Hypnotherapy Helps Hospice Patients

Hypnotherapy Helps Hospice Patients

I was on the web the other day, looking for research on hypnotherapy and hospice, and found this article by Raggi, and thought you might be interested.

The LA Times reports that end-of-life patients are receiving more than just drugs these days. Hospice teams in Florida combine traditional treatment with “more humane” therapies like music, massage, art therapy, healing touch and hypnotherapy to relieve pain, anxiety and depression. “It brings me back to memories of when I was a younger guy,” 98-year-old Bernard Michels tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Little by little, this trend is catching on from Florida to California, as hospices add hypnotists, therapists and masseuses to their payrolls.

Hypnosis has long been used in grief counseling therapy. Repetition techniques can reiterate positive messages until the hospice patient begins to feel more at peace. Regression therapy can take patients back to happier memories and more emotionally fulfilling times. Guided imagery creates the most transformative visions of a future for people who are near death, as they imagine themselves going to that comforting white light that so many speak of. Post-hypnotic suggestions can help patients bring a little more joy to their everyday lives. I think this is a wonderful shift for end-of-life care. Wouldn’t you want to leave this world enjoying new, emotionally gratifying experiences and feeling truly cared about by a genuine support staff whose sole concern is your tranquility and comfort?