Hypnotherapy over the Telephone

Case reports of hypnosis over the telephone in the recent literature are briefly reported. A case study of a 56-year-old woman is related, in which three examples of hypnotherapy over the telephone are described. Relaxation and a feeling of calmness was achieved using guided imagery in a situation where the patient experienced panic and anxiety during initial anesthetic procedures before surgery. Hypnosis was again successfully utilized over the telephone to reduce postsurgical leg pain. In a later therapy session, trance was induced to relieve feelings of unresolved grief, creating a fantasy in which the patient was able to speak with her dead husband and children. The issue of patient rapport over the telephone is considered.