Hypnosis In Children: The Complete Cure Of Forty Cases Of Asthma

Abstract

Six patients admitted to hospital with severe asthma were treated by hypnotic suggestion. Five were subsequently followed for not less than one year. Patients were assessed both by their subjective testament and objectively by spirometry: It was found that an adequate assessment could be based only on a combination of these methods. With this double assessment it was apparent that hypnosis benefited a patient in one of two entirely different ways, either by effecting physiological improvement (decrease of airways resistance) or by producing psychological improvement (decreased awareness of airways resistance). The distinction between these two responses has not often been adequately stressed. The implications of these findings for psychosomatic theory are discussed. While in hospital one patient failed completely to respond to hypnosis, and one responded poorly. Four had subjectively complete remissions, but in only two of these was remission objectively complete. Immediate response to hypnosis (before and after sessions) was usually poor, but this could be explained by the content of the suggestion. Speed of remission could be as fast with hypnosis as with physical methods. Three patients relapsed within days of going home, but two of these again went quickly into remission. Of the four patients originally responding well, two thought that their condition during the year after was much better than in previous years. Two out of these four patients were readmitted because of asthma. These results cannot be interpreted as valid evidence for or against the value of hypnosis: An uncontrolled series of six patients can be regarded only as a pilot study. The results do, however, strongly suggest that a controlled clinical trial of hypnosis would repay the effort. The particular value of hypnosis may be as an alternative to steroid treatment.