ABSTRACT
In a preliminary phase during the first year of our research grant, 34 young patients ranging in age from 4 to 19 years were referred for hypnotherapy. 1 Of these, 16 were referred for control of pain and anxiety in bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures. Another 5 patients were referred for the reduction of pain and anxiety in short procedures such as intravenous injections and the changing of bandages. There were 2 patients with continuous pain from ulcerations and one from the pressure of a tumor. An additional 10 patients asked for help in relieving ancillary symptoms such as diffuse anxiety reactions, depression, insomnia, nausea, and high blood pressure. The results were encouraging, but the referral method, which led to a heterogeneous population of patients, severely limited possible generalizations with respect to the effectiveness of hypnotherapy (J. Hilgard and Morgan, 1978). This exploratory phase resulted in formulating a specific design for the research, more precise instruments of evaluation, and a basic strategy for relieving pain according to a designated treatment procedure.
