Use of hypnosis for multiple symptoms in an adolescent girl with leukemia

An adolescent girl with chronic myelogenous leukemia was treated with hypnosis for several disease- and treatment-related problems during the last 4 months of her life. Data were collected before and after hypnosis on the nature and intensity of the patient's acute pain and anxiety during bone marrow aspirations, chronic headache and backache, nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, anorexia, and the discomfort associated with spiking temperatures. Comparisons of baseline and posthypnosis reports suggest that hypnosis was successfully used for acute and chronic pain, anxiety, unpleasant body sensations and, possibly, nausea and vomiting. The hypnotic techniques used, the limitations of hypnosis and clinical issues in this case are presented and discussed.