Hypnotherapy and Cancer

When it comes to cancer, or any disease really, hypnotherapy works great. It helps with stress management, pain relief, insomnia, and controlling fear. With the proper post hypnotic suggestions all of these can be sustained through the entire treatment process.

What the suggestions are depends on the person. Some respond well to just remembering to breathe deeply, others need a little more than that. Getting to know you is what will give the best results through the whole process and will guide the hypnotherapist to what works best.

To get the best results seeing a hypnotherapist before starting treatments will give better success to the treatments through the whole process. Especially before starting chemotherapy. With chemotherapy a person will get what is commonly known as chemo brain.

Chemo brain is a side effect of the chemotherapy. It fogs the thinking process to the point that it is sometimes difficult to put sentences together, it effects short term memory, and has the effect of being in a different state of mind. This different state of mind makes it difficult, if not impossible, to be hypnotized. This is when having the proper post hypnotic suggestions is crucial. Being reminded of them will help to relieve stress, pain, fear, and insomnia.

There are other ways to relieve these problems without using hypnotherapy, and a good hypnotherapist will know what they are and how they can help you.

Spirituality and Cancer

When diagnosed with cancer one can begin to loose faith. It can be difficult to believe that there is a higher power that loves us when we a struck with any serious illness. Yet it is our connection with our spiritual life that helps us through the illness and the treatments. It is our belief system that keeps us grounded and able to handle anything that comes our way.

Being angry and denouncing our beliefs is a natural response to any life threatening illness. Staying angry though isolates us and then we define ourselves as the illness that we have. When we get past the anger and forgive ourselves, we find that our spiritual connection is more than a connection between us and our higher power.

Immersing ourselves in our spiritual beliefs is more than a connection to a higher power. There is also the community of people that hold the same beliefs. When that community is there supporting us, we feel better about ourselves and our illness. It also helps us through all the treatments, it also has a positive effect on our healing. It doesn't matter whether the illness is cured, in remission, or the prognosis is that there is only a short time to live, our beliefs help us to have the state of mind of love and compassion. We are then better able to face what the disease brings us, and our loved ones have a support group that will help them through the disease as well.

Even if your beliefs change, there is still the advantage of a community. You may even find that your spirituality becomes stronger. Doctors will treat the body, your beliefs will calm the mind. Positive thoughts especially when there is an illness helps keep the disease from taking over your life. Being involved in your spiritual community takes the mind off the illness and the treatments.

Palm Tree of Despair

I found the interview with the cancer I had very interesting, and freeing. Even though the concerns I had were in a way concerns of the cancer, they were seen from a different perspective. Giving me the freedom to be me.

1) What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?

1)  Growing a business

2)  Being able to meet my own expectations I have set for myself

3)  Paying for my portion of the bills

2) The cancer or disease I have or had is…. 

A) Cervical Cancer

3) What feelings come up when you think about the cancer or disease?

A) Disappointment

4) If that feeling or feelings had a color, what color would it be?

A) Grey

5)  Imagine that color filling the space in front of you so that it has depth, height, width, and aliveness.  

Now watch that color swirl, congeal, and condense into a shape. Don’t make it take a shape, just watch it and say the first thing that you see or that comes to your mind: An animal? Object? Plant? What? 

A) Palm tree

Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor?  It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the _____ and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind.  If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering - that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!

6) (Character,) would you please tell me what you look like and what you are doing?

A) I am tall and slender with a few palm fronds on the top, I’m swaying in the breeze

7) (Character,) What do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?

A) I am tall and I move to the breeze

8) (Character,) What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses?  What are they?

A) That I am tall and very thin and I could be easily blown over if the wind was strong enough

9) (Character), you are in this person’s life experience, correct?  They created you, right?_____  (Character), what aspect of this person do you represent or most closely personify?

A)  Yes, yes, despair

10) (Character,) if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change?  If so, how?

A) no

(Continue, answering as the transformed object, if it chose to change.)

11) (Character), how would you score yourself 0-10, in confidence, compassion, wisdom, acceptance, peace of mind, and witnessing?  Why?

Confidence: 4, because I can be blown over

Compassion: 5, I know what it’s like to be swayed easily, yet it’s too easy to forget about taking care of my own needs

Wisdom: 10, I know what I know and I practice what I’ve learned through life

Acceptance: 7, there are parts of my self that I’m not proud of

Inner Peace: 3, There are times when I am very sad about where I’m at in life and what it is that I am doing

Witnessing: 2, I get involved with life to easily, I can’t seem to keep my nose out of other peoples business, and I’m not really helping at all

12) (Character,) if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different?  If so, how?

A) Yes, I would be stronger, and would be able to use my height as way of watching the world go by.

13) (Character How would ______’s life be different if  he/she naturally scored like you do in all six of these qualities all the time?

A) she wouldn’t be so worried about what goes on around her and what others think about what she says or does, those that approve will stick around, those that don’t like it will drop away, and she will be better for letting them drop away

14) (Character If you could live ______’s life for him/her, how would you live it differently?

