The effectiveness of hypnosis for pain relief: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 controlled experimental trials.

The current meta-analysis aimed to quantify the effectiveness of hypnosis for reducing pain and identify factors that influence efficacy. Six major databases were systematically searched for trials comparing hypnotic inductions with no-intervention control conditions on pain ratings, threshold and tolerance using experimentally-evoked pain models in healthy participants. Eighty-five eligible studies (primarily crossover trials) were identified, consisting of 3632 participants (hypnosis n = 2892, control n = 2646). Random effects meta-analysis found analgesic effects of hypnosis for all pain outcomes (g = 0.54-0.76, p’s<.001). Efficacy was strongly influenced by hypnotic suggestibility and u…