS. Both the experimental and
effect size for improved sleep, while QoL remained control groups continued their standard pharmacological
unchanged. treatment and usual physical or psychological activities.
The experimental group received an audio-recorded
In another RCT by Picard et al., the effects of five non-
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standardized hypnosis sessions conducted over 2 months hypnosis intervention in the first session and another
audio-hypnosis session for daily practice for a month. The
were compared in 59 women with FMS. Participants were results showed that the self-administered audio-recorded
randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 30) or a hypnotic intervention significantly reduced the intensity
waitlist control group (n = 29), with the treatment group and interference of pain and fatigue, as well as depressive
encouraged to practice self-hypnosis. Outcome measures symptomatology.
included the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ),
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medical outcomes study, sleep scale, multidimensional Finally, Baykus et al. recently conducted a randomized
fatigue inventory, cognitive strategy questionnaire (CSQ), prospective study involving 20 FMS patients. The study
and patient global impression of change (PGIC). These consisted of two groups: a hypnosis group (n = 10) and a
measures were administered at baseline, 3 months (M3), control group (n = 10). The control group received standard
and 6 months (M6) after inclusion. Compared to the medical treatment and exercise recommendations, whereas
control group, the hypnosis group reported significantly the hypnosis group received weekly, 60-min face-to-face
greater improvement in the PGIC at both M3 (P = 0.001) hypnosis therapy sessions in addition to standard care.
and M6 (P = 0.01). In addition, the hypnosis group showed Both groups were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale
significant improvements in sleep and the dramatization (VAS) for pain and the FIQ before and after a 3-month
subscale of the CSQ at M6. treatment period. At the 3-month follow-up, the hypnosis

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 19 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4796