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The Surgery Coach: Mind-Body Preparation for Faster, Better Recovery
Learn the most tested natural methods of improving your outcome
and feeling better sooner. Click here for more information
SURGERY PREPARATION
FOR FASTER HEALING AND RECOVERY
THROUGH COACHING & HYPNOSIS
Many clinical studies have shown beyond a doubt that anyone facing surgery, no matter how major or "minor," can improve the likelihood of a successful outcome with certain non-medical techniques.
A recent comprehensive review of the mind-body literature relating to surgery stated: "
several hundred studies involving thousands of patients confirm that relatively simple behavioral interventions prior to surgery can demonstrably improve postoperative outcomes in such measures as reduced need for pain medication, shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, and fewer surgical complications."Dreher H, Mind-body Interventions for Surgery: Evidence and Exigency, Advances In Mind-Body Medicine 14, 207-222, 1998, quoted in Neil F. Neimark MD, Mind & Body: The Newsletter for Health and Healing, Summer 2002
I have made a study of which "interventions" or techniques actually make a difference. I’ve written a book,
The Surgery Coach: Mind-Body Preparation to Recover Faster. The book is a guide to easy-to-use self-help techniques known to improve outcomes. It is a practical handbook of "adjunct" or "complementary" practices reliably shown to shorten hospital stays, reduce the chance of infection, reduce need for medication, speed healing, and increase patient comfort. In the book, and/or in coaching sessions, you will learn:The pre-surgery coaching starts with brief explanations of the benefits of various techniques. Then you choose what attracts you, and I help you put into practice what we’ve agreed on. I keep you on track to put into practice the elements you choose. None of them is hard to do. Everyone gets more accomplished when supported and encouraged. If you have already read the book, and you know what you want to do, we can move right along.
These natural, simple, practices are meant to be done in combination, each adding value to the others. They work best in the comfort of home, in a supportive atmosphere. The more of them you do, the better you’re likely to do. With the methods I coach, there’s no conflict – either with the other recommendations, or with the surgeon's work. Naturally, every client needs to discuss these matters with his or her doctor.
Many doctors, you’ll find, are in favor of patients helping themselves with methods that bring them to the hospital in top form. Doctors and staff know that when patients enter the hospital in a high, positive state, they are more likely to do well. The entire surgical team is happier when patients are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually tuned up. Why? They know that well-prepared patients do better.
I work with coaching, hypnosis, and guided imagination as they fit the client’s situation. The purpose is to help you be in the best possible state. I look for input from the doctors about individual patient needs.
I offer a flexible package of 30 or 45-minute coaching sessions, plus at least one session of hypnosis or guided imagination, plus a tape to take home. If you don’t live near Eugene, I’ll coach you by phone and send you a tape. We won’t be doing hypnosis over the phone. It’s still possible to work with active imagination, though.
Call 541-484-0608 for a free 30-minute phone introduction or to set up an appointmentOr click here to email me.
Hypnosis and Imagery before Surgery:
Some Very Good Reasons to Like Guided Sessions
Out of all the things you can do for yourself, the top performers – or very close to it -- are hypnosis and its very close cousin, guided imagery
. Discovering the evidence, some of which is summarized below, convinced me to study hypnosis in order to help more effectively.Guided imagery and hypnosis have been studied in hospital settings for over 25 years, now more than ever, as hospitals are realizing that their patients can get better faster. The cumulative research shows that recorded suggestion programs, whether they are called one or the other, are effective for:
Hypnosis is a nonpharmacologic means for managing adverse surgical side effects. Typically, reviews of the hypnosis literature have been narrative in nature, focused on specific outcome domains (e.g., patients' self-reported pain), and rarely address the impact of different modes of the hypnosis administration. Therefore, it is important to take a quantitative approach to assessing the beneficial impact of adjunctive hypnosis for surgical patients, as well as to examine whether the beneficial impact of hypnosis goes beyond patients' pain and method of the administration. We conducted meta-analyses of published controlled studies (n = 20) that used hypnosis with surgical patients to determine: 1) overall, whether hypnosis has a significant beneficial impact, 2) whether there are outcomes for which hypnosis is relatively more effective, and 3) whether the method of hypnotic induction (live versus audiotape) affects hypnosis efficacy. Our results revealed a significant effect size (D = 1.20), indicating that surgical patients in hypnosis treatment groups had better outcomes than 89% of patients in control groups. No significant differences were found between clinical outcome categories or between methods of the induction of hypnosis. These results support the position that hypnosis is an effective adjunctive procedure for a wide variety of surgical patients. IMPLICATIONS: A meta-analytical review of studies using hypnosis with surgical patients was performed to determine the effectiveness of the procedure. The results indicated that patients in hypnosis treatment groups had better clinical outcomes than 89% of patients in control groups. These data strongly support the use of hypnosis with surgical patients.
