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reasons for integrating hypnosis into cancer care 3

The Top 4 Reasons for Integrating Hypnotherapy into Your Cancer Treatment Plan – Part Three

Continuing onwards let’s take a look at my third top reason for combining hypnotherapy with your regular cancer treatment plan.

Reason 3 – Hypnosis is safe

Boston hypnosisThe therapeutic application of hypnosis (hypnotherapy) is a natural procedure that makes use of already existing resources i.e. your mind. The practice of hypnosis is therefore safe – it is non invasive, drug-less and painless.

In hypnosis we use the mind to heal the body instead of a surgical knife, the beam of radiation or the waves of chemotherapy. We leave that stuff to the medical experts and concentrate on the mind, targeting the root cause of the disease rather than its symptom.

We use the power of thoughts, emotions and imagery to intervene and influence change within the body. The particular hypnotic protocol I work with called ‘regression to cause’ can be seen as an emotional operation but one that leaves no scars and is very safe.

It requires no drugs or anesthesia, there are no side effects, there’s no pain, there’s no recovery time, no fatigue and thus no interruption to your quality of life.

As long as you visit a reputable and qualified hypnotherapist you are in safe hands. With hypnotherapy you remain in control at all times as you are guided into a state of focused attention and a heightened state of belief.

In this state your mind or rather subconscious mind can more readily identify, recall and review or change harmful impressions and conditioning. These are the non physical aspects of the disease; its blue print if you will upon the material structure of the tumor is erected. Change the blue print and you get a whole different structure, a healthy one.

Hypnosis is not mind control; you cannot be forced to be in hypnosis. It is more like allowing yourself to follow, to be guided into this state and be immersed in it. This is similar to the fact you can’t force someone to have fun, they need to allow themselves to be present, let their guard down and enjoy.

Many people with cancer or other chronic illness have made an informed choice to integrate hypnotherapy into their treatment plan because they feel they have nothing to lose and much to gain.

Studies have shown that receiving hypnotherapy alongside cancer treatment can help to reduce symptoms of:

• pain
• nausea and vomiting
• depression
• anxiety
• stress

I have included links to two such studies below:

Article # 1

Article # 2

Furthermore some doctors and dentists now have training in hypnotherapy, thus proving that hypnosis is becoming recognized and accepted by the medical professions for the powerful healing force that it is.

Hypnotherapy is safe, it is proven effective and it may just help you to cope that much better during your own healing process.

reasons for integrating hypnosis into cancer care 2

The Top 4 Reasons for Integrating Hypnotherapy into Your Cancer Treatment Plan – Part Two

Less Medication.

Continuing from my last blog, let’s look at the second most important reason for incorporating the practice of hypnotherapy into your cancer treatment plan. As readers of my blog already know, I fully acknowledge that more and more people overcome cancer because of the powerful advancements made in traditional, conventional medicine.alternative cancer specialist Boston

Having said that, certain reports reveal that in some cases, when a patient does not recover or recovers slowly, it is not the disease itself that the individual succumbs to. Rather, the patient’s body cannot cope with medical treatment’s side effects that impede the healing process. What’s more, the build-up to surgery, chemo, and radiation can be extremely emotionally taxing, and as we know, chronic psychological stress can also impair healing.

With this in mind, hypnotherapy can address this crucial emotional issue and could affect a person’s recovery.

Reason 2 – Lessening the amount of medical intervention needed

Research undertaken on hypnosis and surgery proves that patients using hypnotherapy in preparation for the surgery needed less anesthesia and medication during this process, AND they healed much faster from surgery than the control group – sometimes a full nine days faster.* That is very significant.

Using hypnosis before medical treatment or surgery can help decrease the worries and fears a person may experience during the treatment. The majority of fear stems from the feeling of being out of control. In a person with cancer, this fear may manifest as the feeling that the body is in a deteriorating state of health and that nothing can be done to halt this.

Hypnosis can guide your subconscious mind into claiming your role in the recovery process and thus give you back a sense of control.

