What is hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy uses deep states of relaxation to put you into a trance like state where your body is deeply relaxed but your mind is active.

We all go into such states of mind naturally in daily life. For example, when we daydream or concentrate deeply on something.

A hypnotherapist can use various methods to help you into this state. Sessions begin with an interview find out the language that your particular body will respond best to. For example, some people respond very well to visualization, other people have to work very hard to visualize. Some people respond well to touch or thinking in terms of feeling rather than seeing, with those people different language would be need to assist them in achieving a deep state of relaxation. Some people relax much more when introduced to auditory stimulation, with those people it is important for the hypnotherapist to use their voice in a way that is soothing and might also use music or other sound to help achieve deeper states of relaxation. It is also important to have this information because people who are really sensitive to sound or sight or feeling might have problems, relaxing if their environment is creating dissonance with their particular dominant sense. For example if someone is dominant in auditory stimulation and they are in a room where there are machines beeping etc, it will be hard for them to relax. For those people, having headphones on and listening to recordings with music in the background might be best. If someone is dominant in kinesthetic processing, it is important that they feel physically comfortable for them to move into a deep state of relaxation, using a warm blanket or cool washcloth on their head would be important.

The interview is also important so that the hypnotherapist can use the same language the client uses creating a feeling of connection and safety. You’ll notice a lot of reflective listening and allowing the client to guide the conversation, then when the hypnotherapist brings the client into a deep relaxation, they will use the same language the client used to answer questions.

During a hypnotherapy session, your conscious mind switches off while you are relaxed so your unconscious mind is open to suggestions. While you are in this state, your hypnotherapist will suggest things that might help you to change your behavior in a positive way or to relieve physical symptoms.

Remember that even if you are hypnotized, you don’t have to take on the therapist’s suggestions. No one can hypnotize you if you don’t want them to.

Why do people with cancer use hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy can be very helpful in reducing symptoms of pain, anxiety, depression and stress for cancer patients. 

Hypnotherapy can reduce the fear/tension/pain cycle helping to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system allowing the body to focus on healing. When people are in high stress states, they have an abundance of stress hormones like cortisol that put the body into a constant state of fight/flight/freeze or hyperarousal states.

From the Mayo Clinic:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

What happens when the natural stress response goes wild?

The body's stress response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels, and other systems resume their regular activities.

But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on.

The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Headaches
• Muscle tension and pain
• Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Memory and concentration impairment

That's why it's so important to learn healthy ways to cope with your life stressors.