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ness to suggestion, has long been thought to be effective
in the improvement of various skin disorders. The hyp-
notic state appears capable of a bridging or mediating
function in the supposed body-mind dualism.
Many recent studies have shown a link between the
use of hypnosis and changed skin response in certain
dermatologic affections, such as atopic dermatitis,
warts, alopecia areata, psoriasis, and others.
2–6
In his
book
Hypnosis,
David Cheek explains his use of hyp-
notic techniques to treat various cutaneous manifesta-
tions, in particular herpes genitalis infections.
5
Accord-
ing to Cheek, getting the affected skin to feel cool
through the use of hypnosis can be much more “effec-
tive than any chemicals prescribed.” In light hypnosis
Cheek sets up finger signals and asks for permission to
get the tissues cool and to keep them cool for periods of
2 hours. He starts with an unimportant area for the
production of a coolness sensation by having his pa-
tients imagine that they are sucking on a “peppermint
and breathing in”. This is an effective way to imagine
coolness in the mouth, according to Cheek. With the
patient in trance, he requests the the “yes” finger lift
when the mouth feels cool and that the patient tell him
when there is a conscious awareness of the coolness.
When the patient is confident about sensing the change,
the therapist tells her to experience that same coolness
in the lesioned area.
6
Cheek also uses hypnosis to help the patient develop
a more positive attitude toward him/herself, as well as
to help the patient imagine him/herself in the future
without skin problems. He uses hypnotic trance phe-
nomena, such as the increased ability to focus, time
distortion, amnesia, flashback memories, analgesia, cat-
alepsy, etc., to achieve his goals.
7
Other techniques used in hypnosis are the white
movie screen on which the patient can project him/
herself and see the body without the current skin prob-
lem or imagine that hair is beginning to grow again,
while in hypnotic trance. In trance, the patient can also
imagine him/herself using a brush to scrub away the
pimples on the back or hands, to clean and polish the
body so that it becomes healthy again.
Published, controlled studies of the use of hypnosis
to cure warts usually use direct suggestion in hypnosis
(DSIH) with success rates of 27% to 55%. Children
respond to DSIH almost without exception, but adults
often do not. In a study published in 1992, Ewin of
Tulane Medical School used individual hypnoanalysis
on adults who failed to respond to DSIH, with positive
results in 33 of 41 cases studied; two were lost in follow
up and six did not respond to the treatment. Self-
hypnosis was not used.
2
In a more recent article published in the British Jour-
nal of Dermatology, Stewart and Thomas
3
used hypno-
therapy to treat atopic dermatitis in adults and children.
Eighteen adults with extensive atopic dermatitis, resis-
tant to conventional treatment, were treated by hypno-
therapy, with statistically significant benefit, which was
maintained for up to two years where follow-up was
available. Twenty children with severe, resistant atopic
dermatitis were treated by hypnosis; all but one showed
immediate improvement, which was maintained at two
follow-up examinations. In 12 other cases involving
children, replies to a questionnaire at up to 18 months
after treatment showed that 10 had maintained im-
provement in itching and scratching, nine in sleep dis-
turbance, and seven in mood.
3
Other recent scientific studies point to the role of
stress in the onset and/or exacerbation of many derma-
tological problems. These studies indicate the need for
stress-reduction techniques, of which hypnosis is one.
Hypnosis is used together with other techniques, such
as autogenic training and mediation, to induce relax-
ation and reduce the negative effects of tachycardia,
high blood pressure, and other stress related physiolog-
ical reactions, including those involved in dematologi-
cal affections.
References
1. Erickson MH. Advanced techniques of hypnosis and ther-
apy. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1967.
2. Ewin DM. Hypnotherapy for warts (Verruca Vulgaris): 41
Consecutive cases with 33 cures. Am J Clin Hypn 1992;35:
1–10.
3. Stewart AC, Thomas SE. Hypnotherapy as a treatment for
atopic dermatitis in adults and children. Br J Dermatol
1995;132:778–83.
4. Thompson W, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata: Understanding
and coping with hair loss. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity Press, 1996.
5. Cheek DB. Possible uses of hypnosis in dermatology. Med
Times 1961;89:76–82.
6. Cheek DB. Hypnosis: The application of ideomotor tech-
niques. New York: Paramount, 1989.
7. Cheek DB. Short term hypnotherapy for frigidity using
exploitation of early life attitudes. Am J Clin Hypn 1976;
19:20–7.