Dyspepsia as a somatic expression of guilt: A case report

A 58-year-old woman developed chronic, severe symptoms of heartburn, epigas tric pain,and regurgitation that persisted for 2 years. She underwent a tho rough evaluation and no organic cause was identified. Therefore, a diagnosi s of dyspepsia was made. Her symptoms were refractory to pharmacological tr eatment. Upon further probing, the patient reported that the onset of her s ymptoms coincided with the death of her son of cancer 2 years earlier. She blamed herself for the death of her son and admitted to a need for self-pun ishment. A brief course of treatment using metaphors and hypnosis resulted in a complete resolution of her symptoms, which did not recur during a foll ow-up of 12 years. This is the first published report of the treatment of d yspepsia using hypnotic methods.