A recent study by a professor at the University of Wales confirms that hypnosis can be used to manage pain from a variety of causes, even pain from cancer.

The study, conducted by Dr. Christina Liossi, found evidence that hypnosis can relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for cancer patients. The study was conducted in Greece using cancer patients between the ages of 6 and 16, and Liossi said hypnosis helped relieve the depression, nausea and pain suffered by cancer patients. Researchers also found that youngsters who were hypnotized and given a local anesthetic experienced less pain during medical procedures than those who were not hypnotized. There was also evidence that hypnosis could increase the survival rate of cancer patients by boosting the immune system, though studies were not conclusive.

This most recent research provides one more piece of evidence in support of the widespread and rapidly growing field of hypnosis. As hypnosis comes to be better understood by members of the medical community, more people are beginning to see its usefulness not only for weight loss and smoking cessation, but also for pain control and a host of other issues.

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cited hypnosis as a safe and effective method of pain treatment almost a decade ago. According to a statement by the NIH, “Self-hypnosis…or guided imagery…may be simple but effective ways to reduce pain for many people.”

According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, “Hypnosis can be used to block the awareness of pain, to substitute another feeling for the pain, and to change the sensation to one that is not painful.”

Medical professionals around the world have used hypnosis to alleviate pain caused by everything from cancer to childbirth to headaches. One such professional is Dr. David Spiegel, associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Spiegel uses hypnosis to help people control their pain and anxiety during certain surgical procedures.

“In the last five years we’ve begun doing randomized trials for acute surgical and medical pain, and we’ve got a number of studies now that show that hypnosis reduces pain, reduces anxiety, reduces the amount of medication people need, and makes the procedures shorter, 17 to 20 minutes per procedure,” Spiegel told ScienCentral News.

Other research shows hypnosis may help with pain by changing the way the brain receives certain impulses, including feeling of pain. However, science has only begun to tap into the many possibilities contained in hypnosis. One thing is certain, though—as we continue to learn more about the power of the human mind, the process will be anything but painful.