Hypnosis and psychotherapy offer new hope for the pain experienced by women who are being treated women being treated for best cancer, according to a new study  by researchers at The University at Buffalo School of Social Work, in Buffalo, New York.

When women are being treated for metastic breast cancer, everyday movement can cause constant pain, according to Lisa D.Butler, associate professor at the UB’s School of Social Work and a faculty member for Social Research.  To find ways to bring relief, the study measured the pain and degree of this constant suffering among 124 women with metastic breast cancer during four-month intervals for a year.

The women in the treatment group participated in group counseling and guided through hypnosis as ways to moderate their pain.They reported a “significantly less increase in the intensity of pain and suffering over time,” says Butler, as compared to a control group who did not receive psychotherapy and hypnosis.

While the hypnosis and group psychotherapy controlled the intensity of pain, it did not have a significant reduction inthe frequency of pain episodes.

"These results augment the growing literature supporting the use of hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment for medical patients experiencing pain," says Butler.

Hypnosis is a way to focus one’s imagination to alleviate physical and alsoemotional pain, according to Butler