Mindshift

Maria’s remarkable story is not about a subconscious message that had a negative impact on her life. Rather it is the inspiring journey of a loving wife and mother who defeated stage-four lymphoma. It is a statement about the power of the unconscious mind to direct healing energy throughout the body. Maria is a 43-year old woman, married with three daughters. Dr. Lerman previously worked with her youngest daughter who had an intense habit of pulling hair out of her head, eyebrows, and legs. The clinical name for this anxiety condition is trichotillomania. Utilizing hypnotherapy, the daughter learned how to release her fear and anger from parental rejection and the habit disappeared. Having witnessed the successful results achieved with her daughter, Maria scheduled a visit to discuss her own issues. Maria was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymph system. The original tumor in her armpit was the largest. The oncologist prescribed a rigorous attack plan involving both chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She came to the office not for her own therapy, but to solicit services for more traditional counseling. She wanted help preparing her husband and daughters for her death. Her physician told her the prognosis for her recovery was not good. He was being honest and truthful with her, knowing that patients at stage four have a very low survival rate. She expected to die. Sooner rather than later, and this loving wife and mother wanted her passing to be as non-traumatizing to her family as possible. Dr. Lerman graciously accepted the request and agreed to schedule a series of therapy sessions with the family. The conversation turned to how she was coping with the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The typical reactions for most patients include nausea, extreme fatigue, general body soreness, hair loss and other uncomfortable side effects. As is often reported, she said it was the most horrible experience of her life. He asked her if she might be interested in learning self-hypnosis to see if it might alleviate some of her discomfort and physical pain. He shared with her several examples of how hypnotherapy is used to alter perception and reduce chronic pain. Knowing how successful hypnosis had been in resolving her daughter’s problem, Maria agreed to come in and learn self-hypnosis. As she expressed it, anything that could help her reduce the effect of these treatments would be a welcomed improvement. In many ways, self-hypnosis is the ultimate tool available for people who feel the need to be in control of themselves, or those afraid of other people controlling them. Even though hypnosis cannot force you to do something against your will, some people are fearful. For most people, their only awareness of hypnosis is the stage hypnotists who entertain people in comedy clubs, on cruise ships, and at charity fundraisers. Others may be opposed to it for religious reasons, even though these reasons are not accurate understandings of hypnosis. While in the trance, your mind is not under another person’s control. To the contrary, your intuitive knowledge is at the forefront to protect your mind from intrusive negative suggestions. In Maria’s situation there was no fear of experiencing trance. She simply wanted a tool she could use to minimize the awful side effects of the cancer treatments. She needed to release the mental tension and prolonged fatigue sensation. Teaching Maria self-hypnosis empowered her with a tool she could use as needed. While in a hypnotic trance at the office, Maria learned how to put herself into trance. She received an auto-hypnotic suggestion which would induce the hypnotic trance through a specific action. More common auto-hypnotic suggestions include rubbing certain fingers together, holding a smooth rock or bead, looking at a picture, or listening to a special piece of music. The most effective are those the client already has a positive connection to, so acceptance level and comfort are established. The life history Maria provided allowed for the development of a specific hypnotic suggestion that could alleviate or neutralize the nausea associated with the treatments. The goal was to teach her to separate, or detach, the feelings from an event. This would allow the creative part of her unconscious mind, working with her memory to find another, less noxious, association. Maria truly loved her children and she loved every aspect of being pregnant. Even though she experienced morning sickness and nausea during the early part of her first pregnancy, she was so focused on the joy of becoming a mother it was simply a temporary annoyance. During her subsequent pregnancies, she never experienced the nausea or morning sickness. She embraced pregnancy as an overwhelmingly positive and rewarding experience. Maria was able to form an unconscious association of nausea with a powerfully positive event in her life—pregnancy. Now when she received chemotherapy, rather than feeling nauseous and relating it to the cancer treatment, she instead related the nausea to her initial changes of becoming pregnant. By embracing it as simply an annoyance along the path of experiencing the birth of her first child, it no longer had a debilitating effect on her. This was her first mind shift.