TOPLINE:

In women undergoing surgery for breast cancer, a 15-minute hypnosis session before surgery resulted in less fatigue, emotional distress, and use of fentanyl after the operation than a mindfulness session.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial at a hospital in Norway to assess whether a hypnosis session before surgery for breast cancer reduced symptoms after the surgery.
• They included 203 women (mean age, 53.1 years) scheduled to undergo breast surgery to remove tumor or the whole breast between October 2020 and March 2022.
• Within 2 hours before surgery, women were randomly assigned to receive either a 15‑minute live hypnosis session focused on relaxation, pleasant imagery, and suggestions to reduce symptoms or a 15‑minute recorded mindfulness session focused on breathing and relaxation delivered via headphones.
• Postoperative intensity and unpleasantness of pain, fatigue, nausea, discomfort, and emotional distress were rated on a 0-100 visual analog scale about 30 minutes after recovery from general anesthesia. The use of medications for anesthesia and analgesia was assessed.

TAKEAWAY:

• The hypnosis group had lower scores than the mindfulness group for postoperative fatigue (mean difference [MD], 6.4 points) and emotional distress (MD, 5.7; P = .04 for both). Both differences were clinically meaningful, based on a Cohen’s d effect size.
• The hypnosis group used a mean of 0.03 mg less fentanyl after surgery than the mindfulness group (P = .02), and the difference was clinically meaningful.
• Women with high levels of anxiety before surgery experienced greater reductions in emotional distress after surgery than those who had lower levels of anxiety (interaction effect [β], -16.2; P = .003).
• Levels of pain, nausea, and discomfort after surgery did not differ significantly between groups. No adverse events related to hypnosis were reported.

IN PRACTICE:

“The study findings support the use of a brief hypnosis session prior to breast cancer surgery to reduce postoperative side effects and to reduce postoperative use of the analgesic fentanyl,” the researchers reported.

“Healthcare providers should consider incorporating hypnosis into perioperative care protocols to improve patient outcomes,” they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Silje E. Reme, PhD, of the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway. It was published online on November 7, 2025, in Anesthesiology.

LIMITATIONS:

Hypnosis sessions were delivered live, whereas the mindfulness session was prerecorded, which may have influenced the comparisons. Pain was measured about 30 minutes after recovery from anesthesia, when residual effects of anesthesia may have remained. The study was conducted at a single urban hospital with well-managed postoperative care, limiting generalizability. 

DISCLOSURES:

This study received funding from the Norwegian Cancer Society. One author reported receiving support in part from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Another author reported receiving support from Teva.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.