Chronic disease and advanced cancer often present with a complex array of physical, psychological and spiritual needs, which feel, can overwhelm patients and loved ones. Hypnosis-based therapy is well-placed to address these needs; however, referrals to the spiritual interventions in severe diseases typically made late in the illness trajectory. A substantial body of quantitative scientific evidence supports the merits of early spiritual palliative care for patients with advanced cancer and severe chronic diseases, including meditative therapies and clinical hypnosis. Spiritual therapies have been identified and often described in the literature, such as a combination of effective psychological care and meditative therapies. They help to establish a secure, inner space, in which the process of a patient’s therapy may take place over time.
In this work, we review the neuroscientific features of hypnosis and inner-consciousness in meditation and hypnosis, and propose clinical therapies of early integration of deep-introspective hypnosis alongside severe chronic illnesses to address the spiritual needs.