Abstract

was she said: “This is the House of Hearts and you (the admitting resident) are the Queen of Hearts.” Her memory for recent and past events was poor, as were her insight and judgment. Results of a physical examination were within normal limits. The patient was admitted with a diagnosis of brief reactive psychosis, possibly secondary to drug toxicity. She was placed on a regimen of oral haloperidol, 2 mg q.i.d. Results of a complete urine drug screen were negative. She became less agitated after admission but remained confused and disoriented. During an interview with me on the second hospital day she lapsed into frequent silences and stared into space. She said, “My house is closed.” At this point I attempted to induce a trance state and was immediately successful. She vividly and coherently recounted all the details leading up to her hospitalization. At the termination of the trance state she said, “I feel so much better,” and could recall much of what she had told me earlier. Medication was discontinued at this time. Over the next 10 days the patient showed steady improvement without further use of hypnosis. Psychological testing revealed character pathology with hysterical features. She