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Treatment Of Tics In Tourette Syndrome
With Training In Self-Hypnosis 

Lazarus, Jeffrey E., M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
Department of Pediatrics

abstract: Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a complex neurobehavioral disorder characterized by multiple motor tics, as well as vocalizations, which wax and wane. Many people believe that these tics and vocalizations are involuntary. However, many patients are able to exercise some control over these behaviors.

Self-hypnosis (SH) has been used successfully to treat patients with TS. It can be used either as a primary therapeutic modality, without the use of medication, or as an adjunctive therapy in addition to medication. When used as an adjunct, medication can often be decreased or even discontinued.

Daily practice of SH may decrease tic behavior even when the patient is not focusing on the actual tics.

Experience with thirteen patients with TS will be presented. In ten of the patients, SH alone was successful in controlling their tics. In another patient, clonidine had been successful in controlling one tic, but he developed copropraxia while on this medication. With self-hypnosis, he was successful in eliminating his copropraxia. One patient was on multiple medications which were ineffective; SH allowed him to discontinue his medications. SH was also helpful in a patient who developed TS after taking lamotrigine to control his seizures. In another patient, SH was introduced after he had taken clonidine for two years and he was able to discontinue his morning dose without any increase in tic behaviors.

Dramatic response was noted after two visits in 10 patients, after three visits in two patients, and there was no response in one patient who was not bothered by his tics and was therefore not motivated to make a change.

Videotapes were used to help treat all of these patients except the first one. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of videotapes to help children with TS modulate their tic behaviors.

(presented at the fourth scientific meeting of the International Tourette Syndrome Association, poster session, June, 2004)

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