Anesth Analg 2002 Jun;94(6):1639-45, Montgomery GH; David D; Winkel G; Silverstein JH; Bovbjerg DH Biobehavioral Medicine Program, Cancer Prevention and Control, Derald H. Ruttenberg Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
A 1996 study at the Cleveland Clinic showed that patients who used guided imagery before surgery had less anxiety before and less pain after the surgery than did the control group. The members of the guided imagery group used 37% less pain medication, regained their bowel function sooner, and were released from the hospital an average of a day and a half earlier.
This information is adapted from Belleruth Naparstek’s magnificent site,
www.healthjourneys.com, where you can find a wealth of research supporting the bulleted statements above.Clearly, you can get good results from a tape or CD. You don’t have to have a session in person to get a lot of benefit. You can listen to a recording, and then you and I do the coaching over the phone. The studies, naturally, have to be done with recordings, because individual hypnotists vary too much to be studied. Consistency is important. In a study, everyone has to hear exactly the same thing. For what it’s worth, I believe that a good hypnotist who has studied what’s required for the particular situation can deliver an even more effective session in person.
From an MD hypnotist’s perspective
One of the pioneers of complementary surgery preparation, Neil Neimark, MD, says that basic relaxation techniques, by themselves, are not enough. A surgery is a stressful and demanding body-mind event requiring preparation and training, like an athlete getting ready for a game, he writes. Athletes don’t just relax. They also train, preparing mentally and physically, building up strength and stamina. Dr. Neimark cites a review of the latest research showing
"that the best outcomes from pre-operative mind/body interventions are derived when the intervention involves specific ’training’ of the body and mind."From: Neil F. Neimark MD, Mind & Body: The Newsletter for Health and Healing, Summer 2002.
He delivers the "training" he refers to in a recorded hypnosis session containing specific suggestions of the body’s responses and comfort level. Dr. Neimark has made an excellent tape containing specific suggestions based on the research. He provides a pre-surgery session that instructs your body how to act during and after surgery. The research shows major improvement in results when the patient has received specific instructions, as compared to simple relaxation. Here’s Dr. Neimark’s quick summary of why to listen to his tape and the other recordings recommended here:
"Recent studies verify that listening to a properly prepared guided imagery cassette tape prior to surgery can bring about positive post-surgical outcomes in patients, including:
1. decreased blood loss during surgery,
2. decreased length of stay in the hospital and
3. decreased need for post-operative pain medication.
Additional benefits for many patients include improved wound healing and decreased anxiety."
From Dr. Neimark’s newsletter, already cited, available at:
http://www.mindbodymed.com/A quick overview from a nursing point of view
"Caring-healing therapies can include both visual and imagery processes to affect emotions and "help to calm, soothe, relax, and enhance images of harmony and wholeness of being." Therapeutic communication with guided imagery is a cognitive tool that acts as a mechanism for perceptional, emotional, and bodily change.
Use of guided imagery has been promoted to facilitate the healing process; to control acute or chronic pain, both physical and psychological; and to decrease anxiety and fear. Patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery who listened to guided imagery tapes for three days before surgery, during induction, and for six days postoperatively experienced considerably less preoperative and postoperative anxiety and pain and required almost 50% less narcotics after surgery than patients in a control group. Listening to guided imagery audiotapes is a simple method to help patients use their imaginations to create images of temporary escape and relaxation that elicit a sense of well-being."Source: "
Minimizing Postoperative Anxiety with Alternative Caring-Healing Therapies," Carol R. Norred, AORN (American Association of Registered Nurses) Journal 11/1/2000A large, amazing study of surgery patients who listened to "Successful Surgery" tapes
. The whole story, straight from Blue Shield of California (If you’re not convinced after this, I don’t know what else to say).SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 18, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Citing strong evidence of the therapeutic and economic value of its new Guided Imagery Program for pre-surgical patients, Blue Shield of California announced the findings of a comprehensive year-long study at the recent National Managed Care Congress.
