ABSTRACT
The surgical process is an intense, deep interpersonal relationship, in which the participants are briefly and intensely involved. During the perioperative period, patients experience mental and physical stress, which affect physiological, cognitive, and emotional functioning. The specific surgical conditions can activate the vegetative patterns experienced in early relationships and induce spontaneous changes of state of consciousness. The spontaneous trance state in the operating theater is associated with modes of functioning that are also characteristic of hypnosis. Social support at physical, emotional, and cognitive levels provides a sense of security and coping competence. The social-psycho-biological model of hypnosis explains the short- and long-term beneficial effects of hypnotic suggestion in the perioperative period.
