Simonton visualisation

Domain VI · Brief, integrative, trauma, hypnosis & coaching · O. Carl Simonton, Stephanie Matthews-Simonton · 1973 · Fort Worth, Texas

What it is

Developed from 1973 by radiation oncologist O. Carl Simonton and psychotherapist Stephanie Matthews-Simonton (Cancer Counseling and Research Center, Fort Worth/Dallas, Texas), later continued by the Simonton Cancer Center in California, which certifies counsellors at three levels; group programmes…

Format

• Daily practice dose. Relaxation plus imagery about 10–15 or 15–20 minutes, three times a day; Matthews-Simonton described about 45 minutes daily in total.
• Format variants. (a) Individual counselling over weeks; (b) the Simonton Cancer Center five-day 'Getting Well Again' residential programme for patient and a support person, followed by self-practice; (c) self-help from the books and recordings. In the original Fort Worth work, individual…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• What it is. Developed from 1973 by radiation oncologist O. Carl Simonton and psychotherapist Stephanie Matthews-Simonton (Cancer Counseling and Research Center, Fort Worth/Dallas, Texas), later continued by the Simonton Cancer Center in California, which certifies counsellors at three levels; group programmes run in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Japan. It is a multi-component programme rather than a single…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Read this first. Imagery is not a cancer treatment. This guide describes Simonton visualisation only as psychological support for people having medical cancer care: a way to reduce tension and anxiety, give a sense of doing something active, and work with fear, mood and family strain. No controlled…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• shame. Working when: the client claims needs without guilt.
• places tied to loss. Working when: the client can use it during procedures.
• 'must be happy' pressure. Working when: pleasure returns without obligation.
• imagery replacing reporting of new symptoms. Working when: distress ratings fall and medical pain care is used.
• overexertion, fatigue, falls, neutropenia-related precautions. Working when: mood and sense of the body improve.

Problems the guide addresses

• Documented concerns (read before starting)
• Problem-by-problem responses

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.