Interview with surgeon Tom Hennigan

Tom Hennigan performs the hernia operation live, with the patient under hypnosis, More4 10 April 9pm 2006.

More4: Have you carried out operations like this before under hypnosis?
TH: I have done two such operations. The first was 10 years ago, and John Butler did the hypnosis. My colleagues were naturally sceptical and wondered if I had secretly given the patient sedation or local anaesthetic.

More recently I repaired a groin hernia operation on John Butler himself under self-hypnosis. Both were uneventful operations but hernia repair is very much a routine procedure.

More4: What are the advantages of hypnotherapy in surgery?
TH: There is some evidence to suggest hypnotherapy may result in a faster recovery, less post-operative pain and a shorter hospital stay. This is an advantage for the patient and reduces the cost of surgery.

More4: What about the complications
TH: Some of the complications that delay recovery after major surgery such as chest infection may be related to the anaesthetic and the pain relief medication. Hypnotherapy may allow the patient to need less medication so we may see fewer of these complications.

More4: Do you see a future where anaesthetists will be out of a job?
TH: No. If hypnotherapy is shown to work then some anaesthetists may chose to adopt these techniques. Modern anaesthesia is safe and effective but some patients at high risk for general anaesthesia may be better if they had their surgery under local anaesthetic combined with hypnotherapy when it would be intolerable with local anaesthetic alone. Hypnotherapy will not replace anaesthesia for surgery but it may be an additional useful tool.