Self-Hypnosis a Possible Tourette’s Treatment?

Medical researchers released a small case study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Monday indicating self-hypnosis techniques may help Tourette’s patients improve their control over tics.

The study’s co-author, Jeffrey Lazarus M.D., and a team of researchers tried a series of self-hypnosis techniques in a group of thirty-three participants. The study involved children and young adults with Tourette’s Syndrome, from ages six to nineteen years old. Researchers conducted sessions over a period of two and a half months. Participants viewed a video featuring a boy of their age outlining self-hypnosis techniques. They were given relaxation techniques and asked to focus on the feelings occurring prior to a tic as well as getting rid of the tic. Participants were asked to practice the self-hypnosis techniques at least three times daily and keep a calendar.

At the conclusion of the study, twelve subjects indicated they had achieved dramatic improvement with only two sessions and the video training. Thirteen had the same result after three sessions, and one participant after four sessions. The study concludes that twenty-six children benefited from the self-hypnosis regimen significantly.

Dr. Lazarus suggests self-hypnosis presents several benefits over traditional drug therapy, including no drug side effects and a less costly approach for low and moderate tic disorders compared with pharmaceuticals.

While acknowledging the study’s results, other scientists remain skeptical of the study, citing the very small number of participants and the lack of long-term data using the technique. The study also did not include a control group.