Hypnosis and Hypnotic Anaesthesia

I consider myself to be very fortunate for I am a hospital chaplain and certified hypnotherapist. As Director of Pastoral Care and Clinical Hypnotherapy at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital, I have full support for the use of hypnotherapy in my pastoral ministry by both the Administration and Medical Staff of our hospital. I receive many consults from our doctors for stop smoking, weight control, stress management , pain management and other problems. I would like to share with you a case history of a cancer patient I worked with using hypnosis . [Regarding health matters, I require a physician's referal.] Bee (not her real name) was referred to me by her doctor after her second hospitalization with cancer. I met Bee about two years before when she had a breast removed and again when she returned to the hospital with a lump in her remaining breast. She refused to have more surgery, but agreed to chemotherapy. As Bee was very sick between each of her chemotherapy treatments, her doctor referred her to me for pain management and emotional/spiritual support.

Near the end of her first visit, I gave Bee some homework. I asked her to write down any stressful situations she had experienced over the 6-18 months before her diagnosis. She listed the following:
1. A year before her cancer was discovered, her husband had left her and their children for another woman.
2. The next month, she had to go to work to support herself and the children.
3. Filed for divorce .
4. Had first date with another man.
5. Found lump in her breast and breast was removed.
6. Divorce final.
7. Married the man she had been dating .
8. Another lump was found in her breast and returned to the hospital.
During the second session we discussed her stress factors and I taught her several pain reduction and elimination techniques. As she was a religious person, I suggested that she visualize Jesus beside her bed and visualize Jesus as vividly as possible. "Jesus is placing his hand on the area of discomfort (or one could say, "placed his hand on your head") You begin to feel the hand of Jesus pulling the discomfort out of your body. His touch is causing your own brain to produce more healing chemicals and it is sending them to the area of discomfort. The warmth of Jesus' hand is bringing ease to the area. Slowly but surely the discomfort is being pulled out of your body. His touch is bringing comfort and healing. I repeated this in various ways and then suggested that the physical presence of Jesus was fading away, but his spiritual presence would remain. (Of course, I would not use this imagery with a person who was not religious or of a non-Christian faith .) At the end of the second session, we talked about gains one has from illness and I asked her to make a list of gains for he next sessions. For the gains of her illness she listed:
(1) Did not have to work.
(2) Could take it easy.
(3) Gets more attention.
(4) Could say "no" without worrying about hurting other people's feelings.
We discussed how she could accomplish these gains without the excuse provided her by being sick. We talked about relaxation therapy, image therapy and hypnosis to help her deal with a wide range of issues in her life When B. first came to me, she could see only sickness, pain, and death in her future. I addressed this concern by suggesting that by visualizing herself getting better helps one to have a more hopeful attitude and a better quality of life. I shared with her the words of Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, "Picture yourself as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute to success. Great living starts with a picture held in your imagination of what you would like to do or be."

While she was in the hypnotic state, I said, "Allow yourself to become very comfortable. Begin your healing journey by letting go of the worries and concerned of the day. Your immune system is releasing stronger and more effective white blood cells into your blood stream. You have a strong ally in your chemotherapy helping you fight any diseased cells. Your faith is provide you with inner peace and comfort. David wrote in the Psalms (46:11) 'Be still and know that I am God.' That is what you are doing now...You are learning to be still... Allowing your body to relax and tap into the powerful resources of your subconscious mind... You are aware of the inflow and outflow of God's love... You are in the process of making some very important changes that bring you greater happiness, joy and inner peace . You keep your thoughts positive and you find that attracts happy, healthy conditions to you. mental, physical, emotional and spiritual comes from within through the presence of God...You are being strengthened and rejuvenated by the Divine healing power of love.... Say to yourself now and many times each day, both in and out of the hypnotic state, 'Day by day in every way, I am getting better and better, healthier and healthier, and happier and happier." In addition to teaching her glove anaesthesia, I taught her the imagery of the discomfort evaporating as steam from her body. (Good for upset stomach experienced during chemotherapy.)

I had visualize the discomfort evaporating as steam. I repeated softly, "As steam rises from a kettle so the discomfort is leaving your stomach as steam. Visualize the steam rising and the discomfort is evaporating. As the steam rises, you become more and more comfortable." I repeated this several times and suggested that she could do this whenever she needed. I asked her to set some attainable goals for the future. When one goal is reached, she can set another. The goal setting is an ongoing process. I asked her to set aside a regular schedule of exercise and play. Richard Haas has written, "Historically, it has long been recognized that stress related occasions may be reduced through exercise. These exercises reduce stress and depression . They encourage enhancement of the lives of people physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. There is no doubt in my mind that proper exercise improves both physical and mental health of a person."

We discussed how her resentment toward her first husband and his new wife interfered with her health and quality of life. Resentment keeps the hurt alive and blocks the healing; emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Maxwell Malty said, "Forgive others. Do it not only for their sake but for your own. If you don't you will feel within you a nauseating resentment destroying you from within." I had her visualize her first husband setting in a chair in front of her. She told him of all the hurt she had experience as results of his deserting her and their children. She said that in order for her to get on with her life she was releasing the resentment by forgiving him and she did.

We discussed her feelings that God had forsaken her. She worked through those feelings to an understanding of God who was actively helping her through this situation. We talked about set-backs which she has had or might have in the future. We talked about the death process and the grief she experiences concerning her death. After several months, B. returned to the hospital with excess fluid on her lungs and died three days later. Just a few days before returning to the hospital, she had completed a joyful pain-free vacation with her husband. I do not know if we added any time to B,'s life, but she did have a better quality of life. Her doctor told me that he had never seen such a change in the attitude of a patient as he had seen in B. as a result of the relaxation , imagery therapy and hypnosis . During the last few months of her life, B. was relatively pain-free and lived an active life to include enrolling in a local community college.

The relaxation, imagery therapy, and hypnosis tends to decrease fear and bring about an attitude change. These techniques have been found to effect physical changes, enhancing the person's own immune system, altering the cause of the disease, decreasing tension and stress, and helping to confront and alter the stance of hopelessness and helplessness. These methods along with traditional medical treatment and faith is the God who cares can help in healing. Even for those illnesses and injuries which cannot be healed, these methods bring about an improved quality of life. Again, I would like to emphasize that to say one participates in his or her own health situation is not intended to create guilt over being sick, but to give hope for healing and help for dying . (Working with Bee, I used many techniques learned from Carl and Stephanie Simonton.)