It isn’t difficult to imagine what can cause carcinophobia. This fear is linked to a fear of illness, death, and loss of control. In many cases, sufferers feel traumatized by a family member’s struggle with cancer. Those who have lost a friend or family member to cancer, or face the threat of cancer, live in fear of the day when they are diagnosed with the disease.
The overwhelming anxiety created by cancer phobia may lead people to make illogical decisions. Some sufferers frequently visit hospitals to make sure they aren’t ill, while others avoid doctor visits altogether, in fear of discovering that they have a disease. Those with the phobia will become worried if they come down with the slightest signs of illness, such as a migraine, and wonder if it is a sign of cancer. People may go to great lengths to avoid becoming sick.
Those with carcinophobia often believe they have much to fear. The fear of cancer a chronic fear that can strike both genders. An individual might worry, “Who will care for the family if I die?” or dwell on other important concerns. The phobia may take a huge toll on sufferers and their families.
Some people can “control” their phobias by simply avoiding the cause of their worry. Those with arachnophobia can often get along by avoiding spiders, and claustrophobia sufferers take care to avoid tight, enclosed areas such as closets. The fear of cancer, however, is different. The phobia is largely triggered by a person’s deepest thoughts and fears. It can be crippling for someone to have a fear they just cannot escape. This puts many people with carcinophobia in a chronic state of worry.
A number of phobia treatments are in existence today. Common ones involve counseling and anti-anxiety medication. Traditional counseling can generate good results, but it may take a long time, up to several years for some. Prescription medication works to reduce a person’s anxiety, but it neglects to treat the underlying causes of a deep-rooted fear. Hypnosis is an option that delivers lasting results in a smaller period of time than other types of treatment. Hypnosis has become a leading choice because it is an effective, safe, and non-invasive treatment.
Hypnosis combines anxiety-relief techniques with fear treatment to rapidly cure a phobia. A thorough program will start with relaxation therapy to help relieve the emotional stress caused by fear. Once a person feels stress-free and relaxed, hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques will direct the unconscious mind into following a phobia-free thought process.
Traditional hypnosis uses direct, post-hypnotic commands to cure a phobia. It’s highly effective when an individual is open to it. Unfortunately, these conventional techniques may not work because people tend to question post-hypnotic suggestions and reject direct suggestions.
A severe phobia such as cancer phobia requires a more advanced type of treatment such as Ericksonian hypnosis. This type of hypnosis works well for people who are analytical, and who are experiencing recurring anxiety and fear. It uses indirect suggestions in stories, conversations, and metaphors to help them overcome their fears.
NLP technology doesn’t rely upon suggestion at all, so it can work for anyone. A simplified explanation is that NLP provides tools to train the unconscious mind to use the same exact thought patterns that are causing a symptom or problem, to extinguish it.
Because hypnosis and NLP function at the unconscious level, users report feeling much more empowered and comfortable through these techniques.
With Traditional Hypnosis, programs generally need to be specific to each phobia. An advantage of a properly designed Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP program is that both are suitable for use on any phobia, or even a number of phobias. This is a great help to some carcinophobia sufferers who also struggle with other anxiety disorders, such as general hypochondria or germophobia.
The fear of cancer is a serious fear, but one that can be tackled by well designed hypnosis techniques. NLP techniques have become a leading phobia therapy because of their effectiveness at addressing the underlying cause of all panic disorders and not just the symptoms. Advanced Ericksonian hypnosis therapy and NLP techniques can help even the most severe phobia sufferers vanquish their fears permanently.
Alan B. Densky, CH is a certified hypnotist and NLP Practitioner in practice since 1978. You can find him at his Phobia Treatment website where he offers how to overcome fear CDs. Visit his hypnosis video repository, or download a free MP3.