The hypnosis process is often accompanied by physical, emotional, and relaxation, which help relieve stress and tension. Therefore, regular hypnosis sessions will help the individual relax deeply, which can significantly affect the body’s immune system function.

In simpler terms, hypnosis can help you to feel better. If you feel better, you are more likely to heal better.

Hypnosis can be used to address the psychological impact of medical treatment. In this respect, using it as part of your cancer treatment plan may lessen the medical intervention or medicine you ultimately need.

* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6969298.stm

reasons for integrating hypnosis into cancer care 1

The Top 4 Reasons for Integrating Hypnotherapy into Your Cancer Treatment Plan – Part 1

Conventional medicine has made great breakthroughs in recent years. These days those with cancer can expect a gentler and less invasive treatment plan. Thank to these breakthroughs, more and more people overcome their cancer and that is the positive bottom line.

avinoam lerner boston hypnosis

Comprehensive Wellness Program

However the fact remains that current cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery take a heavy toll on patients.

Side effects such as pain, nausea and fatigue which are common, can be debilitating and may keep an individual in a state of mind that suggests: “I am not well.” These side effects can prevent a person from feeling like their ‘usual’ self and from going about their every day activities. They can also lead to a sense of feeling distraught and helpless or out of control. Patients experiencing these taxing states of mind are at risk of not taking their medication or even completing their treatment plan.

This is why hypnotherapy is such a powerful tool to incorporate into any conventional cancer treatment plan. Hypnotherapy can help patients address, heal and resolve these states of mind and in doing so give them back control of their healing process.

The practice of hypnotherapy for cancer, the way I practice it as an immunotherapeutic approach to healing, works alongside conventional medical treatment and achieve that goal. And this ties in to my one out of four reasons for integrating hypnotherapy into your cancer treatment plan.

Reason 1 – Enhancing Medical Treatment Efficacy

The onset of cancer or any life-threatening disease is extremely taxing both emotionally and physically. And as we now know, studies have proven that our state of mind has everything to do with our ‘state of health’ – that is an accepted, scientific fact.

We also know that certain emotions such as stress and hopelessness may suppress the body’s natural defense mechanism, known as the immune system, further still.

It is therefore vital that these harmful states of mind are addressed so that the immune system can become strong again and function at an optimal level in order for it to facilitate and enhance the healing process.

This is what hypnosis does. It allows the patient to access the subconscious mind – the part of the mind where stressful emotions reside.

Harmful states of mind such as helplessness can be confronted and ultimately altered during the process of hypnotherapy. As a client is guided by their therapist to visualize their body regaining health their feelings of confidence, optimism and control can be revived and strengthened.

This in turn gives their body the edge when it comes to getting well again, and with the body and mind in an optimum state for healing other medical treatments can work their particular type of healing more efficiently and effectively.

Think of it as a double dose of healing, double the potency if you like; medical treatment and mind medicine, i.e. hypnotherapy, working together hand in hand to help you along the path to regaining your health.

the healing power of forgiveness

7 Steps for Instant Forgiveness Revealed

It takes courage to forgive someone, to “give up” that part of ourselves that wants to be right rather than happy. And once we came to the realization that we are the one benefiting from forgiveness, how do we go about it, what is the next step?

brookline hypnosis healing cancer

Forgiveness Meditation Audio CD

Some people pray, some exercise their logic and some numb themselves with drugs and medications. But if none of those worked for you, try the following exercise.

Learn How to Achieve Instant Forgiveness:

This an advanced technique involving visualization with eye positions which anyone can benefit from. To work with this technique simply bring to mind a person with whom you have a conflict or someone who’ve done you wrong.

Once you have that in mind, look at the sequence of events that lead you to feel hurt, angry and upset. You can view that sequence of events from beginning to end like a short movie that play’s in your mind’s eye.

Give that movie a title, for example, “The Night you Broke my Heart”. This will be helpful as we make progress.

It is likely that the first few times you’ll work with this technique, you’ll need to go slowly just to remember what need be done at each point. This is perfectly normal. To help you remember the exact eye positioning we will use abbreviations for each position.

