TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 8 32 Homes from the $250s to the Millions S I E N N A P L A N T A T I O N Where Living Becomes Living It Up M A S T E R - P L A N N E D C O M M U N I T Y O F T H E Y E A R S i e n n a P l a n ta t i o n . co m MORE GET Saturday, April 14 PLUS, DON'T MISS OUR CANINE CARNIVAL & DOGGONE FUN RUN • Fort Bend Parkway nonstop to Loop 610 • New builders 20+ new model homes • New and pre-owned homes • 7th on-site Fort Bend ISD School (COMING THIS FALL) • New entrance opening 2018 • Sawmill Lake Club - NOW OPEN! • On-site restaurants + retail But it wasn't until the mid-19th century that it came to be defined as a kind of "nervous sleep" that could alleviate anxiety or pain during medical procedures. In the 1840s, Scottish neuro- surgeon James Braid developed a technique of deep relaxation and visual fixation to guide patients into a trance and help alleviate their pain. He coined the term "hypnosis" and defined it as "the induction of a habit of abstraction or mental concentration, in which … the powers of the mind are so much engrossed with a single idea or train of thought, as … to render the individual unconscious of, or indif- ferently conscious to, all other ideas, impressions, or trains of thought." Although hypnosis is often asso- ciated with parlor tricks and stage magicians, the practice itself has been used clinically to address sev- eral conditions, including smoking, anxiety and overeating. For Levinson, it was a great option. A week before surgery, Levinson met with Rosalinda Engle, a mind- body specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center who would perform the hypnosedation, in a small con- ference room in the hospital. "Do you have a place where you feel really comfortable and at ease?" Engle asked Levinson in her sooth- ing, mellifluous voice. "It could be your grandmother's house. It could be a vacation you've enjoyed, a vaca- tion spot. It could be anywhere, any place in nature. Close your eyes and call that up." As Levinson focused on the task, Engle continued to offer instruction. "Breathe in deeply. Experience your breath from the tip of your nose. Feel as your breath moves through your body. Imagine breath- ing into the palm of your hands. Now exhale. Breathe out through your fingers, the soles of your feet, your toes. Relax." Slowly but surely, Engle lulled Levinson into a state of deep relaxation. "I felt very, very safe," Levinson said, when it was over. "It was like [going] into someone's house where they're baking a cake. It smells good, and they welcome you in. You just have a warm feeling." Engle guided Levinson through what to expect on the day of the surgery. The room would be sterile, with five or six people at hand. The lights would be bright. Engle would sit beside her throughout the proce- dure to keep her calm and relaxed. "My sole job is to sit at the head of the bed and focus on the patient," Engle said. "Any changes to breath- ing patterns [or] facial muscles will alert me that I need to check in. Periodically, I'll ask the patient, 'How's your comfort level?'" On the day of the surgery, doc- tors injected local anesthetics— lidocaine and bupivacaine—to numb Levinson's right breast and made a 1-inch incision to remove some of the tissue. As promised, Engle sat next to Levinson for the duration of the sur- gery, helping her maintain a state of deep relaxation. "I didn't feel anything," Levinson said. "You're in a calm state. You're in a safe state of mind. You're being reassured. It was great." Throughout the surgery, Levinson recalled feeling pressure on her breast as the surgeon operated, but said it didn't hurt any worse than getting a filling at the dentist. Less than an hour after her surgery was complete, Levinson was out of bed, dressed and walking around. She skirted the unpleasant side effects of general anesthesia, recov- ered faster and didn't require any post-operative painkillers. For hypnosedation to work, Engle said, the patient must be receptive to it. "All hypnosis is self-hypnosis," Engle said. "You'll go as deep into this trance state as you are willing to allow yourself to go." Engle points to shifts in atten- tion and consciousness that people commonly experience throughout the day. Ordinary moments—such as zoning out while driving or becoming so engrossed in a conver- sation that you're able to block out surrounding noise—are examples of how the mind can tune out distractions. "Pointing out these everyday shifts and our capacity for absorp- tion is important to let the patients know they are in control and driving

• Cover