Hypnosis for Cancer | Can It Help and In Which Way?

It’s no secret that hypnosis is an effective treatment option for many of life’s challenges. Indeed, it can aid in reducing stress and anxiety, help people stop smoking, and so much more. But what about far scarier, like cancer?

That’s exactly what you’re going to discover in this article. Can hypnosis really help with cancer symptoms, and how can you try this safe and effective treatment option? Many cancer patients hate taking medications due to the side effects they cause. But hypnosis doesn’t have such side effects, so surely it’s the ultimate treatment option if it works, right? Let’s find out.

Can Hypnosis Help with Cancer Patients?

To start, let’s have a brief conversation about hypnosis. Many people have an incomplete or wrong understanding of the exact meaning of hypnosis and how it is used to treat various symptoms and conditions, let alone cancer. So, what is hypnosis exactly and what can you expect from it?

What Is Hypnosis?

There are many definitions of hypnosis. In short, hypnosis is a state of concentration in which the subject (you) becomes highly relaxed physically, while the mind remains alert, curious, and willing to accept suggestions.

Hypnotherapy is related to the actual advice given to the patient. The skill of a hypnotherapist is the ability to put the patient into a trance state-the deeper the better-and then provide relevant advice related to the patient’s treatment.

The success of treatment depends on the relevance of the recommendations, the depth of the trance, and the strength of the treatment alliance between the therapist and the patient. But there is also self-hypnosis that you can perform in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

And it’s often this form of hypnosis that many cancer patients prefer. Rather than getting up and going to visit a hypnotherapist, self-hypnosis can help the patient at home without ever having to leave. This brings us to the next question you likely have.

a man lying on the sofa in his living room

What Is Self-Hypnosis?

Unlike seeing a hypnotherapist for a hypnotherapy session, self-hypnosis centers on you and sharpens your ability to train your body and mind. By doing this, you can expect to improve various aspects of your life, whether your goal is to lose weight, reduce pain, or improve mental health, for example.

Through this form of hypnosis, you will discover basic and effective ways to improve yourself. When you are finally able to reach a controlled hypnotic state using specific methods, you will gain the strength to successfully overcome many of life’s obstacles.

When you are undergoing self-hypnotherapy, you can effectively relax your mind and body. However, your attention is focused on ways that you may not have experienced in a while. Self-hypnosis is a profound personal experience that allows you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself. It is this connection that helps to improve your various conditions.

And because you are the person who manages your hypnosis program, and not another person, you can control the journey to your hypnotic state. This means you can slow down as much as you want. So if you think it is too much, you can adjust your session to fit your schedule.

Therefore, if you feel that you cannot concentrate on your hypnosis, just wait until a better time to try again. Your brain will not adapt to this new technology all of a sudden. But with patience and determination, you can expect to achieve your goals, and that includes lessening the effects of cancer.

Using Hypnosis to Treat Cancer

Cancer patients will experience certain symptoms after being told that they are diagnosed. These might include stress, anxiety, depression, a loss of control, and fear.

Hypnosis might help to relieve these effects. Therefore, patients who are about to start chemotherapy or radiotherapy may find hypnotherapy to greatly reduce or possibly even eliminate the side effects of such treatments (often nausea and fatigue).

What’s more, hypnotherapy can help cancer patients enter into a deeply relaxed state more easily, and better cope with their pain and various cancer treatments. Although there is no research on the use of hypnosis to treat cancer, there are many observations revealing that patients who receive hypnotherapy find relief.

Hypnosis and Its Effects

As an alternative to the many medications prescribed for cancer treatment, hypnosis stands as the only one with limited side effects. And the ones that are present are so insignificant that there are no risks to your health care.

Unlike conventional drugs, the after-effects of hypnosis are limited and the risks are much smaller. For example, patients who are under clinical observation by a trained hypnotherapist are unlikely to experience negative effects after hypnotherapy. This is also true for people who use self-hypnosis at home.

The only after-effects of hypnotherapy reported are as follows:

  • False memories
  • Drowsiness
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Anxiety

Therefore, hypnosis is considered safe, and a large number of evidence-based studies have shown that hypnotherapy can effectively reduce a series of symptoms, including those experienced by cancer patients.

What’s more, hypnosis may effectively reduce nausea and vomiting and reduce many of the effects that come after many medical procedures. In short, hypnotherapy has the potential to improve your quality of life on many different levels.

woman lying on the couch with her eyes closed

As such, patients with cancer should seriously consider looking into adding hypnosis to their cancer care. You stand to enjoy greater relaxation, reduced distress, improved sleep, and less overall pain and discomfort.

Who Shouldn’t Try Hypnosis?

Hypnotherapy may not be suitable for people with psychotic traits (hallucinations or delusions, for example), or people who use drugs or drink alcohol. Furthermore, hypnosis should only be used in an effort to control pain after a physician has assessed whether the person has any physical diseases that may require medication or surgery.

a man at the session with his therapist

Some therapists perform hypnotherapy to help restore depressed or hidden memories that they believe are related to a patient’s mental disorder.

With that said, it can also carry the risk of false memories if a person works with an untrained hypnotherapist and unexpected advice is passed on.

As such, the use of hypnotherapy for dissociative disorders and the like is still controversial and should probably be avoided to ensure the health and safety of the patient.

With that in mind, hypnotherapy by a well-trained therapist is a safe procedure. Hypnotherapy isn’t a form of brainwashing or mind control. And due to that fact, the therapist can’t force a patient to do something against their will.

Can Hypnosis Cure You?

This largely depends on what you’re trying to cure. There is no evidence that hypnosis has the ability or potential to cure cancer. However, there is evidence to support that hypnosis can help someone with fears and anxiety that cancer patients usually have.

There’s even research showing hypnosis can help patients who suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and some types of pain.

Hypnosis and Its Use in Cancer Treatment

While there is evidence and research to suggest that hypnosis can help alleviate a wide variety of symptoms and medical conditions, it should not be used as the sole form of treatment in cancer patients.

Rather, clinical hypnosis should be implemented along with standard cancer medical treatments. By using hypnosis in this manner, a cancer patient may benefit from reduced pain and discomfort, less nausea and vomiting, lower levels of anxiety, and overall better health (see ‘Hypnosis for Health‘).

Some patients with cancer experience better relaxation following chemotherapy and have a more positive outlook in general thanks to the benefits of hypnosis. As such, you should speak with your doctor and ask about undergoing clinical hypnosis.

If this isn’t an option in your area, HypnoHub has many resources of self-hypnosis, which may be able to give you the relief you seek.

Wrap Up

In closing, it’s important to mention that hypnosis on any level takes practice, training, and dedication. This alternative cancer treatment can prove to be highly beneficial, but you shouldn’t expect to see a difference overnight.

a sick woman holding the scan

As such, it’s important to stick with it and maintain a regular schedule of hypnosis to ensure optimal results. Whether your hypnosis is conducted by a hypnotherapist or you perform it at home on your own, patience and practice will go a long way in training your body and mind to acclimate to this new therapy.

If you’re interested in learning more about this powerful treatment option, be sure to explore HypnoHub and all that it has to offer. You will learn essential techniques and find a wealth of information related to hypnosis. There is a wide variety of literature that will teach you all that you need to know about health care and hypnotherapy.