The head of the department: ‘advantages of virtual medical hypnosis’
In the Cardiology Operational Unit of the “Ferrari” hospital in Castrovillari, pacemaker implants and coronary angiographies are carried out using digital sedation.
The innovative technique used in the structure directed by Professor Giovanni Bisignani allows a strong reduction in anxiety, stress and pain, with a consequent reduction in the use of sedatives, anxiolytics and other drugs.
“These – it is written in a note – are just some of the advantages linked to the use of medical hypnosis via a virtual reality viewer”.
In the operating room, before and during the operation, in fact, a device in the shape of glasses is applied to the patient which immerses the patient in a hypnotic sound and visual environment: music, texts, images and voices alternate and overlap to bring the person in the desired state, depending on the type of intervention that must be performed.
“This allows – states Bisignani – to stimulate the patient’s senses, to focus his attention, to cause space-time disorientation, so that he progressively finds himself in a modified state of consciousness, in which the perception of pain tends to disappear and the mind to concentrate on a speedy recovery”.
“The introduction of this new technology – continues the note – arises from the constant collaboration with the clinical engineering directed by Antonio Capristo and is the result of the innovation projects also on digital health desired by the General Director of the Provincial Health Authority of Cosenza, Antonello Graziano. A large percentage of patients experience stress and anxiety before, during and after a medical procedure.
“Generally sedatives, opioids and anxiolytics – underlines Bisignani – can counteract this discomfort, but they expose the person to the side effects of these drugs: reducing their use limits these side effects especially in the elderly. The application of this virtual reality viewer induces the person into a hypnotic state which reduces their discomfort, making them more collaborative and leaving them with a positive memory. At the same time, it allows the doctor to concentrate on the procedures.”
Each session can be customized with the possibility of having eight different visual universes, eight musical environments, and a variable duration of 10 minutes and over 22 hypnotic narratives.
The professional selects the session corresponding to the medical procedure he must perform while the patient can choose the sound and visual environment.
