Presenter: Martin L. Rossman, MD
Objectives: Participants completing this presentation will be able to:
- Identify three specific techniques that can help reduce anxiety in cancer patients.
- Recommend guided imagery self-care approaches specific to reducing adverse effects of common cancer treatments.
- Distinguish the difference between engendering false hope and encouraging patients to set and aim to reach their healing goals.
Description: Whether someone has been
diagnosed with cancer or not, the way we use our minds can
make a huge difference in what happens to us. The research
on guided imagery relevant to cancer points to many
positive effects that range from improving a patient’s
emotional well-being to reducing adverse effects of
treatments, to helping them survive, and even thrive,
through the experience.
When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, they can find
themselves overwhelmed with emotions at a time when they
most need to keep their wits about them. Imagery can help
people reconnect with their inner strengths and resources
during such difficult times.
In cancer care there are two complementary goals of
treatment. One, the usual medical goal, is to kill or
remove cancer cells. The other, best called the healing
goal, is to support the well-being and resistance of the
patient. The goal of healing support, with nutrition,
complementary medicine, or mind/body approaches, is the
same -- supporting and stimulating the vitality and
function of the innate healing systems of the body, mind,
and spirit.
Guided imagery has become
quickly and widely accepted as a useful adjunct in the
treatment of people with cancer due largely to its ease of
use, low cost, and rapid psychological benefits. Imagery is
a psychological and medical intervention proven to improve
quality of life in cancer patients, and likely as well to
increase a cancer patient’s odds of recovery.
Dr. Rossman will share practical knowledge from his 35
years of using these approaches with people at every stage
of the cancer journey.