A) I would be bolder and stronger, and fearless

15) (Character,) If you could live  ______’s waking life for him/her today, would you handle  ______'s three life issues differently?  If so, how?

A) They wouldn’t be issues because she wouldn’t be worrying about these things, she would know that life will support her

16) (Character,) What three life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of  ______'s life?

1) Writing for fun as well as for business, I wouldn’t worry about it but I would be mindful of them

2) Networking more because that is how she will meet the people that can help her the most

3)  Finding more places to run workshops and seminars

17) (Character,) In what life situations would it be most beneficial for ____ to imagine that  ______ is you and act as you would? 

A) When she gets fearful about what others think, and that writing is like giving birth, it can be painful yet it is beautiful  

18) (Character,) do you do drama?  If not, why not?

A) No, it’s not worth the trouble because it always blows up in your face

19) (Character,) What is your secret for staying out of drama?

A)  By taking a step back and looking at the person or situation from more than one side or angle, when you have a better perspective of a problem the answer becomes clearer even if that answer is to just stand back and do nothing

20) (Character,) Why do you think that you are in ______’s life? 

A) To remind her to stand tall for her ideas and convictions

21) (Character,) How is  ______ most likely to ignore what you are saying to them?

A) By thinking of herself as being small and unimportant, everyone is important and what they say and do is important

22) (Character,) What would you recommend that they do about that?

A) Take a deep breath, say I am Important and I do matter

23) (Dreamer,) What have you heard yourself say?

A) That I am important, that I do matter, and that what I say or do will get rid of the chaff and keep the wheat. I will keep the people that understand me and want my help

24) (Dreamer,) If this experience were a wake-up call from your soul, what do you think it would be saying to you?

A)  Quit sniveling, be strong and tall, and stand your ground

A White Dove to take worries and illness away

Using Integral Deep Listening techniques a disease or physical symptom can be interviewed to find out what that symptom has to say for itself. In this interview a basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) went from a pink jelly bean to a white dove. The dove had a few things to say about healing the skin cancer.

Interviewing a Physical Symptom

What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?

A) Health, making time for what I need to do, advertising my business

Choose any physical symptom.  How does it make you feel?

A) Cancer on chin, frustrated

If that feeling had a color, what color would it be?

A) Pink

 Imagine that color filling the space in front of you so that it has depth, height, width, and aliveness.  

Now watch that color swirl, congeal, and condense into a shape. Don’t make it take a shape, just watch it and say the first thing that you see or that comes to your mind: An animal? Object? Plant? What? 

A) Jelly bean

Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor?  It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the _____ and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind.  If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering - that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!

Would you please tell me what you look like and what you are doing?

A) I’m a pink jelly bean, I’m small and just hanging out

What do you like most about yourself in this experience? What are your strengths?

A) That I’m small, that I’m always around

What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses?  What are they?

A) That I cause harm, that I don’t go away easily

 (Character), you are in this person’s dream or life experience, correct?  They created you, right?

A) Yes, yes

(Character), what aspect of this person do you represent or most closely personify?

A) Her grief

(Character,) if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change?  If so, how?

A) Yes, I would become a white dove

(Character), how would you score yourself 0-10, in

Confidence, A) 8, sometimes I can’t fly in the wind

Compassion, A) 7, sometimes I care more about myself than others

Wisdom, A) 3, I am still young, I’ve learned a lot and haven’t had the experiences in life to make them my own

 Acceptance, A) 7, I don’t always accept my short comings or that of the others (what do you mean by others?) people and illnesses

Peace of mind, A) 3, I think too much about what is going on around me

And witnessing?  (And why?)A) 4, I get caught up in what is going on around me

(Character,) if you scored tens in all six of these qualities, would you be different?  If so, how?

A) Yes, I would be able to fly away and take any illness with me, I wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore

How would this person’s life be different if he/she naturally scored high in all six of these qualities all the time?

A) She wouldn’t worry about anything, she wouldn’t have any serious illnesses, she would be happier, and she would do all that she truly wanted to do

If you could live this person’s waking life for him/her, how would you live it differently?

A) I would live without fear

If you could live this person’s waking life for him/her today, would you handle his/her three life issues differently?  If so, how?

A)yes, these life issues aren’t the ones she needs to think about, she will get what she needs including time to do what she wants to do

What three life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of his/her life?

A) letting her fears fly free, and letting them go where they will because they won’t return

In what life situations would it be most beneficial for this person to imagine that they are you and act as you would? 

A) Whenever she feels tied down with worry

Why do you think that you are in this person’s life experience (or dream)? 

A) Because she is worrying that her cancer isn’t healing even though she is doing what will heal the cancer sore

How is this person most likely to ignore what you are saying to them?

A) By forgetting that she has wings

(What can she do to remember to be like you?) To hang a bird in her room, carry a feather around with her

(Dreamer,) what have you heard yourself say?

A) That I need to stop worrying about healing, that I’m doing the right things to get better

(Dreamer,) if this experience were a wake-up call from your soul, what do you think it would be saying to you?

A) To keep doing what I’ve been doing