Reduction in Skin Reactions to Histamine After a Hypnotic Procedure

Bibliographic Data

ID19308057
AuthorsTannis M Laidlaw (Laidlaw College), Roger J Booth (Laidlaw College), Robert G Large (Laidlaw College)
Year1996
Volume58
Issue3
Pages242-248
Publication date1996-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/00006842-199605000-00008
PMID8771624
OpenAlexW2315101801
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited26

This study sought to test whether a cognitive-hypnotic intervention could be used to decrease skin reactivity to histamine and whether hypnotizability, physiological variables, attitudes, and mood would influence the size of the skin weals. Thirty eight subjects undertook three individual laboratory sessions; a pretest session to determine sensitivity to histamine, a control session, and an intervention session during which the subject experienced a cognitive-hypnotic procedure involving imagination and visualization. Compared with the control session, most subjects (32 of 38) decreased the size of their weals measured during the intervention session, and the differences between the weal sizes produced in the two sessions were highly significant (N = 38; t = 4.90; p < .0001). Mood and physiological variables but not hypnotizability scores proved to be effective in explaining the skin test variance and in predicting weal size change. Feelings of irritability and tension and higher blood pressure readings were associated with less change in weal size (i.e., a continuation of reactivity similar to that found in the control session without the cognitive-hypnotic intervention), and peacefulness and a lower blood pressure were associated with less skin reactivity during the intervention. This study has shown highly significant results in reducing skin sensitivity to histamine using a cognitive-hypnotic technique, which indicates some promise for extending this work into the clinical area

Analysis of variance · Anesthesia · Cognition · Histamine · Hypnosis · Hypnotic · Mood · Psychiatry · Repeated measures design · Behavioral and Psychological Studies · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies · Psychology

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