Hypnosis In The Treatment Of Warts
Archives of General Psychiatry 28: 1973; 439-441 (also Advances 1:19-26;1983)
View Original Source →Abstract
Based on clinical and histological studies in 25 patients, we have confirmed that plane warts show a characteristic phenomenon of spontaneous regression totally distinct from that described in common warts. This regression developed during various treatments in nine cases, and, in 16 cases, it occurred spontaneously. In all the patients, there was a sudden and systemic onset of inflammation in every flat wart. Within two to six weeks, all the warts completely involuted. Histologically, there were variable degrees of epidermal changes depending on the stage of inflammation. However, a mononuclear cell infiltration with epidermal invasion was demonstrated in every biopsy specimen. This evidence further supports the earlier concept that this regressive phenomenon of plane warts is mediated by cellular immunity. It represents a natural experimental model of rejection of tumors induced by papovavirus in humans.
Case Details
Clinical Characteristics
Bilateral common or flat warts
Remission Characteristics
Warts would disappear on one side only
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Hypnosis has a general effect on host response to the causative virus
Clinical Treatment
Hypnotized weekly for five sessions
Additional Notes
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that warts are treatable by hypnotherapy. Seventeen experimental patients with bilateral common or flat warts were hypnotized weekly for five sessions and were told that the warts would disappear on one side only. They were reexamined three months from the time of the first hypnotic session. Seven patients who were untreated were also reexamined at the end of three months. Fifty-three percent of the experimental group improved. No improvement was observed among untreated controls. These findings support the hypothesis that warts respond to hypnotherapy. Whereas specific lesions could not be influenced selectively, the findings suggest that hypnosis has a general effect on host response to the causative virus.