Hypnotherapy: crucial for cancer patients?

I wrote this blog for the public to explain how I use hypnotherapy and why I consider it a vital component in strengthening the body’s fight against cancer. Not just cancer, but any life-threatening or debilitating illness where a positive mindset can be cultivated and harnessed to support immune function… and could even be the edge that makes all the difference.

Today, around one in three people will develop cancerous tissue at some point in their lives. It’s an emotionally and mentally challenging time. In my clinical practice, I follow a six-point hypnotherapy protocol designed to turn lives around, not only by restoring hope and positivity, but by giving each patient’s innate immune system the best possible chance to respond to the challenge. After hypnotherapy sessions, patients consistently report feeling stronger, calmer, more relaxed, and empowered—with a clearer, more optimistic mindset. 

My Six-Point Hypnotherapy for Serious Disease Protocol

1. Changing an anxious and fearful mindset

2. Psychoneuroimmunology: supercharging the immune system

3. Developing the power of hope and self-worth

4. Ensuring solid fundamentals: diet, exercise, and lifestyle

5. Coping with the negative effects of conventional treatment

6. Relaxation, peace, and personal development

1. Hypnotherapy for Changing an Anxious, Fearful Mindset

Almost every patient diagnosed with cancer experiences deep anxiety and fear. These emotional states often persist throughout the illness and can even intensify during conventional treatment. Fatigue, low energy, and the physical toll of chemotherapy or surgery can erode resilience, making it harder to maintain a sense of hope. In many cases, anxiety and fear were present under the radar long before the illness developed—embedded in the psyche and negatively influencing the body’s systems.

Why does this matter? Because chronic anxiety doesn’t just feel unpleasant, it actively undermines the immune system. Stress floods the body with cortisol, and while cortisol has anti-inflammatory properties in short bursts, prolonged exposure overwhelms the system. Its regulatory function collapses, allowing inflammation to spread unchecked. Stress also depletes lymphocytes, white blood cells responsible for clearing rogue or pre-cancerous cells and inhibiting the proliferation and migration of cancer cells. When lymphocyte levels drop or their function weakens, the body’s natural defences falter. And considering modern lifestyles keep the body in a state of low-grade inflammation, whether in the gut, lungs, skin, or blood vessels, immune suppression can become a serious liability.

Hypnotherapy helps reverse this process. By guiding patients into a deeply relaxed state, we can shrink negative perceptions at the subconscious level and redirect mental energy toward healing. The unconscious mind, when trapped in fear, works against wellness. But when positively charged through hypnosis, it becomes a powerful ally, restoring clarity, calm, and a mindset that supports recovery rather than resists it.

2. Psychoneuroimmunology: Building Up the Immune System

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) emerged in the 1970s through the work of Robert Ader and Nicholas Cohen at the University of Rochester, NY. Their research demonstrated what ancient healing traditions have long known: the mind, via the nervous system, directly influences the body, or more specifically, these days, immune function.

Today, we understand that the nervous and immune systems are in constant communication. The body chemistry of someone anxious, depressed, or chronically stressed is fundamentally different from that of someone relaxed, optimistic, and emotionally balanced. This is the realm of psychoneuroimmunology and its sister field, psychoneuroendocrinology, which examines how mental states also affect hormonal balance.

Our thoughts and emotions influence the release of neurotransmitters, hormones, and cytokines, which in turn affect every bodily system. For example, impaired hormonal balance can lead to infertility; chronic inflammation can trigger digestive issues like IBS; and emotional distress can weaken the immune system’s ability to respond to serious illness.

To influence the immune system meaningfully, we must reach the subconscious, “the engine room” of the self. This is where memories of trauma, loss, shock, and pain are stored, often shaping future behaviour and physiological responses. Hypnotherapy is the most effective and controlled method of accessing this deep layer. Through guided trance, we can reprocess negative experiences and steer towards new, health-promoting beliefs that support immune resilience and emotional stability.

Hypnotherapy psychoneuroimmunology flowchart

3. The Power of Hope and Feeling Good About Oneself

In the 1950s, Curt Richter conducted a series of unsettling but illuminating experiments. He placed rats in a tank of water with no escape and observed how long they would swim before giving up. Most drowned within 15 minutes. But when he used rats that had previously been rescued and returned to the tank, some swam for nearly 40 hours.

The difference? Hope. The first group had no concept of rescue and quickly succumbed. The second group had experienced the possibility of escape, and that belief sustained them far beyond what seemed physically possible.

This experiment illustrates the profound biological power of hope. In the context of serious illness, cultivating a deep sense of hope and a positive outlook is not just emotionally beneficial—it’s physiologically transformative. Hypnotherapy allows us to access the unconscious mind to take on healing beliefs that encourage optimism, resilience, and emotional strength, which combine to reinforce a sense of hope.

Feeling good about oneself, about life, one's choices and one's future is a healing force. Through clinical hypnosis, we help patients reconnect with that force, even in the face of uncertainty. It’s not about denying reality; it’s about choosing a mindset that supports life.

4. Ensuring Solid Fundamentals: Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle

No healing protocol is complete without addressing the basics. Hypnotherapy can help patients make wiser dietary choices, improve sleep, eliminate harmful habits like smoking or excessive drinking, and cultivate a desire to breathe deeply and move more. These shifts may seem simple, but they lay the foundation for immune strength and overall vitality.

• Food - Enhancing appetite and digestion, incorporating cancer-fighting foods, and reducing sugar and inflammatory ingredients.

• Supplementation - Supporting the body with vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicine.

