Positive Health Online

Abstract

SPIEGEL and MOORE, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, California USA write that patients with cancer often use techniques such as imagery and hypnosis as ways of connecting their mind and bodies.

Background

Methodology

Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective method of pain control for cancer, the techniques most often used involving physical relaxation together with imagery. These provide a substitute focus of attention for pain. Other imagery techniques, including guided imagery, involve paying attention to internally generated mental images without using formal hypnosis. The best known technique uses "positive mental images" of a strong army of white blood cells killing cancer cells . Despite claims to the contrary, there is no reliable evidence demonstrating that this technique affects disease progression or survival.

Results

Research evaluating more broadly defined forms of psychosocial support have arrived at conflicting conclusions regarding whether these interventions affect survival of cancer patients. 10-year follow-up of a randomised trial with 86 women with cancer demonstrated that a year of weekly "supportive/expressive" group therapy significantly increased survival and the time from cancer recurrence to death . This support group therapy encourages patients to express and deal with strong emotions and to clarify doctor-patient communication. Numerous other studies suggest that suppression of negative affect, excessive conformity, severe stress and lack of social support are predictors of a poorer medical outcome from cancer.

Conclusion

Further research regarding the interaction between body and mind in coping with cancer is needed.

References

Spiegel D and Moore R. Imagery and hypnosis in the treatment of cancer patients. Oncology 11(8): 1179-89. Aug 1997.

Comment

You can read more of David Spiegels now famous work in the area of group therapy and cancer survival in his book Living Beyond Limits New Hope and Help for Facing Life-threatening Illness. David Spiegel. Vermillion. 1993.