The Abbreviations are:

• DR (eyes Down and to the Right)

• DC (eyes Down and to the Center)

• DL (eyes Down and left)

• UR (eyes Up and Right)

• UC (eyes Up and Center)

• UL (eyes Up and Left)

Now that you have a person in mind and memorized eye positions abbreviations we can begin.

1. Turn eyes down and to the right. (DR)

Play the movie (sequence of events) of the incident/s which include the person with whom you are angry, upset from beginning to end. As you play the movie in your mind’s eye, allow yourself to feel the same feelings you felt back then and the stress attached to them. This movie may include various situations from the past as well.

2. Eyes Down and Center. (DC)

Re-run the same movie from beginning to end, including the same feelings and experience of stress but without the other person in the movie.

3. Move your eyes Down and Left. (DL)

Re-run the very same movie you just ran, keeping the feelings of stress (without the other person) but this time speed it up. Run the movie twice as fast.

4. Move eyes Up and to the Right. (UR)

Say silently or out loud: “I now allow myself to forgive that other person. He/she is in my life to help me learn, grow and let go.”

5. Now move your eyes Up and to the Center. (UC)

Once again say to yourself or out loud: “I chose to forgive this other person for my own well-being. He/she was doing the best they know how.”

6. Move eyes up and to the left. (UL)

It is time to bring the other person to mind again and visualize yourself standing side-by-side with that other person.

7. Eyes up to Center position again. (UC)

Maintain the image of yourself standing side-by-side with that person. Imagine something between you, like an obstacle of some kind or a barrier. Visualize a radiant light, surrounding that obstacle or barrier.

Let the radiant light melt away what is there between you, and is not aligned with forgiveness, comfort and well-being. Feel that which feels light, warm and forgiving to snuggle in.

If you prefer, you can imagine a door opening inside your heart or chest. Feel the radiant healing light flow into your heart and with it, the image of that person who has caused you pain and hurt. Allow the healing light to surround them as well, knowing that they too need love.

Once you have the light in your heart, take a deep breath and let it flow throughout your body and end the exercise here.

Scan your body for more information, notice your feelings, discover what has changed and how?

release toxic emotions for better health

Cancer & Toxic Emotions

One of my clients asked me a question the other day, a question regarding emotions which intrigued me because I didn’t have the answer. He asked if I could name all of the negative emotions we as human’s experience, and the truth is that I couldn’t. As it turns out there are eleven negative emotions and they are hurt, sadness, shame, hopelessness, fear, anger, hate, jealousy, pride, greed, and guilt.

boston cancer wellnessIdentifying these emotions was a fascinating process for me because it is not often that I get to dissect language in this particular way. Furthermore, some of these words do overlap and it was interesting to assess their precise meaning and use.

You might recall my view on emotions from previous posts; that all of our emotions are natural, valuable, necessary and meaningful. I stated that emotions can heal us as much as hurt us, and I pressed that any emotion, be it positive or negative can become toxic and negatively impact our health if bottled inside and not allowed to be felt, expressed and exhausted.

The question in that respect is not so much what need be done, but how can it be done? How can we safely express, exhaust or even allow ourselves to feel emotions which for a good part of our lives we tried suppressing and avoiding?

When it comes down to it, we must take ownership of what we think about and allow in our minds. You may have heard the saying “The only way out is in”? If so you already know that for real healing to occur we must face that which is hurtful, painful, shameful etc. and bring it into the light of our consciousness.

The most effective way to relief and resolve toxic emotions (in my opinion) is forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the balm you apply on the wound. You may find my definition of forgiveness different than yours, if so, remember that I only make suggestions here based on what works for me and for my clients. If your experience brought you to a different conclusion feel free to share it with me.

So what is Forgiveness?

Forgiveness is a choice, a decision, an action which you can take today toward happiness and health. Forgiveness is not forgetting, condoning or cutting someone some slack, it is not a form of silent acceptance of the inevitable or a way to please those around us. Forgiveness is a statement of self worth!

