The side effects of cancer chemotherapy can be so aversive and debilitating that some patients regard them as worse than the cancer itself. Such patients often are noncompliant with their treatment, and a few reject further treatment altogether (Wilcox, Fetting, Nettesheim, & Abeloff, 1982). Among the most dreaded of the side effects are the conditioned nausea and vomiting (CNV) experienced by approximately 25%-30% of all patients. Evidence suggests that CNV develop through a classical conditioning process; that is, through their association with pharmacologically induced side effects, various stimuli (e.g., smells, thoughts, tastes) become capable of eliciting nausea, vomiting, and intense emotional reactions (see Burish & Carey, 1986). Conditioned side effects can occur before the chemotherapy treatment begins, in which case they are referred to as anticipatory side effects, or they can occur during or after the treatment, in which case they appear with and are often indistinguishable from pharmacologically induced side effects. In all cases, once CNV have developed, they are highly resistant to antiemetic drugs.

The prevalence of CNV, as well as their resistance to pharmacological control, has produced considerable concern and research in recent years. Several investigators have studied the effectiveness of behavioral treatments such as progressive muscle relaxation training (e.g., Lyles, Burish, Krozely, & Oldham, 1982), systematic desensitization (e.g., Morrow & Morrell, 1982), biofeedback (e.g., Burish, Shartner, & Lyles, 1981), and hypnosis (e.g., Redd, Andresen, & Minagawa, 1982) in controlling conditioned side effects.