Beyond pharmacological sedation: clinical hypnosis and self-hypnosis as patient-centred tools for perioperative anxiety management

Abstract

This article is focused on clinical hypnosis and self-hypnosis as non-pharmacological strategies for perioperative anxiety management.The article is based on a practice-based, non-randomized comparative observational pilot study conducted in patients undergoing dental and oral surgical procedures. Hypnotic sedation was compared with routine intravenous pharmacological conscious sedation, with perioperative anxiety, haemodynamic parameters, and patient satisfaction evaluated as clinical outcomes.The study explores the role of hypnosis not merely as an alternative to pharmacological sedation, but as a behavioural and relational intervention aimed at modulating attention, expectation, bodily perception, emotional appraisal, and perceived control during invasive procedures. Although the clinical setting is dental and oral surgery, the conceptual domain of the article is broader, addressing perioperative anxiety management, behavioural sedation, and patient-centred procedural care.The findings suggest that hypnotic sedation may be acceptable and clinically useful in selected patients, including those with higher baseline anxiety. Both hypnotic and pharmacological sedation were associated with marked anxiety reduction, while hypnosis was associated with stable haemodynamic parameters and high patient satisfaction. The article also discusses an exploratory observation on audio-assisted self-hypnosis, suggesting its potential role as a continuity tool for anticipatory anxiety, prolonged procedures, and repeated clinical exposures.Given the small sample size, non-randomized design, and self-selection of patients, the results should be interpreted as preliminary and hypothesis-generating. The article highlights the need for future randomized controlled studies to standardize hypnotic and self-hypnotic protocols, identify predictors of response, and evaluate their possible contribution to multimodal perioperative anxiety management.This work may be of interest to clinicians and researchers in perioperative medicine, anaesthesiology, behavioural medicine, clinical hypnosis, dentistry, oral surgery, and patient-centred care.