| The efficacy of hypnotic analgesia has been demonstrated in previous controlled trials involving clinical pain problems and induced pain in laboratory settings. Individuals who screen high for hypnotizability often report marked reductions in pain ratings, particularly the affective dimension, following administration of hypnotic suggestions. However, the role of hypnotic analgesia in influencing catastrophic thinking in response to painful stimulation has, to date, received no empirical attention. This study sought to compare differences in pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and pain catastrophizing responses to cold pressor induced pain in individuals receiving either hypnotic suggestion (intervention) or no intervention (control). A total of 24 healthy and highly hypnotizable individuals completed the study (12 intervention, 12 no intervention). Study participants each completed two pain induction sessions and provided pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and pain catastrophizing ratings across each session. Approximately two weeks separated testing sessions; during this time the intervention group participated in therapist- and self-facilitated hypnosis while the no intervention group was not offered or instructed to do anything. Results revealed significant group effects for pain intensity (F(1, 22) = 12.364, p = 0.002) and pain unpleasantness (F(1, 22) = 11.725, p = 0.002) ratings, such that participants in the intervention group reported significantly lower ratings compared to those in the no intervention group. Similarly, results were found for pain catastrophizing (F (1, 22) = 9.485, p = 0.005), such that participants in the intervention group reported significantly lower catastrophizing compared to those in the no intervention group. Zero-order relationships for the entire sample revealed that decreasing pain catastrophizing scores were significantly associated with decreasing pain intensity (r = 0.537, p = 0.007) and unpleasantness (r = 0.564, p = 0.004) ratings, but statistically nonsignificant when examined for each group separately. This study provides further evidence supporting hypnotic analgesia, and is seemingly the first to provide limited support for a relation between hypnosis and less pain catastrophizing. The ability of hypnosis to affect catastrophic thinking during acute noxious stimulation is encouraging as hypnosis may alter cognitive processing thereby minimizing catastrophic thinking. Further investigation regarding the ability of hypnosis to reduce catastrophic thinking appears warranted. |
