The role of imagery in the hypnotic treatment of adverse reactions to cancer therapy.

Previous research suggested that behavioral interventions have been helpful in reducing patients' adverse reactions to cancer chemotherapy. The present study attempted to improve on past research by replicating this finding within the context of a more rigorous methodology. This study attempted to control for the wide range of nuisance variables inherent in research of this nature. It was expected that behavioral treatments would be superior to traditional treatment in reducing symptoms of nausea, emesis, and anxiety related to chemotherapy. The ability to detect differences between traditional and treatment groups with respect to nausea and emesis was limited due to low prevalence rates of these symptoms. Prevalence rates of pre-chemotherapy anxiety were low, but behavioral treatment subjects reported less state anxiety following chemotherapy than traditional treatment subjects. Although no evidence was found for the superiority of one form of behavioral intervention over another, these patients tended to fare better than those without a behavioral intervention.