Papers of the Week

Perioperative pain is a burden that often is insufficiently addressed. Considering the limitations of pharmacological approaches in this context, hypnosis is a promising technique as part of a multimodal management plan for acute surgical pain. There is a growing interest for hypnosis from patients and the medical community. It can be practiced in the pre- or post-operative setting for acute symptom management (pain and anxiety), as well as per-operatively as a substitute to anesthetic care, or as a complement (hypnosedation). This article aims to clarify these different uses of hypnosis for perioperative analgesia, as well as the benefits that can be expected.