Ep123. No More S Words! What Hypnosis Teaches Us About Talking with Patients

Make a pledge with me to try and stop using the S word! Can you guess what it might be? Who better to talk us through the evidence against using nocebo language and the power of suggestion than anaesthetist and expert in clinical hypnosis, Associate Professor Allan Cyna.

A/Prof Cyna is the Director of the Advanced Training in Clinical Hypnosis run by the South Australian Society of Hypnosis. I drill down on his journey from a transformative lecture during medical school to becoming a leading expert.

We discuss the evidence, delve into my failures and his successes with hypnotic suggestion and even ponder whether this is all just woo woo.

I mention the overlap with psychology and refer to this episode on Ep118 on Trauma Informed Care with psychologist Brigette Berry.

I specifically discuss using hypnotic suggestion for children in Ep55 with Drs Annette Webb and James Auld.

Find A/Prof Allan Cyna's talk from the 2025 National Scientific Congress here (in September). You'll need to be an ASA member to gain access.

Interested in learning hypnosis? Find more information here, as well as the articles we discuss.

Feel free to communicate your thoughts on the podcast with me! email podcast@asa.org.au.

Some AI generated notes:

Episode Highlights

00:02:45: Cyna's pivotal medical school experience with a senior anaesthetist demonstrating hypnotic phenomena, including arm anaesthesia and age regression, which sparked his lifelong interest in hypnosis.

00:06:30: Introduction of the concept of "nocebo language"—negative perceptual suggestions like "this will sting"—and their evidence-based harmful effects on patient anxiety and pain scores.