HYPNOTERAPl - Dansk Selskab for Klinisk Hypnose

enhance the effect of the treatment, reduce undesired effects, etc. Information and instructions
return a sense of control to the patient and usually reduce anxiety.
C) Postive suggestions = waking suggestions
Information and instructions can easily be combined with positive suggestions which are
spoken in a normal conversational tone and can be formulated in such a way that they become
part of a conventional conversation. It must be kept in mind, that cancer patients - even more
so than the average healthy surgical patient - are exquisitely susceptible to suggestions. The
greater their level of stress and anxiety, the more likely they enter altered states of
consciousness, even though they ostensibly appear to be at completely normal levels of
consciousness. Such altered states are evidenced by focused attention, conscious amnesia,
being very literal, suspending critical judgment, and strongly responding to "dominant effect"
or to "persons of superior authority".
Therefore great attention must be paid to language and non-verbal cues. Unfortunately, the
medical environment is riddled with negative suggestions and conscious effort must be made
to avoid those and replace them with neutral language or positive suggestions.
A key factor is
EARLY INTERVENTION
If one can achieve that the patient's very first intervention, which he naturally dreads - be it a
biopsy, operation, chemotherapy, radiation - can be undergone in a most atraumatic way,
many of the late pro-blems can be avoided. For all of os who deal with cancer patients know,
how difficult it can become to treat anticipatory nausea and vomiting, terror of interventions,
or refusal of further treatments.
And early can never be early enough!
HYPNOSIS - IMAGERY - SUGGESTION
One of the most important initial benefits can be achieved with hypnosis, imagery and
suggestion. By employing such techniques, the patient can experience a sense of control and
possibly of hope.
If he can create a sense of peaceful relaxation for himself within only a few minutes, then,
maybe, he will also be able to sleep. If he can control whether, when, or how he goes into
trance, then he may believe that he can have control over some other hitherto seemingly
uncontrollable matters as well. If he can alter sensations in his hands, or even create analgesia
to a large bore intravenous needle, then he may begin to consider, that he could affect other
unpleasant sensa-tions as well, should that become necessary. And he may be able to consider
that - if this is possible - maybe other dreaded prospects don't have to be so terrible after all.
Let me present, in chronological order, examples of some approa-ches as they pertain to
several principal phases of the illness (1-4 for the purpose of this presentation)
PHASE I: INITIAL INVASIVE DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION
(Example: biopsy, surgery)
These patients have just been confronted with the diagnosis of cancer. Many perceive the
impending operation as an unavoidable first assault on their integrity and autonomy, to which
they must submit passively.
The pre-operative visit can set the stage for a modification of the patient's perception of the
seemingly unalterable experience of his illness, allow him to acquire early coping skills,
which will be benefi-cial not only for the operation itself, but which can prepare him for
dealing with interventions yet to come.
My experice as an anesthesiologist has convinced me that com-ments made to nonhypnotized
patients can be as powerful as suggestions which are given during formal trance
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