Hypnosis Controls Acute Paediatric Pain

Children experience acute pain arising out of a number of happenings as injury (say while playing), illness or when certain medical procedures need to be performed in them to handle any of their medical problems or routine immunizations. It should be noted if the children were to be complied with the standards laid down by the American Academy of Physicians in regard to the immunizations, they need to undergo at least 20 inoculations before they attain the age of 18 years. The levels of pain experienced arising out of different medical conditions vary from mild to extreme and the types could be many of which some of the important ones are procedure related, postoperative, and acute pain arising out a serious illness or injury, Since it is not feasible to singularly relate the role of hypnosis in regard to each type of pain in this article it would focus on its role in the management of chronic pain in children regardless of the nature that has caused it.

The importance of handling acute pain in children arises out of pieces of scientific evidence that proves that those of them who have been repeatedly exposed to anxiety-provoking painful events develop dysfunctional cognitions and avoidant attitudes in regard to taking care of their health in their adulthood. Some of them are also prone to developing serious mental health problems as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Even though great strides have been made in the pharmacological side of pain relief in regard to the children, yet so far neither any holistic analgesic medicine have been developed or are they free from undesirable side effects. Since conventional medicines can also not address issues relating to behavioural, cognitive and emotional components which are integral parts of such intensive pain, there is a need for interdisciplinary approach for handling all the issues and it is in this connection hypnosis comes into play a significant role in handling the psychological influences acute pain inflects on the children.

Anxiety sensitivity of the children to acute pain has been found to be one of the underlying causes of such acute pain. It is more the belief rather than the actual incidence that intensifies the fears in them the external manifestations some of which are seen in palpitation, headaches and other real or imaginary (psychosomatic) illnesses which leads them to project an image as though they are ill. Stated otherwise, using such imaginary illnesses they develop an escapist route. They fall into a syndrome of self-fulfilling prophecy wherein they perceive that they would experience traumatic pain which further worsens the problems. In short they fall into a vicious cycle where the imaginary pain dominates the cycle.

Hypnotic management of acute pain in children addresses in removing the underlying cause of it, viz, the anxiety. In the self-regulation theory propounded by the experts in the field focus on the cognitive factors that influence the children in not seeing pain as a threatening situation and this aspect is accomplished in hypnosis by making them first to calm down and afterward distract themselves away from it which help them to cope up with threatening cues and lessen it. In other words, under this method the hypnotist helps them to direct their attention away from the noxious stimulus. In one experiment it was proved that when the children received age-appropriate information about their impending medical processors they display lesser distress when compared with those who receive age advanced information.

In conclusion we can state from available evidence the psychological preparation via hypnotic techniques could play a positive role in helping the children to cope with their pain but at the same time such type of pain management should match the child's coping ability and stage of the medical procedure from which the pain is expected to emanate.