In forgiveness there is recognition of truth, and the truth is that no harm was ever done to us but that which we perceived as such.

There is more than one way to forgive someone and what works for one may not work for the other. Nevertheless, in my next post I will describe in great details how to practice forgiveness. It’s an exercise which anyone can benefit from and implement.

For the time being, let me whisper this to you: the ultimate forgiveness is forgiveness to ourselves, for perceiving, believing, behaving in a certain way and so on, this is the only kind of forgiveness that heals and lead to peace of mind.

If you share my view or oppose it, please share?

The Immune System, Cancer and Chronic Illness

The Immune System, Cancer and Chronic Illness

The discovery of Cancer is dated back to Hippocrates and even ancient Egypt. And yet, with all of our modern technological might we are still unable to pin down the actual cause of this disease, at least not from a medical perspective.

boston and brookline healingTriggers which may make a person more susceptible to contracting cancer such as the diet or the environment have been identified, but the fact remains that many people exposed to the same triggers do not become ill.

Many of us will have heard stories of a person’s mother or grandfather etc. who smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol every day and lived to a grand old age. We may even be the child or grandchild of such a person. “It never did me any harm,” they may tell us.

Of course the role of genetics seems to play a part in the development of certain cancers but could we take this notion further. Could this be the fact that a person inherits a certain mindset from family members as well as certain genes? Maybe I will explore that idea at a later date…

I of course do not have all the answers and my aim is not to create controversy, I am just fascinated in exploring all the possibilities that may lead to ill health – be they more abstract psychological factors or well documented medically proven factors.

Perhaps the question that needs to be asked is not what makes a person more susceptible to illness but what makes a person maintain their good health?

The Immune System

The immune system is the body’s very own form of natural defense. When you see pus in a cut or wound this is your immune system at work. White blood cells have been sent ‘en masse’ by the immune system to the area that needs to fight infection. It occurs as an entirely natural response.

This ‘healing’ takes place naturally and regularly on other parts of our bodies, internal and external. So maybe it is possible that all of us come under the attack of abnormal cancerous cells from time to time but that some of us fight off and destroy these cells because our immune systems are functioning at optimal levels?

The immune system is such a powerful system for healing. We see its ability to fight and reject during organ transplant operations. When we talk of organs being rejected after a heart or kidney transplant operation this is the immune system at work. The immune system recognizes a foreign body so to speak and rejects it as not being a part of the natural system.

The possibility is that all of us are exposed to abnormal cellular activity from time to time and that our body’s immune systems naturally destroy them. In the case of chronic disease and cancer is it therefore possible that the immune system has become inhibited in some way?

Could the cause of this suppression of the immune system be chronic stress? Chronic worry? The inability to express our true needs? The inability to be assertive?

What Science Says?

A 1999 study by JK Kiecolt-Glaser and R Glaser of the Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University College of Medicine entitled ‘Psychoneuroimmunology and cancer: fact or fiction?’ looked at the mind body connection link and concluded:

These studies and others suggest that psychological or behavioral factors may influence the incidence or progression of cancer through psychosocial influences on immune function and other physiological pathways.
The mind body link to illness is something we at least need to consider.

In times of illness, do you ever consider using the power of your mind and thoughts for healing?

stress and illness

Can Stress Affect the Spread of Cancer?

New research from Trinity College Dublin indicates that when a particular stress response is blocked (by drugs) the spread (metastasis) of breast cancer can be significantly reduced.

boston cancer brooklineHealth Research Board Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Ian Barron from the University’s Pharmacology and Therapeutic department conducted the research.

The study focused on a group of women in Ireland who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2007 and found that the women who took drugs that blocked a particular hormone-related stress pathway had a decreased risk of dying from the cancer.

When compared to the control group, women taking the drugs in the year prior to diagnosis were less likely to develop metastatic or invasive breast cancer. The same group, who continued to take the drug after diagnosis, was also less likely to die from cancer in the following 5 years after their diagnosis.

