"Using Hypnosis To Treat Cancer’s Side Effects" - Katherine Malmo
Hypnosis isn’t what most people think it is. People who undergo it aren’t helpless or having an out-of-body experience. They’re not losing control of themselves. Some describe it as a state of inner absorption, concentration or highly focused attention. Guy Montgomery, PhD, associate professor of oncological sciences, psychiatry, director of integrative behavioral medicine program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of psychological services at the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital, prefers to use hypnosis in his patients before moving on to meditation and relaxation. Hypnosis has been shown to be safe and effective, and can help patients with all types of cancer and for many different purposes, and there’s evidence of its value and efficacy. “In some ways, hypnosis is the multi-purpose tool, or the Swiss army knife, of psychologists,” Dr. Montgomery said. “You can apply it to a lot of different things and adapt it to benefit patients in a way that provides real symptom control and improvement in their quality of life.”
- Guy Montgomery, PhD, Associate Professor, Oncological Sciences, Psychiatry, Director, Integrative Behavioral Medicine Program , Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Psychological Services, The Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital