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The hypnotist who snubbed an anaesthetic and sent himself into trance for painful bone-cutting surgery  VANESSA ALLEN The Daily Mail 21.04.2008 10:45

A hypnotherapist had an 83-minute operation on his arm with no anaesthetic. At one point, Alex Lenkei even heard the surgeon say: "Can I have the saw, please?" Because he had put himself into a hypnotic trance, however, he said he felt no pain as the doctors chiselled out a walnut- sized chunk of bone from his wrist.

Mr Lenkei, 61, had the operation to treat his painful osteoarthritis. He said: "The results have been amazing. I feel ace."

 The hypnotherapist amazed doctors by asking how things were going halfway through the surgery, at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex on Wednesday.

 He said he could hear his surgeon talking as he made a four-inch-long cut into his right wrist and chiselled the bone to move a tendon.

 The married father-of-one, who lives in the town, said: "It took me about 30 seconds to put myself under and I wasn't aware of any part of my body apart from my arm.

 "I could feel the surgeon pulling and manipulating me - then I heard the cracking of bones.

 "I heard him say, 'Can I have the saw please?' and imagined him holding this great big thing in his hand. But fortunately he then said 'I think we'll use the smaller one.'"

 "He used a hammer and chisel at one stage and I could hear him hammering away at the bone.

 "I heard everything he was saying to his assistants and anaesthetist, but there was no gossip. It was a shame - I was hoping to hear something juicy."