Dr Barron has said:

“For patients with cancer, higher levels of stress are associated with more frequent disease recurrence, faster disease progression and higher rates of death from cancer.

“Some lab-based studies have suggested how stress hormones, such as adrenaline and noradrenalin, could play a role in this process. Ours is the first study in humans to show that blocking this stress response significantly reduces the risk of cancer spreading or metastasizing. Because the majority of all cancer deaths are due to the growth of tumor metastases, this research could have significant implications for clinical practice.”

This research is interesting because once again it confirms what those who are interested in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) have been aware of for some time. That stress and the immune system are linked. Chronic stress can be a precursor to illness.

Our emotions, the way we cope with stress and how we ‘feel’ does have an effect on the physiological condition of the body.

I am all for medical developments and the use of stress pathway blocking drugs could mean exciting progress in the treatment of cancer. I also feel that this study will help to open up the discussion about the link between stress, emotional trauma and cancer.

We know that it’s possible to block this hormone related stress pathway with drugs but can we do so with the mind alone? This is an exciting prospect that can change the way we treat this disease.

Imagine a treatment facility that fully integrates mind medicine with conventional medicine, and I mean more than just the common “Relaxotherapy” offered today.

This kind of integration where patients are cared for by a team of practitioner is sure to benefit the patient. It remains to be seen when this kind of care will be offered, my belief is that it’s only a matter of time.

In the meantime many coping with cancer are already taking responsibility for their well being by working with their own private practitioners.

If you integrate your conventional treatment with other complimentary or alternative treatments please share?

overlooked causes of cancer

Did You Overlooked this Possible Cause of Cancer?

Cancer is often associated with toxic environments, exposure to the sun, habits such as smoking or poor diet and even our genes. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that certain life events may have caused or influenced the onset of the disease in the body. This is a central idea in my practice, one that may resonate with you as well.

overlooked causes of cancerSeveral studies conducted specifically with cancer patients found a strong correlation between the appearance of cancer and what the people participating in this study have experienced in years prior to their diagnosis. Mostly the study refers to sever experiences or life changing experiences such as loss of a loved one for example.

Women diagnosed with breast cancer, in one particular study, were found to have a significantly higher number of events related to loss prior to their cancer. And loss entails broken relationships or severe distress in relationships as well.

In some of these studies, researchers noted that the impact of one single major event is more damaging than an ongoing exposure to negative events. What this basically means is that those of us who are more equipped or able to manage life’s stressors might be less physically affected by them. This is good news because learning better coping skills is something we can all do.

The question many of my clients ask when we get to the topic of life events is How is it possible for things that happen outside of us to affect us inside? Affect our health and well being?

Without dwelling on the philosophical aspect of that question, let me just say this, it is not so much what is happening outside of us but rather how we react or respond to that event that count.

We process our moment to moment experience, interpret it and conclude its meaning using our already existing knowledge, what we already know about the world.

Throughout life we have accumulated ideas about who we are and how the world should be. When these ideas are reinforced over a long period of time they became our beliefs, and our beliefs shape our attitude and outlook on life.

If the type of beliefs we have is negative and self limiting it is likely that they will mature into a negative outlook on life and construct a negative attitude. This is important because our outlook and attitude are the lenses through which we perceive the world outside.

And when we talk about chronic illness and cancer, a negative outlook on life is likely to produce a negative prognosis in one’s mind. One may focus more on the negative aspect or facet of the illness and begin to identify himself of herself with illness rather than health. This brings us back to the study on how negative states of mind influence and suppress our immune system.

If you have seen my video on Immersive Healing, you already know how this methodology aim to identify, address and heal these life events which have impressed negatively on us. The goal is to resolve them and heal them so that the immune response can be revived. If you have not seen that video yet it’s available on various media outlets.

If you find a correlation between something that happened to you and your illness please share?

anger and illness

The Most Unexpected Response to Cancer Recovery

cancer anger and healing

An uncommon response to recovery from cancer

Why Some people will be angry if you heal and recover from Cancer?
When a patient battling cancer is attaining positive results with his or her treatment plan, it is only natural they’ll want to share the good news with those around them. It is generally expected that when positive news is shared with those around us they will react with sympathy and joy.

