Addressing fear of breast cancer recurrence through process-oriented hypnosis.

Fear of cancer recurrence is a common and understandable reaction for a woman with a history of breast cancer. A certain amount of fear about cancer recurring - in other words, a healthy protective concern for the body - may help a woman take the initiative to get continuing care and drive her to make healthy lifestyle changes. All too often though, a woman's fears and her reactions to them can dominate her life long after the cancer itself has been successfully treated. This article briefly describes clinically relevant "fear of cancer recurrence" (FCR) and then discusses how process-oriented hypnosis can be used to address it. The concepts underlying this type of treatment are brought to life in a case example where process-oriented hypnosis was used to help a young woman rebuild her life following a double-mastectomy and severe FCR. Within the case example, commentary is provided about how to adapt the clinical interventions for use with other clients.