Good News! Hypnosis can provide help for cancer patients.

According to a study published by the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, hypnosis can help alleviate the pain and suffering of women being treated for breast cancer.  The results of this study may have relevance for many other people living with cancer.

The study measured the pain and suffering experienced by 124 women with metastatic breast cancer. Researchers recorded levels of pain at four-month intervals for a year. Women who were assigned to the treatment group received group psychotherapy, and instruction and practice in hypnosis to moderate their pain symptoms.  Their experience was compared with that of a control group who did not receive the therapy. The group receiving therapy and hypnosis reported that although there was no great change the in the frequency of their pain episodes, the intensity of their pain and suffering increased less over time.

The results of the study suggest that, for patients with metastatic breast cancer, therapies in a group setting that include hypnosis can reduce pain and suffering.  The researchers have pointed out that their results form part of the growing literature supporting the use of hypnosis to help patients experiencing pain.They suggest that although hypnosis is not at present standard practice for treating a wide range of symptoms that trouble cancer  patients, there may be a number of benefits to the use of hypnosis in cancer care including pain control.

This study reinforces reports from many of the people living with cancer my colleagues and I have worked with over the years.  In our experience, patients receiving individual therapy for cancer with hypnosis regularly report how much it helps them cope with cancer and manage their pain better. 

(The study was published in a recent issue of the American Psychological Association journal Health Psychology.)