Many individuals would agree that pain management after a cancer surgery is the most challenging aspect of the cancer treatment process. It is true that different guidelines are often provided for pain management after a cancer treatment, including the need for regular anesthesia. However, organizations or bodies that offer these recommendations also acknowledge the role of imagination in a patient’s efforts to manage pain. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), for example, emphasizes on the importance of play specialists in the preparation of surgical procedures. Moreover, the organization calls for psychology support and stresses on the need to engage in moments of visualization and relaxation. Thus, health care professionals can play a vital role in improving treatment outcomes for those undergoing painful procedures that also result in more pain during the healing process. This can be achieved through the provision of psychological interventions before and after the operations.
According to a study conducted by Richardson et al. (2016) to review past literature on the effectiveness of hypnosis in relieving distress and pain for cancer treatments that involve various procedures, it was found that the majority of past studies came up with positive results on hypnosis for cancer patients. Some of them found a statistically significant decrease in pain and anxiety, though some few limitations on the methodologies adopted for these studies were evident. This review revealed that hypnosis can play a vital role in the healing process of pediatric cancer patients, hence making it a vital intervention process in the life of these patients. The researchers found that hypnosis can greatly reduce anticipatory anxiety just before a pediatric procedure is conducted. However, the researchers were keen to investigate whether self-induced hypnosis and therapist-induced hypnosis produced different results in patients, thereby finding that the latter was more effective than the former.
In another study conducted by De Paolis et al. (2018) to examine the effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Interactive Guided Imagery (IGI) in helping reduce pain in terminal cancer patients, the researchers found that PMR-IGI is a an effective intervention in pain reduction. The study was specifically designed to assess the effects of these intervention strategies in helping alleviate pain for those under palliative care. PMR-IGI intervention was found to be more effective than the other normal forms of care. The effectiveness of these two types of intervention can be explained by psychoneurological theory, which maintains that when an image is created in a patient’s mind, the cerebral cortex, the hypothalamus and the limbic system are often activated, which then send signals to the autonomic nervous system. The results of this study were in line with other previous research findings on the effects of PMI-IGI. Similarly, another study by Liossi, White & Hatira (2016) that examined the effects of self-hypnosis in the process of reducing venepuncture-induced pain for pediatric cancer patients found that the intervention had positive results. This further confirms that such interventions are therapeutic and lead to improved outcomes in the treatment process of these patients.
Arguably, hypnosis is an intervention procedure that has proved effective in helping relive pain and anxiety in cancer patients. It is a method that comes with minimal risks to both the patients and their families, including children and their parents. In the case of pediatric patients, it has been found that the two types of hypnosis, self and therapist-induced can both be used, though therapist-induced has been found to be more effective than the self-induced one. Overall, the positive effects of this type of intervention procedure has been ascertained through various research studies, though more extensive researches are still needed to unearth the complex interplay between the human brain and this type of therapy.
References
De Paolis, G., Naccarato, A., Cibelli, F., D’Alete, A., Mastroianni, C., Surdo, L., … & Magnani, C. (2018). The effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation and interactive guided imagery as a pain-reducing intervention in advanced cancer patients: A multicentre randomised controlled non-pharmacological trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
Liossi, C., White, P., & Hatira, P. (2009). A randomized clinical trial of a brief hypnosis intervention to control venepuncture-related pain of paediatric cancer patients. PAIN®, 142(3), 255-263.
Richardson, J., Smith, J. E., McCall, G., & Pilkington, K. (2006). Hypnosis for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients: a systematic review of effectiveness and methodology related to hypnosis interventions. Journal of pain and symptom management, 31(1), 70-84.
Melvin S. Marsh is a certified hypnotherapist serving Atlanta GA, Aiken SC, Augusta GA, Blairsville GA, and Cary NC. He performs hypnotherapy appointments both in person and worldwide virtually. He can be reached at www.afterhourshypnotherapy.com .
