Could hypnotists replace anesthesiologists for surgeries? Probably not.

Alex Lenkei, 61, underwent surgery on his right hand without any anesthetic and felt no pain. How did he do it? Lenkei sedated himself with hypnosis before the hour-and-a-half operation, and claims that he was fully aware of everything going on but felt no pain. If you think this would be a good way to shave a few dollars off your medical bills, you might want to know that Lenkei is a registered hypnotist who has been practicing since he was 16. Not many people can claim to have 45 years of hypnotic experience!

Apparently it took only 30 seconds for Lenkei to put himself under hypnosis, but throughout the surgery saw the hammer, chisel, and surgical saw being used on his hand. He felt nothing. David Llewellyn-Clark was the orthopedic surgeon who approved of Lenkei’s self-hypnosis, but he kept an anesthetist nearby just in case. Everyone was delighted that the surgery went well.

The monitoring anesthetist Dr. Richard Venn surmised that Alex Lenkei’s body released chemicals that prevented him from feeling pain, and that careful monitoring of his heart, blood pressure, and breathing all showed that he definitely felt no pain (in spite of the fact a doctor smashed his bones and sawed them!). Wow!

Would you trust hypnosis if you needed surgery? I couldn’t.

[BBC]

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