Much to the surprise of many patients it is not always the case. Yes, for the most part people will celebrate ones recovery but there are those who will react with anger and resentment when good news is presented. As strange as it may seem, resentment is a fairly common response to healing and here is why:

Loss of a Loved One.
You must consider your audience. It may be that some in your audience have lost loved ones to cancer and severe chronic illnesses. If so, seeing you with the same disease that took their parent, sibling, spouse, or even their child could bring back very painful memories of their loved one’s illness and loss.

Hearing that you are overcoming the same illness that took the one they loved could make them think “why you?” They may wonder why you get to survive the illness while their loved one, who was a good person, had to die.

Coming Face to Face with Mortality.
It is likely that you know of someone or have heard of someone who battled cancer, some survived and other passed away. Anytime life threatening illness is present in your life you are reminded of your own mortality or the possibility that you too may become ill.

Fear of Incompetency.
When you are strong and begin to heal, those around you may wonder if they would experience the same positive results if they were in your place. The fear they feel when considering the prospect of being in your place can trigger a strong anger reaction (or over reaction).

You Action Plan!
Choose your company well. If possible, avoid discussing your illness and positive results with those whom you do not feel safe with or have an honest relationship with.

Try not to share intimate details of your healing process with people outside of your support circle. Select a small group of people who are positive and supportive and share the joy instead of resentment with these people.

If you encountered anger or felt it’s necessary to keep the good news of your recovery to yourself, please let share?

support system for cancer patients

Can Your Support System Save Your Life?

A growing body of evidence suggests that a strong support system and positive interactions with others is a key factor in recovery from illness.

boston hypnosis cancer support

boston hypnosis cancer support

An intriguing and important aspect of the healing process relates to our sense of connection to other people. This works on two levels, firstly the relationships we have with close friends and family and secondly the relationships we have with our wider communities.

At first glance it may seem somewhat trivial to suggest that there is any link between ill health and our friendships and relationships but this factor is actually emerging as an important indicator when it comes to who is more likely to heal and who isn’t.

There are many studies that have found that people who have more positive social connections tend to live for longer. People who are less sociable and especially those who are isolated have a higher mortality rate than normal from any kind of disease or illness including cancer.

It seems that it is the quality of your friendships and connections that is what’s important and not the actual number of friends and acquaintances. The amount of involvement a person has in social activities in the wider community also counts.

The Value of Social Interaction

So how may a good quality of social interaction and social support contribute to better health? The obvious answer is that being able to share your worries with a trusted friend provides some sort of emotional relief – feelings are not kept inside where they may go round and round endlessly in the mind. A good level of social support may help to lower your levels of distress and worry and thus help you to cope better with an illness.

Positive interactions within the wider community can help you feel your connectedness to the outside world in general. It can serve to remind you that we are all the same and that all kinds of people go through difficult life experiences.

On another level giving something back to the world in someway results in increased self-esteem. Whether you volunteer formally or just use your interactions outside your social circle to spread positivity or compassion, giving something back positively is a powerful way to maintain your mental health and possibly your physical health.

It’s important to remember that some people function very well and very happily without the need for lots of social interaction. Some individuals do not feel ‘lonely’ when they are alone. If this is the case and this is a long term pattern that has always worked for you then the chances are you may not be affected in the same way a person might do who is lonely in the true sense of the word.

However if you have a chronic illness, would like more positive social interaction and you feel well enough it may be worthwhile pushing yourself a little to see if increased contact with others makes you feel better in general. Developing social ties by volunteering, joining a club or spiritual group of any denomination that appeals to you could be beneficial.

If you are ill, pushing yourself in this way may feel like too much of an effort and that is understandable. Feel free to contact my office for any level of support you may need.

The bottom line is that positive interaction with others seems to be a factor in recovery and it may just help you to maintain good health and ultimately live for longer.

Is your support system the most important asset in your journey toward health?