NOVEMBER 2010/MAY 2011 Volumes 38 Number 2 & 39 Number 1, Article 7
Brief Psychotherapy Utilising Hypnosis to Reduce Negative Emotions Triggering a Stress Response, Exacerbating a Chronic Skin Complaint—Lichen Sclerosus of the Vulva
Susan Blunsden, Psychologist, Sydney
A recent diagnosis, being a second chronic illness, of a skin condition on the genitals of a 40-year-old woman, triggered a stress response of heightened emotions including: anxiety, grief, guilt and anger. Her goal was specifically to treat the anger. The process of brief psychotherapy using the language of narrative therapy was the framework for treatment. Content of therapy specifically utilised self-hypnosis and the indirect hypnotic approach of metaphor. This allowed us to refer to sexual intimacy in a symbolic way. Therapeutic outcome was positive at six months’ follow-up.
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