Hypno-Chemo programme
The Hypno-Chemo programme was originally devised by Holistic Resources at Rossendale Hospice. It is now a community (Lottery) funded Clinical Audit that has gone England wide. Due to the acclaim this project has received, there are currently only a limited number of trained Hypnotherapists available.
St. Luke’s (Cheshire) Hospice
St. Lukes’s (Cheshire) Hospice is one of the first hospices to offer this service. Their therapist is Fraser White.
The premise of this programme is that psychological distress is frequently reported following
diagnosis of cancer. This affects Quality of Life. It is recognized that some medical procedures can also have an impact on Quality of Life. It is a sad but true fact that many patients receive no
psychological help at all.
How can it help?
The Hypno-chemo programme uses the skills from Cognitive behaviour therapy combined with
hypnotherapeutic skills to:
- Teach relaxation
- Treat emotional issues.
- Prepare for and treat side effects of chemotherapy.
- Reduce anxiety and depression.
- Enlarge embedded veins.
- Manage pain.
- If appropriate, visualize host defences destroying malignant cells.
Annual service audits since 1996, reflect consistent positive evaluations and a qualitative study indicated a high level of satisfaction with the service. (Taylor et al, 1999, 2000).
Please note: It is not necessary to be having chemotherapy to benefit from this programme – only a diagnosis of cancer.
Referrals are usually via G.P; Macmillan Nurse; Hospice; or yourself.
