Clinical hypnosis in the practice of anesthesia.

Hypnosis has been utilized for at least several hundred years, but the societal view of hypnosis has ranged from raving to ridicule. The advances of hypnosis as a scientific endeavor have occurred within the last two centuries, but many myths and misunderstandings remain about the nature of hypnosis and its effects on the subject. Hypnosis is being recognized as having many medical applications. Important applications for the anesthetist include hypnoanesthesia and hypnoanalgesia, which are found to have some advantages in specific types of patients that present for surgery.