they learn to “think warm,” people may find that the circulation to their hands and
feet improves, resulting in less pain.
Similarly, hand-warming frequently cuts down on both the incidence and severity of
migraine headaches. The use of hypnosis in promoting feelings of comfort, distrac-
tion, and dissociation through imagery in those with chronic pain has been well
established. Clients are often able to change their perceptual experience of pain by
substituting numbness, a sense of pressure, or other sensation for an unwanted pain.
Much of the literature regarding the use of imagery for cancer is anecdotal but
many people believe the reports must be respected. Jeanne Achterberg well known
for her use of imagery in the treatment of cancer believes that imagery is as essen-
tial as radiation and chemotherapy and must not be thought of as a “last alterna-
tive.” She believes that imagery plays an important role in the biochemical healing
process. She believes that images produced in the mind are converted to biochemical
messages that somehow initiate a path of cancer-cell destruction or organ-cell recon-
struction. It is possible that this healing process inhibits the nervous and endocrine
systems from secreting stress hormones. Of course, it is difficult to prove definitively
that imagery is a direct cause of healing when it occurs, because imagery is never
the sole treatment used.222 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
EVIL GENIUSES, LOOK ELSEWHERE
Hypnosis and imagery will only work if you want them to. Poor motivation, such as “My
husband sent me so I would lose weight,” an unwillingness even to try the treatment
because of extreme fear, or compelling religious objections will all preclude progress
through hypnotherapy. The procedure is unsuitable for people with active psychosis or
somatic delusions. It is generally considered that these individuals are often bombarded
with too many images already, and are unable to differentiate between voluntary and invol-
untary images.Guided Imagery
A subtype of hypnotherapy is Guided Imagery (GI). It involves making changes to
the psyche by entering a hypnotic-like state and imagining that the desired change
has already occurred. GI can be practiced with or without a hypnotherapist.