STATUE OF LIBERTY

The Statue of Liberty: A Case to Remember

Eleanor D. Laser, PhD

One of the most memorable, satisfying highlights of my career occurred in 1996. Memorable, because it was a benchmark in my work as a medical hypnotist, satisfying because it helped a patient who was out of options…

It was a wintery Chicago day when the phone rang. On the other end was Dr. Elvira Lang, MD, with the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. She was calling to invite me to train the Interventional Radiology Department in the use of non-pharmacological analgesia during surgery. In other words, the use of hypnosis instead of drugs as a form of anesthesia during surgical procedures.

Would I do it? Dr. Lang asked. “Yes!” I enthused. What an opportunity!

You see, interventional radiology (IR) procedures are some of the most effective situations in which to induce medical hypnosis. The IR field is a rapidly expanding subspecialty where physicians use minimally invasive surgery to treat both vascular and nonvascular diseases. Increasingly, this approach is replacing traditional surgery because it’s safer and more cost effective, qualities that describe non-pharmacological analgesia as well, making the two an excellent fit.

Dr. Lang’s team was eager to learn all this. Our seminar was going well when suddenly, on the last day, there was an emergency. The emergency was a man named Bob and his case tested the very limits of my skill and forever raised my professional benchmark.

Bob was 76. He immediately required trans-jugular intrahepatic porto systematic shunt (TIPS) to save his life, but there were complications. In addition to advanced sclerosis of the liver, Bob was deaf in one ear and had organic brain syndrome. If this wasn’t enough, the TIPS procedure required him to remain totally still during surgery because any movement could kill him. In addition, the poor condition of Bob’s liver ruled out the safe use of anesthesia. There was only one alternative – hypnosis – the chance to put the theory of non-pharmacologic analgesia into practice.

The theory itself rests on three core ideas – building rapport with the patient, encouraging the patient, and applying hypnosis. Although the University Hospital team hadn’t finished its training, they could see the great value of this tool and were eager to give it a try.

I started by meeting with Bob. As I engaged him in conversation, I asked him to tell me about a place he’d always wanted to visit. Bob knew just the spot – the Statue of Liberty so I used imaging techniques to take him there. I described the scene in great detail – the feel of the boat ride to the statue, the sight of ducks in the water, the sound of fellow visitors from all over the world. My goal was to make the experience as real as possible. Things were going well when suddenly I was inspired to take Bob a step further, a level deeper. I asked him to become the statue.

This suggestion offered Bob - and the medical team – a huge advantage. Statues can’t feel pain and they are immobile. Then I realized I could expand that advantage by completing the illusion. I told Bob the statue was weather beaten and the surgical team was making repairs. I explained that their work didn’t hurt the Statue of Liberty, alias Bob, one bit. Bob happily slipped into this identity, a godsend since the statue’s “repairs” went on for more than three hours. That whole time, Bob did not move a muscle, enabling. Dr. Lang, a brilliant surgeon, to meticulously place the shunt and save Bob’s life.

When I think back on this case, I see a remarkable metaphor in Bob’s choice of that strong, welcoming figure with her beacon raised high. For me, that beacon shines a light on health care, illuminating the ability of hypnosis to provide relief, control pain, and comfort patients. It is also a personal gauge to measure my work and help others learn about this remarkable tool.

To that end, Dr. Lang produced a training manual and videotape called “Comfort Talk” which introduces the potential benefits of hypnosis to interventional radiologists, anesthesiologists, plastic surgeons, and any specialty involved in surgical procedures. The goal is to increase the use of non-pharmacological analgesia/hypnosis and the health potential that comes with it for professionals and patients alike.

Eleanor D. Laser, PhD

www.laserhypnosis.com