Karuna Healing Center

Specifically Hypnotherapy can help Cancer patients in the following areas:

1. Lower Stress Hormone Cortisol Levels

High stress hormone cortisol levels are responsible for depressed immunity and allow cancer cells to thrive.  Self Hypnosis recordings are designed to dramatically decrease stress, tension & anxiety in the mind, the autonomic nervous system, and the body – enabling the immune system to recover.

2. Increase Melatonin Levels within the Body

Melatonin is responsible for inhibiting cancer cell growth. Melatonin is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and is released when the mind enters into a very deep state of relaxation, sleep or meditation.  Hypnotherapy enables the listener to enter into this very deep state of relaxation, significantly increasing levels of melatonin in the body necessary for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.

3. Stabilize Adrenaline Levels to Prevent Cancer Growth

Depleted Adrenaline levels cause your body's cells to become high in sugar, ferment, to become low in oxygen and acidic - creating the perfect environment for cancer cells to thrive.  Hypnotherapy / Hypnosis helps you to lower stress levels, allowing for adrenaline levels to return to a normal state, preventing cancer growth.

4. Lower Norepinephrine Levels that Stimulate Tumor Growth

By lowering stress levels, by using directed Self Hypnosis recordings helps reduces stress hormone Norepinephrine / Epinephrine Levels, preventing tumor growth.

5. Overcome Insomnia

Disrupted sleep patterns affect Melatonin production, which occurs between 1 am – 3 am.  Typically those with cancer carry with them deep hurt, grief, pain or trauma at the subconscious level, causing a disruption in sleep patterns that affect melatonin being produced in large enough quantities.  Hypnotherapy will not only help release past emotional pain and hurt, it will help retrain the mind to enter into a very deep state of relaxation, necessary for deep sleep to occur, and for melatonin to be produced in large enough quantities to inhibit cancer cell growth.

6. Mobilize Your Immune System Defenses

You now have the ability to mobilize your immune system into action to fight cancer cells within your body by using powerful guided imagery suggestions. The Department of Pathology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, undertook a study to determine the effect of hypnotic-guided imagery on immune function and psychological parameters in patients being treated for Stage I or II breast cancer. Psychological profiles, natural killer (NK) cell numbers and activity were measured at baseline, after the 8-week imagery training program and at the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: There were significant increases in improvement in depression and an increase in absolute number of NK cells, but these were not maintained at the 3-month follow-up.  This result indicates that guided imagery should be incorporated as part of daily routine to maintain these high levels of natural killer cell numbers achieved using hypnotic-guided imagery.

7. Eliminate Cancer Cells Within Your Body

Using powerful guided imagery suggestions, you can direct your immune system cells to attack and destroy weak, defenseless cancer cells.  You have the power to direct your inner subconscious mind to command your immune system cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells in your body. Guided imagery can be designed specifically for a child based on the child’s imagination or one can use generalized Hypnotherapy recordings for different age groups.

7. Increase Cancer Survival

Many studies, including those performed by Dr David Speigel of Stanford University, Professor Leslie Walker of the University of Hull – Institute for Rehabilitation, the California Department of Health Services / National Cancer Institute have demonstrated that those with cancer using mind-body techniques such as Self Hypnosis as a tool to express & release negative emotions and as a tool to fight cancer, live on average 18-32 months longer that those not using these techniques.

8. Increase Serotonin Feel-good Levels / Quality of Life

Hypnotic-guided imagery has been found in hundreds of studies around the world to significantly lower depression, increase serotonin and other feel-good hormone levels, and to improve quality of life.

9. Create a Feeling of Hope and Inner Peace

Hopelessness, helplessness and despair are common traits found in those facing the challenge of cancer.  This lack of “hope” or “will to live” translates into a subconscious communication to the immune system to slow down and to even stop functioning altogether. Hypnotherapy helps you create a new sense of hope and purpose in your life, to help you to find yourself again and to help you find your inner peace.

10. Create Inner Belief, Self Confidence and Life Purpose

Studies have demonstrated that those with cancer who have a ‘fighting spirit’ and inner belief they can beat their cancer, survive considerably longer than those who ‘give up’ and do not have this inner belief. Hypnotherapy will help to create powerful new beliefs that you have the power to overcome your cancer.  It will demonstrate that cancer cells are weak cells and that you are powerful and strong.

11. Uncover and Release Repressed Emotions

Inner mental stress & anxiety at a subconscious level is responsible for sustained high levels of the stress hormone cortisol that weaken the immune system and allow cancer cells to thrive in the first place.  It is not enough to just to eliminate cancer from your body.  You have to address the core emotional / mental issues that are responsible for sustained high internal stress and anxiety that lead to cancer. Hypnotherapy will guide you easily and gently into the part of you that holds unresolved emotional pain and trauma, helping you to express and permanently release these feelings.

With kids specifically we can target hypnotherapy to help as follows. Adults will work similarly but use slightly different techniques and imagery:

1. Reduce discomfort during Chemotherapy Treatment. Using hypnotherapy techniques we can help kids prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for the chemotherapy treatment. During the treatment they can visualize the cancer cells being dissolved and destroyed. Post treatment they can experience less discomfort and imagine the treatment working and being successful.

