Anxiety reduction using hypnotic induction and self-guided imagery for relaxation during dermatologic procedures.

Many patients experience some degree of anxiety during dermatologic procedures. A prospective, randomized-control trial of hypnotic induction followed by self-guided imagery was conducted with patients in 3 groups: live induction, recorded induction, or control. By 20 minutes into the procedure, there was significantly reduced anxiety reported in the live-induction group compared with the control, whereas reported anxiety in the recorded-induction group was similar to that of the control group. All 13 in the live induction, 11 of the 13 in the recorded induction, and none of the 13 in the control group imagined scenes. The findings of this study suggest that live hypnotic induction followed by self-guided imagery can help to reduce anxiety experienced by many patients during dermatologic procedures.