Monday, August 10, 2009

Hypnotism Makes Psychological Adjustments To Cancer Easier

By Rita Goldman

There is one universal psychological response to cancer, despite that there are many psychological response to cancer--anxiety. Psychological harmony can be far from reach because of different feelings that occur including anger, guilt. hopelessness, low self esteem, and loss.

From a psychological point of view, mental and physical relaxation leads to a sense of tranquility for all and most people experience a sense of their thoughts being centered as the conscious thoughts come into harmony with the subconscious. This is normally achieved first of all, through a hypnotist and especially one with whom you can feel an empathy with. However practicing self-hypnosis restores your equilibrium when needed.

When cancer patients are first diagnosed, the brain can appears to be hot wired to the diagnosis and it is impossible for seconds to tick by when you are not conscious of that diagnosis in your head. This can lead to an extreme level of anxiety, but hypnosis can free you from those thoughts. This is not a process that happens overnight, but gradually your mind can be freed from remembering for minutes... and then hours. It does not of course make the cancer go away but it does actively assist the sense of anxiety, when you are thinking something every waking moment then it is impossible to think of anything else and that precludes thoughts of being positive and getting cured.

A positive aspect of hypnosis is imagery and patients are encouraged to imagine an image of the cancer being beaten. This cannot be forced upon you because it must fit snugly with your values and beliefs. For instance some patients are comforted by images of healing forces doing battle with the cancer. However that is an image that would not sit well with pacifists.

All of us have several levels of consciousness and some people are more tunes into a spiritual aspect of life than others. Hornyaks research in 2000 with cancer patients indicated that some could with practice achieve new levels consciousness so that it was easier to make important shifts in their mind processes. This has normally been achieved when hypnotherapy has been combined with psychotherapy. Even if patients cannot shift their thought processes, hypnosis is important because it minimize pain and stops the patient from feeling exhausted, this extends into how the patient may cope with surgery. Self hypnosis allows patients to actively and positively contribute to their treatment. Not all patients want or desire the spiritual element of hypnosis, but the majority to have a measurable benefit from hypnosis.

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