A GROUP THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO A CASE OF BED WETTING AND FIRE SETTING WITH THE AID OF HYPNO-ANALYSIS

Abstract

John (eleven years old) was referred to me because he was acting quite irritable with the other boys, was often moody and withdrawn, and had frequent outbursts of impulsive rage. In addition to this, he was a chronic bedwetter, wetting the bed almost nightly. Due to the fact that he was in an institution at a considerable distance from his home, it was impossible for me to interview the parents. I gathered from his social case history that his home life had been very unhappy; his father had deserted the family in John's infancy and John had had a very disturbed relationship with his stepfather, who knew only one form of discipline and that was whipping him severely with the buckle of a belt.