Pilot Study of a Brief Hypnotic Induction: Effects on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, and Subjective Distress in Patients Diagnosed with Hypertension.

Abstract

The feasibility of hypnotherapy interventions for lowering blood pressure and psychological stress in hypertensive patients was investigated in a pilot study. The research objective was to determine the effect of audio hypnotherapy on blood pressure, stress levels, and heart rate in primary hypertension patients. The study randomized 64 hypertensive patients to the intervention or usual care. The intervention group received hypnotherapy through audio recordings for 15 minutes, while the control group took a rest for about 15 minutes. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured with digital tensimeter and stress levels with the Subjective Units of Distress Scale. Data analysis used Kruskal Wallis Test. The results showed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups with p value < .001 for decreasing in systolic blood pressure and p value < .001 for decreasing in stress levels. This pilot study suggests that a hypnotherapy intervention may be feasible and of benefit in a clinical population of hypertensive patients, however further study is needed.