Gregg, V H · Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · 1997 · DOI
This study examined whether hypnosis might help people with ME/CFS. Researchers compared people with ME/CFS who received hypnosis treatment to those who did not. The study provides early information about whether this type of mind-body treatment might be beneficial for managing symptoms.
This study is relevant because ME/CFS patients often seek complementary approaches to symptom management, and understanding which interventions have scientific support is important. Early investigations into psychological and mind-body interventions help guide future, more rigorous research and inform patient conversations about treatment options.
This study does not establish that hypnosis is an effective treatment for ME/CFS, as case-control designs have significant limitations and cannot control for placebo effects or non-specific factors. The study cannot determine whether any improvements resulted from hypnosis itself or from other aspects of attention and care. No conclusions about mechanism of action or long-term effectiveness can be drawn.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Gregg, V H (1997). Hypnosis in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/014107689709001213
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-gregg-1997-hypnosis-chronic,
author = {Gregg, V H},
title = {Hypnosis in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1177/014107689709001213},
note = {PubMed: 9496296},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gregg-1997-hypnosis-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/gregg-1997-hypnosis-chronic
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