Hypnosis at the Medical Frontlines - Challenges and Opportunities

Presenter:  Elvira Lang, M.D., FSIR, FSCEH, Founder of Comfort Talk 

Website

Overview: 

COVID and the Great Resignation have reinforced the need for hypnotic techniques to manage patient and staff stress. The pandemic required medical practitioners and staff to deal with increasingly stressed-out patients, stress that easily transfers to healthcare practitioners themselves. The Great Resignation further challenges staff because they have to do more with less and faster. This course will teach the basic hypnotic techniques medical and dental practitioners and staff can use to manage patient as well as their own stress. It will also teach how patient-centered care can enhance the resilience of staff and restore the enjoyment of work.

This course will present examples, techniques, and technology that have been taught to teams in various settings have found their way into practice and academic awareness. These include work Dr. Lang and her colleagues conducted at the National Breast Cancer Screening Service in the Netherlands, Children’s Hospital in Toronto, large academic and private imaging practices in the US, Tufts University Dental School, and Euroanesthesia 2022 in Milan. The presentation will demonstrate fast methods using hypnotic language elements and behavior that can be applied by frontline healthcare staff including rapid nonpharmacologic management of pain and anxiety, overcoming bias productively, supportive communication, and understanding the meaning of symptoms and disease for therapeutic choices.

Learning Objectives: After attending this program participant will be able to:

• Describe three special challenges of the post-pandemic landscape for healthcare staff to better support their patients’ and their own needs.
• Demonstrate three rapid techniques that can be taught to mental health clinicians and frontline healthcare providers, and applied during and in preparation for medical/dental/surgical interventions.
• Summarize the interaction between physiology, sensation, and meaning in the presentation of symptoms.

References

Ajam, A. A., Nguyen, X. V., Kelly, R. A., Ladapo, J. A., & Lang, E. V. (2017, Apr 27). Effects of Interpersonal Skills Training on MRI Operations in a Saturated Market: A Randomized Trial. J Am Coll Radiol, 14(7), 963-970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2017.03.015 

Lang, E. V., Jackson, W., Senn, P., Aroni, D. K. K., Finkelman, M. D., Corino, T. A., Conway, G., & Kulich, R. J. (2021, Apr-Jun). Efficacy of a Self-Hypnotic Relaxation App on Pain and Anxiety in a Randomized Clinical Trial: Results and Considerations on the Design of Active and Control Apps. Int J Clin Exp Hypn, 69(2), 277-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2021.1883988 

Lang, E. V., Tan, G., Amihai, I., & Jensen, M. P. (2014, Jul). Analyzing acute procedural pain in clinical trials. Pain, 155(7), 1365-1373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2014.04.013 

Norbash , A., Yucel, K., Yuh, W., Doros, G., Ajam, A., Lang, E. V., Pauker, S., & Mayr, N. (2016). Effect of team training on improving MRI study completion rates and no show rates. J Magn Reson Imaging, 44(4), 1040-1047, Article PMID: 27126735.

About the Presenter: 

Elvira Lang, MD, PhD, is an award-winning interventional radiologist known for researching the effectiveness and cost savings of rapid hypnotic techniques in medicine and dentistry. She held faculty positions at the University of Heidelberg, Stanford University, the University of Iowa, and Harvard Medical School. In her prospective randomized studies with >700 patients, guidance in self-hypnotic relaxation on the procedure table reduced pain, anxiety, drug use, and complications. She crystallized these techniques and founded Comfort Talk®. In further NIH-supported multicenter trials with >125,000 patient visits, training of MRI teams in Comfort Talk® significantly improved patients’ satisfaction and ability to complete examinations. Dr. Lang (co-)authored “Patient Sedation Without Medication,” “Managing Your Medical Experience” and >150 research papers. She received the Erika Fromm Award by the SCEH and Ernest R. Hilgard Award for Scientific Excellence for a Lifetime of Published Experimental Work. She has been featured extensively in the press and on television.

Date: September 18, 2022, 10am-1pm EST

Cost: $45 for Non Members, Registration fee included in Membership fees for NESCH Members

At least 30 days notice is required for full refund.  There is a $30 cancellation fee for cancellations after August 19, 2022. 

Continuing Education: 3 CE and 3 CME credits have been applied for with Salem Hospital (APA-approved sponsor), and the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Work. Approvals will be posted when recieved. 

This is an ASCH certified event. ASCH Approval 37226722

This program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Psychological Association (MPA).  MPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.  MPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Please note that attendance for the entire program is required to earn continuing education credit for this program. Partial credit is not available.

Registration closes Friday, September 16th. 

Questions? Email neschmsc@gmail.com