Personalized music and hypnosis eased distress in a small home palliative-care trial
Patients chose recorded music, hypnosis or both. The program reduced distress compared with control sessions, but the abstract leaves the size and durability of benefit uncertain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This preliminary study found less distress during the personalized recording sessions than during control sessions, alongside a reported improvement in well-being. It supports further study in people receiving care at home near the end of life. The abstract does not establish whether relief persisted or whether any recording format worked better.
This is an abstract-based account of a small pilot. Numerical effect estimates and confidence intervals are absent, and the short study does not establish lasting benefit or applicability to other patient groups.
What researchers found
Self-rated distress
Intervention versus control sessions within 1 week; distress was significantly lower. The abstract does not name the effect-size statistic.
What patients chose
The recordings were tailored to each patient's preference: music, hypnosis, or a combination. Researchers collected symptom and distress ratings at set times and also analyzed patients' descriptions of their experiences with the program.
Formats remain uncertain
Responses did not appear to differ by recording format. That observation does not establish that the formats are equivalent. Patients described feeling calm and well, and some used the recordings voluntarily after the experiment.
The original publication
Personalized music and hypnosis interventions in palliative and end-of-life care at home: A randomized controlled pilot study.
Bissonnette J, Côté A, Desameau PG et al.
Complement Ther Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41176180
- Record checked
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