Psychosomatic Medicine 5:67-70 (1943)
© 1943 American Psychosomatic Society

Hypnotic Investigation of Psychosomatic Phenomena

A Controlled Experimental Use of Hypnotic Regression in the Therapy of an Acquired Food Intolerance

¹ Eloise Hospital, Eloise, Michigan

The pertinent facts of this case report may be summarized briefly as follows:

The patient, a hypnotic subject, was exceedingly fond of orange juice.

She had an acute highly charged emotional problem, which resolved itself in a few days.

She developed, while this emotional problem still existed, an acute gastrointestinal disturbance for which she treated herself by taking a dose of castor oil mixed with orange juice.

This concoction nauseated her and she vomited repeatedly.

The next day and thereafter the sight, smell or even thought of oranges caused nausea and vomiting, and phobic reactions.

After a month of such experiences she sought hypnotic therapy which was refused and she was told to try to correct her problem herself.

She continued to act as a hypnotic subject, but developed resentment over the continued refusal of hypnotic therapy.

At a social gathering, she was induced by others to act as a hypnotic subject.

During the demonstration, hypnotic regression was induced.

While in the "regressed state, " a prearranged plan culminated in her drinking orange juice.

She was reoriented to her current age, comprehensive instructions were given to cause her to develop an amnesia for all trance events, and she was awakened.

The subject showed no knowledge of what had happened, but was observed to roll her tongue about her mouth and to pass it over her lips as if trying to detect some elusive puzzling taste.

The next day, in a situation which had previously accentuated her symptomatology, she regained her liking for orange juice. This she reported to the author as a "spontaneous cure" nor did she seem to realize that there might be another explanation.