The American journal of clinical hypnosis
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In this paper I examine the clinical use of hypnosis for pain management from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. This perspective emphasizes the multifaceted nature of hypnotic interventions and the importance of patients' attitudes, expectations, and beliefs in modulating the pain experience. ⋯ Since this approach does not pivot around the concept of a hypnotic trance state, we look elsewhere in our quest to understand the nature of pain modulation in the hypnotic context. Freedom from a theoretical commitment to the hypnotic trance state is seen as opening new avenues for the development of effective clinical interventions.