Trance and suggestion: timeless interventions and implication for nurses in the new millennium

Trance is a normal psychophysiological phenomenon. Suggestion is the purposeful use of that phenomenon and the heart of hypnosis. Suggestion deepens and enriches trance and promotes beneficial changes, or healing, within the individual. This article addresses the traditional historical and cultural roots of the hypnotic experience and use of "trance" and "suggestion." How nurses often unknowingly use these phenomena and can intentionally use trance and suggestion in their practices is explored.