THE HYPNOSIS AND HYPNOTIC COMMUNICATION IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING HEAD AND NECK MAJOR ONCOLOGICAL SURGERY

F. Stivala, A. Lombardo, E. Fontana, S. Iannarino, A. Mariotto, A. Todisco, G. Riva, S. Valzan, M. Miletta, M. Paleologo | A.O.U. City of Health and Science of Turin, Molinette Hospital

BACKGROUND
Hypnosis represents a physiological and dynamic state of consciousness through which a connection between the mind and body occurs. Hypnotic therapy can modulate pain of neoplastic origin, reduce anxiety, provide a means to cope with cognitive-emotional conflicts related to the illness, and improve the quality of life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of clinical hypnosis in cancer patients undergoing surgery in the head and neck region.
METHODS
A mixed-methods study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of hypnosis in oncologic patients undergoing surgery of the head and neck region. A total of 15 patients who provided consent for hypnotic treatment were included. Each patient underwent two hypnotic sessions: the first session took place during preoperative information, during which the patient was educated in self-hypnosis. The second session was carried out on postoperative day 1, reinforcing the patient’s empowerment for self-hypnosis (anchoring), allowing the patient to independently repeat the experience of well-being and analgesia. The ESAS-R evaluation scale, assessment of administered and rescue therapies, and the semi-structured questionnaire were completed on postoperative day 5. Student’s t-test was used to compare pre- and post-hypnotic treatment values.
RESULTS
For the items of fatigue, drowsiness, nausea, appetite, and shortness of breath, the p-value was not statistically significant between baseline and post-treatment values; in the assessment of pain, depression, anxiety, and well-being, statistically significant values were found. The reduction in the number of hypnotic therapy administrations and rescue doses was also statistically significant. From the qualitative analysis, most patients had not previously experienced hospitalization; nonetheless, almost all of them reported experiencing their hospital stay, despite the oncologic disease and surgical intervention, as positive.
CONCLUSIONS
Clinical hypnosis is an effective tool in various therapeutic contexts and is useful for reducing symptoms that might otherwise worsen the patient’s health status and subjective hospitalization experience. This technique is capable of controlling psycho-physical symptoms by activating the individual’s neurophysiological systems and promoting patient empowerment through self-hypnosis. The study highlighted encouraging results in the analyzed areas and underscored how the patient’s experience, despite the illness and the intervention, can be improved through this treatment in synergy with conventional therapies.