• Fluids - Encouraging hydration through high-quality water and vegetable juices.

• Sleep - Promoting deeper, more restorative sleep cycles.

• Breathing - Teaching techniques for deeper, more effective breathing. Meditation for some.

• Exercise - Encouraging movement in whatever form is accessible to the patient.

As a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine for almost a quarter of a century, I often integrate acupuncture and herbal medicine to support these fundamentals. The synergy between hypnotherapy and TCM creates a holistic framework for healing, one that respects both science and traditional wisdom.

5. Dealing with Orthodox Treatments

Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy are often essential components of cancer treatment. But they can also be emotionally and physically draining, sometimes feeling more punishing than the disease itself. The intensity and duration of these treatments can erode resolve, trigger anxiety, and create a sense of dread. And yet, these emotional states are precisely what we want to avoid when trying to foster a healing mindset to support immune function.

Hypnotherapy offers a way to navigate these treatments with greater ease. It helps patients approach each stage with calm, clarity, and emotional resilience. By reframing the experience and reducing anticipatory anxiety, hypnosis can lessen side effects, improve treatment tolerance, and restore a sense of control. It’s not about denying the difficulty; it’s about equipping the mind to meet it with strength.

6. Relaxation, Peace, and Personal Development

Relaxation isn’t a luxury; it’s a biological necessity. It underpins positive emotional states like happiness, contentment, and peace. And yes, it is absolutely possible to feel these things while facing a life-threatening illness. In fact, many of my patients say, “I don’t think I’ve ever been that relaxed in my whole life” after a hypnotherapy session. That’s a powerful shift, as in a relaxed state, the body begins to work for you, not against you.

Hypnotherapy is a life-affirming experience. It helps patients cultivate a lighter, more empowered mindset and carry that momentum into daily life. It’s about choice and intent—learning to steer your thoughts, rather than be steered by them. For many, this is a new skill, but one they quickly embrace.

Much of this work is about personal growth. It’s about understanding how your mind functions and learning to guide it intentionally. It’s about freeing yourself from trauma, choosing your emotional responses, and gaining mastery over your inner world. I also teach mindfulness meditation techniques to help quiet the overthinking mind and deepen self-awareness.

Not everyone will overcome their illness. Some arrive too late, and for others, the disease may be too powerful. But regardless of outcome, patients who engage in hypnotherapy with a skilled practitioner feel stronger, calmer, more connected, and far more prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Are There Any Downsides?

No, there are no downsides. Hypnotherapy is safe, non-invasive, and deeply beneficial. In my view, every cancer patient should have access to expert healthcare-based hypnotherapy. All the patients need to bring to the table is a ‘want’ to participate and have the cognitive capacity to do so.

A Few Basics About Hypnotherapy

1. It’s a pleasant experience—you’ll feel good after a session.

2. You’re always in control. You won’t blurt out secrets.

3.  You remain conscious and aware throughout.

4.  'You fix you' - I’m merely the facilitator—all the work is done between your ears.

Final Thoughts

In my clinical experience, hypnotherapy offers immense benefits for patients facing cancer and other serious illnesses. But because it’s inexpensive and doesn’t feed the pharmaceutical system, it’s often overlooked. A handful of sessions with a skilled hypnotherapist can reduce the need for sedatives, anti-anxiety medications, and antidepressants, many of which can weaken the immune system rather than support it. The research for such meds in cancer patients also shows they tend to be ineffective.

Hopefully, this blog has inspired you to think a little differently about mind-body connection and how we can positively influence our healing potential. If so, great. Now go and find that hypnotherapist in your area, or give me a call.

Nick Malyon MSc. BHSc. Dip.(hypno) - Hypnotherapy for cancer patients in Adelaide

www.nickmalyonhypnotherapy.com

www.nickmalyon.org

RESEARCH

Psychoneuroimmunology and cancer: fact or fiction? J K Kiecolt-Glaser, R Glaser

There is substantial evidence from both healthy populations and individuals with cancer linking psychological stress with immune downregulation. This discussion highlights natural killer (NK) cells because of the role that they may play in malignant disease. In addition, distress or depression is also associated with two important processes for carcinogenesis: poorer repair of damaged DNA and alterations in apoptosis. Conversely, the possibility that psychological interventions may enhance immune function and survival among cancer patients clearly merits further exploration, as does the evidence suggesting that social support may be a key psychological mediator. These studies and others suggest that psychological or behavioural factors may influence the incidence or progression of cancer through psychosocial influences on immune function and other physiological pathways.

Psycho-oncology and cancer: psychoneuroimmunology and cancer J. K. Kiecolt-Glaser, T. F. Robles, K. L. Heffner, T. J. Loving & R. Glaser

There is substantial evidence from both healthy populations and individuals with cancer linking psychological stress with immune dysregulation. Stress may also enhance carcinogenesis through alterations in DNA repair and/or apoptosis. In addition, the possibility that psychological interventions may enhance immune function and survival among cancer patients is still an open question, as is the evidence suggesting that social support may be a key psychological mediator. However, these studies and others suggest that psychological or behavioural factors could influence the initiation/progression of cancer.

Systematic review: Antidepressants for the treatment of depression in people with cancer

G.Ostuzzi, F.Matcham et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Apr; 2018(4): CD011006.

There is a very low number of randomised trials assessing the efficacy of antidepressants in cancer patients, despite the relevance of this issue. Moreover, evidence for the effects we have found in terms of the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants in people with cancer is of very low quality. Data from the present review failed to reveal any statistically significant beneficial effect of antidepressant drugs over a placebo.