Positive Effects Of Hypnosis and Reiki

By Robert Pritchard, CH

What if you could experience 40% less pain and take 50% less pain meds while undergoing a root canal, filling or tooth extraction without feeling the pinch of a needle or the after effects of general anesthesia? Hypnosis could uncover a new world for patients seeking dental care.

Hypnosis is used in a variety of settings, from emergency rooms to dental offices to outpatient clinics. Clinical studies suggest that hypnosis may improve immune function, increase relaxation, decrease stress, and ease pain and feelings of anxiety.

In 2012, in the Journal of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, a study was conducted to determine pain response when third molars were extracted under hypnosis and under anesthesia. Each patient had two molars extracted using each method. In the hypnosis group (add comma) only 8.3% of patients endured pain while in the local anesthetic group, 33.3% endured pain. Pain intensity in the two groups at 5-hour and 12-hour post-operative also exhibited significant differences. In the hypnosis group, 41.7% took analgesic medication and in the local anesthesia group, 91.7% took the analgesic medication, a 50% difference in post-operative medication needs.

Reiki is also used in some dentists' offices as a technique for stress reduction and relaxation. Reiki actually means “life force energy” taken from the Japanese words, “rei” and “ki.” Reiki is and has become a part of the mainstream health care and is practiced in many hospitals and wellness centers. By means of a simple non-invasive technique, a Reiki practitioner can act as a conduit for healing energy that passes through his or her hands into the patient's body.

In 2014, The Washington Post reported that according to a UCLA study, more than 60 U.S. hospitals have adopted Reiki as part of patient service and Reiki education is offered at 800 U.S hospitals. The Healing Touch Professional Association estimates more than 30,000 nurses in U.S. hospitals use touch practices every year.

Non-conventional pain relief methods increasingly attract the benefit of less pain and less side effects. Doctors, nurses and hospitals are waking up to the fact that there are more options than the primary rationale in offering complimentary medicine services, including hypnosis and Reiki. Putting these two together in a dental visit can prove to be quite remarkable at dealing with anxiety, fear, and pain.