Journal of Pain Research (May 2020)

Hypnosis Associated with 3D Immersive Virtual Reality Technology in the Management of Pain: A Review of the Literature

  • Rousseaux F,
  • Bicego A,
  • Ledoux D,
  • Massion P,
  • Nyssen AS,
  • Faymonville ME,
  • Laureys S,
  • Vanhaudenhuyse A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 1129 – 1138

Abstract

Read online

Floriane Rousseaux,1– 3 Aminata Bicego,1– 3 Didier Ledoux,3,4 Paul Massion,4 Anne-Sophie Nyssen,1,3 Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville,2 Steven Laureys,5 Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse2,3 1Laboratory of Cognitive Ergonomics and Work Intervention, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; 2Algology Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium; 3Sensation & Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; 4Intensive Care Units, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium; 5GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, BelgiumCorrespondence: Floriane RousseauxSensation & Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, Domaine Universitaire du Sart Tilman, B35, Liege B4000, BelgiumTel + 32 43 663 462Email [email protected] VanhaudenhuyseAlgology Department and Sensation & Perception Research Group, GIGA Consciousness, Domaine Universitaire du Sart Tilman, B35, Liege B4000, BelgiumTel + 32 43 668 033Email [email protected]: Hypnosis is well documented in the literature in the management of acute and chronic pain. Virtual reality (VR) is currently gaining credibility in the same fields as hypnosis for medical applications. Lately, the combination of hypnosis and VR was considered. The aim of this scoping review is to understand the current studied contexts and effects of virtual reality hypnosis (VRH) for the management of pain. We searched on PubMed, Taylor & Francis Online, and ProQuest databases with the following terms: “virtual reality,” “ 3D,” “hypnosis,” and “pain”. We included 8 studies that combined hypnosis and VR. All articles are in English. Two included healthy volunteers and six are clinical studies. Short-term results indicated significant decreases in pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, time spent thinking about pain, anxiety, and levels of opioids. However, results are not consistent for all patients all the days. VR alone seems to reduce pain independently of the hypnotizability level. One study claimed that VR and hypnosis could alter each other’s effects and another argued that VR did not inhibit the hypnotic process and may even facilitate it by employing visual imagery. We cannot affirm that VR added value to hypnosis when they are combined. These trials and case series gave us indications about the possible applications of VRH in different contexts. Additional randomized clinical trials on VRH in the future will have to test this technique in clinical practice and help define guidelines for VRH utilization in pain management.Keywords: hypnosis, virtual reality, 3D animation, virtual reality hypnosis, acute pain, chronic pain

Keywords