Hypnosis in children undergoing painful medical procedures

Non-pharmacological pain relief for children is a special challenge for health care providers in managing children's pain. Hypnosis/imagery is one technique reported to help children relieve pain from painful medical procedures. This paper critically reviews hypnosis/imagery intervention studies that have examined approaches to relieving pain in children undergoing painful medical procedures. It also offers suggestions to guide future research. It is concluded that hypnosis is still an enigma and challenge within medical secience. However, there is evidence that using hypnosis is useful in reducing children's pain, behavioral distress and anxiety undergoing painful medical procedures.