This blog about Shermance’s hypnotherapy that was performed by a Christian counselor in Round Rock named Rick Breland. Before we did the therapy he told us about some amazing results that he personally has seen as a result of “guided imagery” to help with a spectrum of ailments including chronic pain, addictions, weight loss, disease and physical limitations. One story related the effects on a quadriplegic boy he worked with who was able to regain muscle control that the doctors had deemed impossible considering the extent of his disability. It took time, but the images that boy had in his head to initiate healing kept at work to rebuild the connections that later allowed him to move.
Rick is a licensed professional in hypnotherapy and he had written words specifically for Shermance, unlike most hypnotists who read a pre-written script and have no formal training, classroom observation nor professional critique like Rick had in his formal training. In Shermance’s case, we asked for hope and healing. I was allowed to stay in the room throughout the 30-minute therapy. He explained that validation of his words was required using her thumb since it is one part of the body that is still able to move independently even with the rest of the body fully relaxed in a state very near sleeping.
I heard Rick’s words and watched Shermance as she allowed complete relaxation of her body lying down on the proverbial therapy couch. He spoke in a calm, steady tone not unlike “you are getting very sleepy” that cartoons showed as we grew up. Absent was the pocket watch. Throughout his custom script he’d pause until he’d see the thumb flick to confirm Shermance had received the message and had felt the sensation that Rick was guiding. As she more deeply relaxed, I looked for the swelling of her bottom lip which he explained is an indication of a deep hypnotic state in many people. He said she’d be fully aware of her surroundings and what she was asked to do, though hyper-relaxed.
He had her focus on different body parts to make them heavy and relaxed. After each area of the body was described he’d wait for the thumb flick response before moving on. Some areas were easier than others, since the thumb flick response was not always immediate. In some cases, it took multiple tries to get the desired response, but Rick stayed calm and responded only after Shermance was ready to move on.
Once he had her in a deep relaxed state, a state that yoga instructors have told him is beyond the level of relaxation they can achieve in their deep meditation, he started the guided imagery. He asked her to think of two warriors with spears in her mind that would attack negative thoughts and attack the cancer. He had her imagine the tumors, encapsulate them and move them from their current location, down her body, through her legs and onto the floor. As he went through this, in my mind I questioned whether Shermance would remember this or if it would have an ongoing affect. We closed the session with a prayer with his wife and the three of us holding hands in a circle. If this works we want all glory to go to God.
Since the treatment Shermance has had the warriors in her mind and they are vivid images. One evening as I was brushing my teeth, I heard her giggle in the other room. She told me she was watching the warriors swinging their spears almost like swords as they were preparing to fight the cancer again. She says sometimes they fight the cancer just during the day, but she has also woken up to have them fighting the cancer all through the night.
We can’t say for sure that the therapy has reduced the size of the tumors. We don’t know if the chemo has either, but the lumps do already feel smaller. We go in for another sonogram in mid-July to check on progress by measuring the size of the tumors. On the other hand, Shermance has had an amazingly positive attitude. She is wired that way to begin with, but something like this can wear down even the most positive people. I have to say Shermance has had an amazing attitude with just a few episodes of tears. She chooses her attitude daily and it starts at bubbly from the time she wakes up at 5 am till she goes to bed at night. We are very thankful Rick worked us in just 2 days after we found out about cancer. His one treatment has helped us each day till now!
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