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The application of hypnotherapy and related techniques with children can be traced to Mesmer's era in the late 18th century. Prior to the availability of anesthesia, British surgeons described the successful use of hypnoanesthesia with many children. During the 19th century, there were several reports of clinical applications of child hypnotherapy. However, from 1900 to 1946, there were no English-language reports about hypnotherapy with children (Olness & Gardner, 1988). In fact, clinical reports documenting the successful use of hypnotherapy with children did not begin to appear in the American medical literature until the 1960s and 1970s, at which time pediatricians and pediatric psychologists reported that children readily learned self-hypnotic skills and applied them successfully. In the 1 9 7 0 ~~ several research groups buttressed these clinical observations with carefully conducted prospective studies.In the 1960s and 1970s, there was also a proliferation of training workshops devoted to child hypnotherapy. These workshops stimulated a great deal of interest in the professional community and were instrumental in training hundreds of child health professionals in the use of hypnotic techniques with children. Today, most pediatric institutions in the United 357

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