EDISCIENCES

ABSTRACT

Background The multidimensional nature of pain and the psychological distress related to, elicits the attention to the subjective experience of suffering. Some complementary techniques are available to manage the pain, like body-mind interventions and hypnosis. Materials and Method The authors propose a clinical case to illustrate the application of guided imagery and complementary instruments (hypnosis, body-mind therapies, expressive psychotherapy) as a way to interpret deep and non-verbal contents behind the pain and to manage it. At the same time, the pharmacological therapy was tailored with the purpose to reduce side effects to such an extent that it was introduced the dose- extending placebo along active medications. A statistical analysis was carried out to evaluate the reduction of intensity of pain after an administration of placebo rescue dose. Results During the sessions, the patient drews about her memories and images that contributed to the understanding her suffering, to help her turning on creative resources stucked by the fixed thougts of pain, in general improving the feeling to be upheld in her point of view. That worked also for a positive therapeutic alliance when an antalgic placebo has been considered along the active medication. Conclusions In this case the application of hypnosis and imagery tecniques provided opportunities for understanding the suffering, for sustaining the therapeutic relationship and for limiting the excessive use of pharmacological therapy.