Clinical hypnosis can be an effective therapy for treating inflammatory bowel disease in children, promoting improvements in both symptoms and aspects of daily living, such as school attendance, according to a randomized controlled trial of the approach.
Noting that hypnosis has been found to be effective for treating irritable bowel syndrome, pain and anxiety, and may have anti-inflammatory effects, the researchers, from Vanderbilt University, sought to assess the impact of the intervention as an adjunctive treatment in Crohn’s disease. They assessed the impact of hypnosis on abdominal pain, quality of life (QOL), psychosocial measures and disease activity compared with standard of care.