Pre-operative Hypnosis to Prevent Side Effects After Surgery

The aim of the pilot study is to translate and feasibility test a brief hypnosis intervention in 8-10 patients that are about to undergo thoracic surgery and in 4-5 patients about to undergo breast cancer surgery.

The hypnosis intervention will be based on a protocol from Montgomery et al. They showed in a recent study that a brief 15-minute hypnosis intervention was effective in reducing a number of common side effects, including pain, fatigue and nausea. The scripted session includes a relaxation-based induction, suggestions for pleasant visual imagery, suggestions to experience relaxation and peace, and specific symptom-focused suggestions. The intervention will be professionally translated into Norwegian, and adapted and modified as necessary to the specific context of this study. The PI, who is a an experienced clinical psychologist, will hold the session in the pilot study. Patients will further be instructed to use hypnosis on their own following the intervention session. The patients will further be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews upon completion of the intervention, either by phone or in person, to discuss their experiences with the intervention, and share any advice for modifications or changes to the interventions or procedures. Systematic text condensation will be applied in the analyses of the interviews.