Israeli Patient Calm and Pain-Free During Deep Brain Surgery Performed Under Hypnosis Instead of Anesthesia

Hypnosis can reduce anxiety, shorten recovery time, and even serve as a pain management tool for PTSD patients and those suffering from chronic conditions.

By Shula Rosen

In a first for Israel, doctors at Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya successfully performed deep-brain surgery under hypnosis rather than anesthesia on a 71-year-old Parkinson’s patient from Sakhnin, The Jerusalem Post reports.

The groundbreaking procedure, carried out by neurosurgeon Dr. Yuval Grober and psychologist Dr. Udi Bonshtein, used hypnosis to help the patient remain calm and pain-free throughout the five-hour deep-brain stimulation (DBS) surgery.

The technique involves implanting electrodes in the brain to reduce tremors and stiffness caused by Parkinson’s disease.

While surgeons operated, Bonshtein guided the patient into a hypnotic state, asking him to imagine resting on a Thai beach beneath coconut trees—a destination the retired tour guide had long dreamed of visiting.

The approach replaced traditional anesthesia and allowed the team to monitor neurological responses in real time.

“The patient was completely relaxed for the entire surgery,” Bonshtein told the Post.

“His attention was focused only on my voice. He didn’t complain once of pain.” Grober later described him as “the calmest patient I have ever seen during awake brain surgery.”

After recovering, the patient said he remembered the entire operation vividly but experienced no pain or fear.

“It was actually a good experience,” he said. “I feel like a new person now, and the tremors are gone.”

Bonshtein, head of the hospital’s psychology service, has used hypnosis for decades and recently opened a dedicated hypnosis clinic at the medical center, training doctors and psychologists in the method.

He emphasized that hypnosis can reduce anxiety, shorten recovery time, and even serve as a pain management tool for PTSD patients and those suffering from chronic conditions.

In Israel, only a small number of licensed professionals regularly use medical hypnosis, though the Health Ministry recognizes it.

Bonshtein hopes the success of this surgery will expand its use in clinical settings. “Hypnosis can complement medical treatment in almost any field,” he said. “It helps the body and mind work together to heal.”