This case series involving two patients highlights clinical hypnosis as an effective adjunct in anaesthesia for cataract surgery. The first patient was a 55-year old lady, with the American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) classification 2, who was scheduled for cataract surgery for her left eye. The second patient was a 34-year old man, ASA 2, with an underlying retroviral disease, hypertension and a prolapsed intervertebral disc with spinal stenosis of the 3rd to 7th cervical vertebrae, and he was scheduled for cataract surgery in his right eye. These patients were anxious and they responded positively to the proposal of utilising clinical hypnosis as a mode of sedation (hypnosedation) for surgery. Hypnotic induction was achieved with an ideo-dynamic induction, which was described as a non-ritualistic method of hypnosis. Both reported that they experienced profound relaxation during the procedure and were able to respond to the surgical team during the surgery.
Hypnosis, Anesthetic