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.
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. Many
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 include altering the neurophysical configuration
of pain, control of anticipatory anxiety, and targeted imagery.
The goal with hypnosis,
is always to increase the effectiveness of treatment as a
whole