The study shows that guided imagery, a simple, but powerful, mind-body technique that features the use of relaxation tapes and other imagery exercises, provides documented benefits to patients preparing for surgery, while decreasing hospital charges.According to the study, which ran from June 2000 to 2001,
57 percent of patients who listened to the audio-recordings said they experienced less pain than expected from their surgery. Members also reported a significant reduction in anxiety after listening to the tapes prior to surgery. Forty-five percent of patients experienced high anxiety before listening to the tapes, but less than 5 percent experienced similar anxiety from listening to tapes before surgery. Not surprisingly, the more anxious patients felt, the more frequently they listened to the recordings and the greater improvement they documented. These findings were compiled from the review of 900 completed patient surveys.In addition, the study compared claims from 166 hysterectomy patients who reported using the guided imagery tapes and completed surveys against a control group of 183 hysterectomy patients who did not listen to the tapes. The comparison showed a 4.5 percent decrease in average total hospital charges billed for surgery among patients who used guided imagery prior to surgery, and an 8.4 percent decrease in the average hospital pharmacy charges. Acceptance and usage of the program was high, with 85 percent of patients who used it would recommend it to a friend, and 84 percent would use it again when having surgery.
Blue Shield launched the Guided Imagery Program to improve the personal experience and outcomes of members facing surgery. The company is committed to offering therapies that encourage members to take an active role in their health care.
"Our research shows that Blue Shield members define health broadly to include the mind and the body," said Deborah Schwab, R.N., M.S., director of New Product Development. "They want tools like guided imagery that help ease the anxiety they feel during vulnerable moments such as surgery. The fact that guided imagery actually saves money is a wonderful bonus."
Launched in June 2000, Blue Shield's Guided Imagery Program features a complimentary guided imagery toolkit for patients, along with phone support from a registered nurse. Audio recordings are provided by Health Journeys, an organization founded by therapist and author Belleruth Naparstek.
Guided imagery practice sessions are short, simple to use and do not require special knowledge or equipment, enabling members to achieve meaningful results in a short period of time. Schwab believes "ease of adoption" is a major reason why 75 percent of members invited to participate in the program decided to use the materials.From the health plan's perspective, the program has proved to be extraordinarily cost-effective.
The retail cost of $18 per recording nets an average hospital claim savings for billed charges of $654 per participating member.According to patients, the option of guided imagery made a difference.
"I listened to [the audio recordings] four times," said Blue Shield member K.B. "Each time I listened to it my fears and worries were put at ease. The night before my surgery I slept peacefully. In contrast, the surgery prior to that I had to be given Valium and it was a horrible experience."As a result of the encouraging findings, Blue Shield has decided to expand Guided Imagery to patients in its asthma and cardiac disease management programs.
The tapes used in the study, by Belleruth Naparstek, can be bought here. They also contain some good specific material. You know they work.
The Lancet, a major British medical journal, reported that surgical patients who listened to audio suggestions via headphones while under anesthesia in the operating room recovered from their surgery faster than those who did not. Patients in the study underwent hysterectomies. During the procedure, they heard cassette recordings of suggestions such as, "How fast you recover is up to you--the more you relax, the more comfortable you will be," and: "The patient is fine; the operation is going well." One-half of the patients studied were released from the hospital just one day after the removal of their stitches. Only ten percent of the patients who weren't exposed to the recordings were released in that time. Patients who heard the tape left the hospital 1.3 days sooner than the other group.
Source: Study by the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals, London. Drs. Evans and Richardson; Advances Vol 5:4, p. 11, 1989
The Surgery Coach: Mind-Body Preparation for Faster, Better Recovery
Learn the most tested natural methods of improving your outcome
and feeling better sooner. Click here for more information
Call 541-484-0608 for a free 30-minute phone introduction or to set up an appointment
Or click here to email me.