Hypnotherapy for chemo nausea

Hypnotherapy is a gentle support when treatment feels overwhelming.

Chemo-related nausea can be exhausting - physically, emotionally, and mentally. If you’re dealing with waves of sickness, a churning stomach, or that dread that starts before you even arrive at the hospital, it can feel like you’re expected to “just push through.”

But you don’t have to do it alone - and you’re not weak for wanting extra support.

While medical care remains the foundation of managing chemotherapy side effects, many people also find comfort in safe, complementary approaches that help the mind and body feel steadier during treatment. One option that’s increasingly talked about is hypnotherapy.

Why nausea can show up in different ways

Chemotherapy-related nausea isn’t always the same experience. Two common forms include:

• Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)

  This is nausea or vomiting that occurs during or after treatment, often related to the effects of chemotherapy on the body.

• Anticipatory nausea

  This is the “feeling sick before treatment” nausea - sometimes triggered by anxiety, memories of previous sessions, hospital smells, or even the journey there. It can be a learned response: your nervous system starts to predict what’s coming and reacts early.

Both can be deeply draining, and both can create a vicious cycle: nausea increases anxiety, and anxiety can increase nausea.

How hypnotherapy may help

Hypnotherapy is a gentle, guided approach that uses focused attention and relaxation to help you influence the way your brain and nervous system respond to stress and physical sensations.

Some research suggests hypnotherapy can be helpful for reducing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, particularly anticipatory nausea. More importantly on a human level, many people report that it helps them feel:

• calmer on treatment days

• less frightened of what’s coming

• more in control of their body’s stress responses

This isn’t about “mind over matter” or pretending everything is fine. It’s about giving your nervous system a different pathway - one that supports steadiness, comfort, and choice.

What you can learn through guided hypnosis

In sessions, we can work together to help you build practical tools you can use during treatment and in the days around it. Hypnotherapy can support you to

✨ Calm the nervous systemHelping the body move out of fight/flight and into a more settled state.

✨ Reduce anxiety and stress

responses. So you’re not bracing for the worst from the moment you wake up.

✨ Create “comfort cues” for treatment daysThese are personalised anchors (a word, image, breath pattern, or touch cue) that your body learns to associate with calm and safety - something you can take with you into appointments.

✨ Use self-hypnosis between sessionsMany clients find it especially helpful to have a personalised audio so they can practise at home, before hospital visits, or whenever symptoms spike.

Additional benefits people often notice

Although everyone’s experience is different, some people also report that hypnotherapy supports

• sleep (especially if worry is keeping you awake)

• pain and tension (through relaxation and soothing imagery)

• fatigue (by reducing stress load and improving rest)

• emotional wellbeing (feeling more resourced and less overwhelmed)

Even when symptoms don’t disappear completely, having tools that ease intensity - and reduce fear around symptoms - can make treatment feel more manageable.

A gentle note on safety and support

Hypnotherapy is usually considered safe for many people, but it’s important to treat it as a complementary support, not a replacement for medical care. If you’re undergoing chemotherapy, I always encourage you to

• continue following your oncology team’s guidance

• discuss any complementary therapy you’re considering with your medical team, especially if symptoms are severe or changing

If you’d like support

If chemo nausea or anticipatory nausea is affecting your quality of life, hypnotherapy may offer you a calm, practical way to feel more supported through treatment.

If you’d like to explore this, you’re welcome to get in touch to discuss what you’re experiencing and whether hypnotherapy feels like a good fit for you.