January 2008
Fred H. Frankel &Robert C. Misch
Abstract
A 37-year-old schoolteacher, socially withdrawn and pathologically sensitive to public opinion, in psychotherapy for 3 years, inquired about hypnosis as a treatment for his stubborn, widespread psoriasis.
Under hypnosis induced by a therapist other than his, sensory imagery was used to replicate the feelings in his skin that he experienced when sunbathing—an activity which had always been somewhat beneficial in the past. Taught to induce the hypnotic state in himself, the patient exercised 5 or 6 times a day for a few minutes.
The psoriatic lesions improved markedly, as did his ability to work in psychotherapy, and he lost 20 pounds in weight. He experienced and discussed feelings and future plans in a manner which he had never been able to achieve previously.
