title: Personalized evaluation of self-hypnosis as a treatment of chronic pain: a repertory grid analysis.
abstract: Self-hypnosis was taught to 5 highly hypnotisable patients referred to Auckland Hospital Pain Clinic. Evaluation included the Illness Self-Concept Repertory Grid (ISCRG) and follow-up was at 1 and 6 months post treatment. Consensus grids indicated the subjects initially identified with physical illness but this association decreased over the course of the study. There appeared, therefore, to be a shift in self-concept away from physical illness, in association with the learning and practice of self-hypnosis. This change was especially evident in the grids of those subjects who experienced the most pain relief. An association between pain reduction and self-concepts is thus noted. This study does not identify whether self-concepts merely reflect therapeutic change or whether strong self-identification with physical illness indicates a poor prognosis for pain relief. This is a question which deserves further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science, University of Auckland and Pain Clinic, Auckland Hospital, Auckland New Zealand Department of Psychology, University of Auckland and Pain Clinic, Auckland Hospital, Auckland New Zealand.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Large
authors.forename: Frances R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D059408:Pain Management; D012648:Self Care