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Binge Eating Dental Trauma Phobias Cancer IBS Sleep Sport Smoking
CANCER and CHEMO
There is no predictable reaction to being told you have cancer.
A cancer diagnosis may leave the sufferer with mixed emotions such as anger, sadness, disbelief, fear. They may also feel tired, hopeless and numb.
Lots of us find it hard to know what to say to someone who has been told they have cancer. This discomfort makes it tempting to fall back on platitudes: sufferers are told that they must “stay positive”, “keep fighting”, “stay strong”.
In fact, sufferers should be given the space to be, feel and act in whatever way they want: if they want to weep on the sofa, that’s fine; if they want to scream that it's unfair, that’s fine; if they want to use gallows humour to get through it, that’s fine; if they want to talk about anything but the cancer, that’s fine; and if they want to talk about “fighting” the cancer, then that’s fine too. There is no right or wrong way to feel, or to be.
A cancer diagnosis may leave the sufferer with mixed emotions such as anger, sadness, disbelief, fear. They may also feel tired, hopeless and numb.
Lots of us find it hard to know what to say to someone who has been told they have cancer. This discomfort makes it tempting to fall back on platitudes: sufferers are told that they must “stay positive”, “keep fighting”, “stay strong”.
In fact, sufferers should be given the space to be, feel and act in whatever way they want: if they want to weep on the sofa, that’s fine; if they want to scream that it's unfair, that’s fine; if they want to use gallows humour to get through it, that’s fine; if they want to talk about anything but the cancer, that’s fine; and if they want to talk about “fighting” the cancer, then that’s fine too. There is no right or wrong way to feel, or to be.
Hypnotherapy for cancer sufferers and their carers
Our aim is simple: to reduce the sufferer’s psychological burden, help them to accept their diagnosis and find the best way to move forward.
Hypnotherapy can make the lives of cancer sufferers more bearable, whether that is by reducing stress levels (and boosting the immune system), treating side issues which exacerbate the illness (e.g.. helping the sufferer to give up smoking; reducing IBS symptoms), increasing mental resilience, managing pain, reducing fear and promoting calmness and relaxation. Sometimes the most important thing a person diagnosed with cancer needs is simply the provision of a safe environment where they can release strong emotions without judgment.
Hypnotherapy can make the lives of cancer sufferers more bearable, whether that is by reducing stress levels (and boosting the immune system), treating side issues which exacerbate the illness (e.g.. helping the sufferer to give up smoking; reducing IBS symptoms), increasing mental resilience, managing pain, reducing fear and promoting calmness and relaxation. Sometimes the most important thing a person diagnosed with cancer needs is simply the provision of a safe environment where they can release strong emotions without judgment.
Case studies
Hypnotherapy is not, of course, an alternative to medical intervention but a complementary treatment, designed to meet the client’s psychological needs at every stage of their illness.
There is no one size fits all: every client is treated as an individual. The best way to demonstrate the broad application and effectiveness of hypnotherapy for cancer sufferers is to give examples of recent clients who have benefitted from treatment.
1. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer was looking for help after a double mastectomy. She felt she was expected to be happy and grateful all of the time because she had survived when she actually felt desperately sad and angry about the surgery, wondering even if death would have been preferable. Hypnotherapy gave her the space to voice her real feelings about the loss of her breasts, work through her distress and release her anger so that she was able to move forward with her life.
2. An elderly man with lung cancer who needed help giving up smoking. He was still in shock and disbelief after his diagnosis and felt guilty for not heeding the advice from his family to stop smoking. He also felt guilty about the way he had treated his wife during their marriage. Hypnotherapy helped him to accept his diagnosis and make peace with his guilt. It enabled him to resolve old problems, to assess and quantify his life and his achievements and to reflect on his life with gratitude.
3. A mother dealing with violent emotions at the diagnosis of her young child with cancer. Hypnotherapy provided a safe space for her to start to come to terms with her hugely overwhelming feelings of anger and despair.
4. An adolescent who had been diagnosed with a treatable cancer but had a deep fear of hospitals (afraid even to enter one) and needles. Hypnotherapy helped him to address and eliminate those fears so that he was able to receive his treatment and make a full recovery.
5. An elderly lady struggling with anxiety and panic attacks at the thought of a short life expectancy after a terminal cancer diagnosis. Hypnosis significantly reduced her anxiety and gave her practical relaxation techniques to deal with the panic attacks. More than this, it helped her to accept her diagnosis and this last stage of her life.
Hypnotherapy will help people who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their loved ones and carers. Do contact us to find out more.
There is no one size fits all: every client is treated as an individual. The best way to demonstrate the broad application and effectiveness of hypnotherapy for cancer sufferers is to give examples of recent clients who have benefitted from treatment.
1. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer was looking for help after a double mastectomy. She felt she was expected to be happy and grateful all of the time because she had survived when she actually felt desperately sad and angry about the surgery, wondering even if death would have been preferable. Hypnotherapy gave her the space to voice her real feelings about the loss of her breasts, work through her distress and release her anger so that she was able to move forward with her life.
2. An elderly man with lung cancer who needed help giving up smoking. He was still in shock and disbelief after his diagnosis and felt guilty for not heeding the advice from his family to stop smoking. He also felt guilty about the way he had treated his wife during their marriage. Hypnotherapy helped him to accept his diagnosis and make peace with his guilt. It enabled him to resolve old problems, to assess and quantify his life and his achievements and to reflect on his life with gratitude.
3. A mother dealing with violent emotions at the diagnosis of her young child with cancer. Hypnotherapy provided a safe space for her to start to come to terms with her hugely overwhelming feelings of anger and despair.
4. An adolescent who had been diagnosed with a treatable cancer but had a deep fear of hospitals (afraid even to enter one) and needles. Hypnotherapy helped him to address and eliminate those fears so that he was able to receive his treatment and make a full recovery.
5. An elderly lady struggling with anxiety and panic attacks at the thought of a short life expectancy after a terminal cancer diagnosis. Hypnosis significantly reduced her anxiety and gave her practical relaxation techniques to deal with the panic attacks. More than this, it helped her to accept her diagnosis and this last stage of her life.
Hypnotherapy will help people who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their loved ones and carers. Do contact us to find out more.
