The present article aims to propose a qualitative and clinical approach to the comprehension of the relationship between hypnosis and pain, taking as a reference the notion of subjectivity. Having a criticism of the statistical methodologies as a starting-point, three other points are discussed in that sense. Firstly, the pain is conceived as a subjective process, organized in terms of configurations, senses, emotions and meanings that are built in the actions of the subject in his or her respective social insertion sceneries. Secondly, the relationship between hypnosis and pain is emphasized, giving a highlight to the intersubjective processes that exist in the communication and relationship between therapist and subject. The third point accentuates the importance of the singularity that should range the comprehension of pain, as well as the construction of hypnotic interventions. The article is concluded by emphasizing the relevance of subjectivity and subject notions in what regards the complex relationships between pain and hypnosis in the clinical context.
Hypnosis; pain; clinical psychology