Hypnosis treatments could save millions for the NHS

In a move that could save the NHS millions of pounds patients could receive hypnosis treatments for medical conditions such as depression, pain and irritable bowel syndrome.

According to the Royal Society of Medicine’s (RSM) Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine Section, hypnosis is an effective cure for pain and depression.

Medical experts believe that if hypnosis is offered by the NHS as a medical treatment the UK’s health service could save millions of pounds in costs.

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However, the RSM warned that the NHS needs to actively protect patients against rogue hypnosis practitioners, claiming the use of such services could cost the health body more money.   

It is thought that non-medically trained hypnotists can actually cause harm to patients because they don’t have a medical understanding of diseases.  

When hypnosis is practiced correctly, however, the RSM says that it can work as a treatment where more traditional ones have failed.

“Conditions such as depression, pain and irritable bowel syndrome affect millions of people in the UK and a great cost to the NHS,” said the president of the RSM's Hypnosis Section, Jacky Owens in an interview.

“But hypnosis can often work where other treatments have been unsuccessful.”

 Owens is a qualified hypnotherapist and uses hypnosis in the treatment of cancer patients.  She added: “If doctors were able to refer patients to properly trained hypnotherapists, it would save a cash-strapped NHS a great deal of money.”

“We're confident that with more research, hypnosis will be recognised as an extremely useful tool to be used alongside mainstream medicine.”

“What we need are doctors, dentists, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, radiotherapists - the whole gamut of people who treat patients - trained in using hypnosis as another tool in their treatment programme.”