LOCAL NEEDS. Psychosomatic problems are commonly encountered in primary and secondary care and many chronic conditions (e.g. chronic pain, IBS, headaches etc.) have a significant psychological component. Unless this aspect is recognised, patients may not receive the appropriate treatment or support and frequently become ‘revolving door patients’. Such patients tend to be frequent attenders in Primary (and Secondary) Care and regularly arrive at hospital based clinics via a circuitous route from other specialities often having been significantly over investigated & over medicated. Such an approach aggravates or even initiates much of the psychological sequelae experienced by these patients. Enormous sums of Health Service money are spent inappropriately on this group of patients as well as those who come under the heading of ‘medically unexplained symptoms’ (See IAPT presentations). This psychological burden has been confirmed locally through the PCT funded pilot study to use hypnotherapy for chronic pain patients which showed that in that cohort 80% or more had a diagnosis of depression and or anxiety with over 70% having both. Over a quarter of those were already known to the mental health services but had not had appropriate pain related therapy. Hypnotherapy was highly successful in treating these patients. This local evidence has been expanded by the EGPC hypnotherapy service and the benefits of hypnosis for chronic pain, anxiety, depression IBS PTSD etc have been confirmed by the detailed outcome studies (Report to PCT Feb 2008 and Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxx 2008 XXX conference paper) . Hypnotherapy has the advantage over other psychotherapies by virtue of its ability to modify the physical symptoms per se as well as being able to facilitate the identification and treatment of any causal psychological co- morbidity. Despite its flawed theoretical base CBT has enjoyed unprecedented popularity largely because its protocol driven methodology lends itself to the controlled trial. Unfortunately patients’ problems rarely fit a standard regime and increasing numbers of patients are not completing CBT courses, failing to improve or relapsing. This hypnotherapy service will thus give clinicians a viable and cost-effective alternative for that group of patients. There is mounting evidence to support the use of hypnotherapy in this way (x.x. Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx 2007 Xxxxxx et al 2005, Xxxxxx et al 1995). In some quarters this approach is now being referred to as ‘Cognitive Hypno...
