Hypnosis, or hypnotherapy as it is referred to in when used for medical or other types of treatments, is becoming much more acceptable in the medical community as an alternative therapy that can be used to compliment conventional medicine.
This is no different in the treatment of cancer patients where hypnosis is used in different ways.

Conventional cancer treatments can be very difficult for patients to undergo and can be entirely debilitating. This is one of the areas that hypnotherapy focuses on during treatment. It addresses the side effects of the treatment to help patients manage pain, nausea,
appetite, depression, anxiety and a variety of other psychological and emotional stresses that a patient may go through prior to, during and after treatment.

Studies have shown that patients undergoing hypnotherapy during radiotherapy treatment for cancer are 50% more likely to experience positive emotions rather than negative emotions. This basically means that they are likely to have more “good days” than
“bad days”. In the same way, hypnosis can be used to manage the actual symptoms of the illness as it relates to the specific cancer that has been diagnosed.

While hypnotherapy to treat the side effects of cancer treatment may last as long as the duration of the treatment, therapy for the symptoms of cancer may vary depending on the type of therapy as well as the individual patient. Hypnotherapy has been found
to be specifically effective at helping manage the emotional distress of dealing with the diagnosis of cancer. Patients often reject a diagnosis entirely or find it difficult to accept the fact that they have cancer.

They may also experience feelings of guilt, anger, frustration, depression and anxiety. While all these emotions are considered to be a normal reaction to a cancer diagnosis, they do not positively contribute to treatment or recovery. A patient who has been diagnosed
with terminal cancer can especially benefit from hypnosis to help them cope with the diagnosis and deal with it in the most positive manner.

Another benefit of hypnosis is that it gives the patient a sense of control over the disease and that they are actually doing something to fight the cancer, the symptoms as well as the side effects of treatment. This is very important for helping maintain strong self-esteem
and a positive attitude towards the journey to wellness.

Although there is no scientific evidence to suggest that hypnotherapy can cure cancer, there are rare cases where patients have gone into remission after a session/s of hypnosis. The process involves allowing the patient to mentally engage the cancer in a form of guided imagery.
However, it must be stressed that hypnosis is not a likely cure for cancer and even in cases where a patient went into remission, there may have been other factors that contributed to the outcome.

It is therefore best to use hypnotherapy to compliment rather than to replace conventional medical treatments. It is also highly recommended to discuss the benefits of hypnosis with your doctor or other medical practitioner.