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CLINICAL
FORUM
329
The suggestion was then made that he could remember everything,
which he did after emerging fromhypnosis. After a total of three treat-
ment sessions, he was discharged and sent home.
However, treatment based on such motivational pressure, without
personal acceptance
or
any genuineinsight,may result in a symptomatic
remissionwhichmasks
a n
underlying and unresolvedproblem, as illus-
trated by a letter received
9
months later fromhis wife.
Dear Sir:
My
husband received your letter some time ago, but refuses to answer it.
[Obviously,he had not forgivenme for forcefullydragging him out
of
his
amnesic defense and back to a family that he did not wish to rejoin.]
He is
just fine, and has had no trouble at all.
A
few headaches-I think drinking
was the causeof them.
You
see, sir,my husband ismean, very mean. Those
who are
good
have to suffer.
Psychogenic Skeleto-Muscular Reaction (severe chronic back pain)
In
some cases, abreactinga specific,immediate trauma became possi-
ble only after related experiences
in
childhood had been worked
through.
In
the first of
10
sessions, “Harry” was hypnotized, and his back pain
reacted positively to suggestion. However, after three sessions, the
symptomwould no longer respond to hypnosis.
Interviewing during hypnosis disclosed strong feelings of inferiority,
rejectionby his mother who abandoned the family,by his classmates in
school, andby his teachers.Hewas sent to reformschool and left feeling
utterly worthless.
To
prove himself, he enlisted in the
Army
and joined
the paratroopers, wherehe suffered amild back sprain. His pain became
much worse in combat after he was thrown to the ground by the explo-
sion
of
a firegrenade. The grenade set his buddy on fire,
and
the patient,
unable to get to his feet and put out the fire, watched his screaming
buddy die an agonizing death.
From
that time on he suffered the most
excruciatingback pains and had to be hospitalized.
In
a 2-hour session, his entire life history (as derived from hypnotic
interviews) was emotionally reviewed (inmetaphor story form, i.e.,
”I
once knew a fellowwho
. .
.
”),
focusingon severefeelings
of
inferiority
and traumatic childhoodhumiliations.We then proceeded to interpreta-
tions (also in metaphor story form, i.e., “Thatman felt
so
guilty that he
had to punish himself.
. .
”),
concerning the dynamic meaning
of
his
excruciatingback pains.
As
the metaphoric story proceeded, he became
increasinglyidentifiedwith “thatman,” and with many tears he relived
the traumatic death of his buddy.
The next day he came to my office all smiles, stating, ”Doc,
I
feel
grand. The pains are all gone-I haven’t got
any
back pains.” After 2
weeks with no return of the pains, he was discharged.
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