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Complementary therapies, while not given the attention that more traditional cancer
therapies may receive, are perhaps equally important while undergoing treatment for
certain types of cancer. Patients diagnosed with difficult to treat malignancies will
often use these types of therapies in conjunction with traditional surgical, chemotherapeutic,
or radiology techniques to form a more comprehensive and effective treatment regimen. Among the
most important and effective alternative therapies utilized by those diagnosed with cancer
is hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy has been used for many years in clinical settings. Hypnotherapy’s role
in cancer management however, is relatively new and indications are that its utilization has
not been fully maximized yet. Effective cancer treatment often depends on the patient’s
ability to not only defeat the cancer through treatments but also to maintain their health and
mental spirit throughout the painful side effects of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy
and radiation.
Often, the symptoms and effects of the cancer itself on the body are negligible compared
to the pain and other side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. This is where acupuncture
has been said to be most effective. Cancers such as mesothelioma, which are often unable to
be removed by surgical means, are often treated with some combination of chemotherapy and
radiation. While these potent therapies can be effective in eliminating some of the tumor
mass and growth, they also profoundly affect the health of the surrounding tissue. Symptoms
of these effects including fever, nausea, and general pain have been dramatically reduced
through the utilization of hypnosis. Patients, who are able to withstand these symptoms and
recover quickly, will often be able to be more aggressively treated, increasing the efficacy
of the treatment regimen as a whole. Some specific hypnotherapy techniques utilized in pain
management for mesothelioma cancer patients, include altering the neurophysical configuration
of pain, control of anticipatory anxiety, and targeted imagery.
Hypnotherapy techniques may not be appropriate for all patient’s pain and individual
symptoms but it’s certainly worth exploring as it can do very little harm in experimenting
with integrative therapies. The goal with alternative therapies, as with traditional therapies,
is always to increase the effectiveness of treatment as a whole. If hypnotherapy can assist in
any way in helping patients recover or manage symptoms of chemotherapy or radiation, then it will
have contributed to the treatment regimens overall efficacy and should certainly be utilized.
References
Erickson MH: Hypnosis in painful terminal illness, in Haley J (ed):
Advanced Techniques of Hypnosis and Therapy:
Selected Papers of Milton Erickson, MD. New York, Crune & Stratton, 1967.
Sunnen, Gerard M.D. , Hypnotic Approaches in the Cancer Patient
Ozonics International, LLC.
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