Hypnosis In The Treatment Of Warts In Immunodeficient Children

Abstract

The effects of psychosocial events on the natural history of warts and the physiological mechanisms that mediate them are observed in 2 case studies. Psychosocial factors not only accelerate the remission of warts but may also reinforce their presence and proliferation as in case 1. In that case, a 14-year-old girl believed that a beloved grandfather had given her warts as a secret life bond between them. When the grandfather died, the warts underwent natural extinction. Vasomotor changes during and following nonspecific hypnotic suggestions in case 2 involving a 25-year-old man lend confirmation to earlier speculations and hypotheses on the nature of one mediating physiological mechanism in wart remission. The merits of an operant conditioning paradigm of so-called “hypnotic” behaviors are discussed.