Hypnosis on Breathlessness Mastery in Patients With Persistent Dyspnea

Persistent dyspnea is a debilitating symptom, that is common and difficult to treat. This symptom is found in many different diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease (ILD), chronic heart failure (CHF), and metastatic cancer. Dyspnea is associated with many other symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and fatigue and is responsible for a significant reduction in quality of life. To date, only opiates are recommended for the pharmacological treatment of persistent dyspnea. The effectiveness of hypnosis is well known in the treatment of anxiety and delivered to patients suffering from chronic dyspnea for this reason. One randomised controlled study has shown that a single 20-minute mindfulness sessions could significantly reduce general symptom burden and have a significant impact on anxiety and depression in palliative care patients. Furthermore, the intervention had no negative side effects. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of three hypnosis sessions on breathlessness mastery in patients with persistent dyspnea, using as a primary outcome the mastery domain of a validated tool, the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ).

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged ≥ 18 years and * Primary diagnosis of metastatic cancer, COPD stage at least B or E, ILD, or CHF and * Dyspnea stage NYHA ≥ II or mMRC ≥ 2 Exclusion Criteria: * Have had hypnosis treatment in the last 12 months * Have an estimated life expectancy of less than 6 months * Have participated in pulmonary rehabilitation in the last 6 months * Have been hospitalised in the last month (30 days) * Are unable to come to the hospital for 3 outpatient consultations (1 every two weeks) * Have a condition that would interfere with their ability to respond to the questionnaires (i.e. cognitive impairment, hearing impairment, etc.) * Are not eligible for a hypnosis session due to a psychiatric disorder