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Health

Doctors are hypnotising people before surgery to help reduce anxiety

Listening to hypnosis recordings can reduce a person's pain and nerves during a medical procedure, and could even mean that they require a lower dose of sedatives

By Clare Wilson

28 April 2023

Hypnosis is being used in some hospitals in the UK, the US, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands

GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images

The idea of hypnotising people while they have surgery may sound like a medical stunt, but it is now standard practice in hospitals in several countries.

Earlier this month, the UK’s (RCoA) called for more healthcare staff to give people self-hypnosis recordings to listen to before a procedure, – a short and long version spoken by a man or a woman – alongside the

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