Therapy of vaginismus by hypnotic desensitization

Fear and anxiety are of tremendous importance in the production and maintenance of a symptom. Vaginismus, as a reaction of avoidance of an anxiety-producing situation, is readily amenable to treatment by systematic desensitization. This may proceed mainly in two ways: "in vitro" or "in vivo." In order to strengthen and speed up the densensitization process, we used hypnotic techniques in a dynamic approach. The "in vitro" treatment proceeds with imagery, under hypnosis, of an "anxiety hierarchy" of increasingly erotic and sexually intimate situations which will be reproduced at home with the partner, until sexual intercourse is achieved. In the "in vivo" method the patient learns self-hypnosis and then inserts in the vagina first a finger, and then Hegar dilators of gradually increasing sizes. The partner, the patient, and the physician will then successively proceed to insertion, forming a team-referred work situation. This continues until the "female superior position," practiced first with the largest dilator, is reproduced at home by intercourse. Between 1965 and 1974 we treated 71 women with this method. Good results were obtained in 16 of 18 by the "in vitro" technique and in 53 of 54 by the "in vivo" technique. One patient was referred from the "in vitro" group to the "in vivo" group. In follow-up of 2 to 5 years there was no relapse or symptom substitution.