2. Cancer Surgery Hypnosis will help the client pre surgery, during surgery and post surgery with positive affirmations that will prepare the child physically, mentally and emotionally to prepare for the surgery. During surgery visualizations will help the child prepare the body to work cooperatively with the doctor and remove the unnecessary foreign bodies, bleed less, have stable indicators for Blood pressure etc. Post surgery visualizations will help with speedy recovery.

3. Strengthening the Immune System: Help kids imagine their immune system being strong and powerful throughout the body. Visualize the cancer cells and see then as weak and confused. Imagine the very powerful white blood cells destroying the cancer cells.

4. Handle the radiation treatment: Various visualizations will help the child imagine what the radiation is doing to the cancer cells, help reduce pain and speed recovery. It will help the child focus on interesting visualization/pretend play during the radiation. This could be with stories on what is happening with imaginary figures, mental video game, energized pacman etc.

5. Cancer healing hypnosis will help the child visualize his body and mind strengthening the immune system, shrinking and removing the tumors, rebuilding the cells, organs and systems in the body. It will also help with removing and letting go of negative thoughts, emotions and beliefs.

6. Getting healthier and fit hypnosis. This will aid the child with various imagary to see the unhealthy parts of the body being eliminated and the healthy parts of the body, regenerating, reenergizing and rejuvenating. Also help the child connect with his/her feelings and emotions so they can release it as they grow healthy and fit. (metaphor such as Seasons of the year, big tree etc could be part of the visualizations).

7. Easing hospital visits, staying calm, handling stomach queasiness, sounds of instruments, lots of people around, being peaceful and relaxed.

8. Taking medications and visualizing the medicines shrinking and removing cancer cells, healing your body. Various forms of visualizations and imagery will be used such as vaccum sucking in the cancer cells and cleansing the body, football team winning, fireman fighting the cells and saving the body, medications entering the body like soft snowflakes and spreading throughout the body etc.
 
9. Handling Pain: Lowering the impact of pain and not eliminating it completely as pain is a way for our body to tell us that something needs attention.  Visualizations could be visiting some special place, using a pain balm to soften the pain area, acknowledge the pain and transform it.

10. End-State Imagery: Help the child see the future as they wish to be. Allow them to imagine themselves in peak performance state, doing what they love to do, without a thought and in perfect harmony with themselves. Helps the child know that the current state of disease is a temporary one and they will get better and do the things they want to.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center(www.mskcc.org)

More Cancer Centers and Doctors Encouraging the Use of Reiki

By Jack Bleeker

April 2010

With groups like the Society of Integrative Oncology, a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals, touting the advantages of complementary cancer treatment and recovery, new methodologies, including Reiki are gaining in popularity. More and more cancer centers and oncologists are beginning to recognize the benefits that these treatments – once dismissed with a snicker by those “in-the-know” – are providing for those who just don’t know where to turn to address issues like the pain and stress associated with cancer and its conventional treatments.

            Complementary therapies - not to be confused with “alternative” therapies, which are unproven treatments – have gradually made their way to the forefront of cancer care as well-known oncologists who are lauded experts in their field begin to promote these supportive treatments as a natural part of cancer care. Even the National Institutes of Health operates a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researching complementary therapies and then recommending proven ones for integration into cancer programs nationwide, including those associated with mesothelioma cancer.

            Lately, the ancient form of spiritual healing known as Reiki (pronounced Ray-kee) has earned plenty of attention as a potential complementary therapy for all kinds of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma. Rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, Reiki was “rediscovered” in the early 20^th century and became particularly popular in the late 1990s as Reiki Masters began to teach non-Buddhists that life energy flows through all persons, this technique strives to increase the life force energy of a sick individual, therefore helping him achieve better health and happiness.

            Like many complementary therapies, Reiki takes a holistic approach – treating mind, body, and spirit – and is safe and natural. Many cancer patients who have tried it note an overall feeling of peace, relaxation, and well-being when the treatment is complete. Totally non-invasive, Reiki therapy involves the laying of hands on the fully-clothed patient by the Reiki practitioner. His/her hands travel through 12 different positions, staying in each place for about 5 minutes for a total of about an hour per treatment. The feeling of invigoration or tranquility results from the fact that Reiki causes the body's molecules to vibrate at a higher intensity, hence, dissolving energy blockages that lead to disharmony and disease, Reiki masters note. This assists in controlling pain, easing stress, or lessening side effects of traditional treatments like chemotherapy, including nausea and other debilitating problems for those battling theirmesothelioma prognosis. It is also believed to improve immune function.

            With continuous positive reactions from many cancer patients, cancer clinics such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center offer Reiki classes for cancer patients, including Sloan Kettering mesothelioma patients on a regular basis as well as in-service classes for their hospital staff. Other well-known hospitals to jump on the Reiki bandwagon include Dartmouth-HitchcockMedical Center, Columbia Presbyterian, theYale Center, and Cancer Treatment Centers ofAmerica. The list continues to grow as patients use tools like the internet to advertise their positive reactions to this ancient healing art, enticing others to give it a try.

References:

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (http://nccam.nih.gov/)

Society for Integrative Oncology (www.integrativeonc.org

Chemocare.com, http://www.chemocare.com/complementary_medicine.asp)

The International Center for Reiki Training ( www.reiki.org)