A cancer diagnosis in undeniably scary and can fill a person’s mind with anxiety and what-if’s.

But, one woman is working to ease those thoughts through hypnotherapy.

The process is by no means meant to replace medical treatments for cancer. But, Julie Geigle, owner of Heaven Sent Hypnotherapy in Eau Claire, says it can encourage positive thinking.

Kay Curtin experienced a session on Thursday afternoon. She came hoping it would help her deal with something unexpected.

“Late March I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she said. “I had a mammogram every year of my life. I had one the day of the biopsy. This happened to be something that was never caught."

The now 55-year-old says she’s doing what she can to fight back.

"I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and I've started chemotherapy. I'm in clinical trials at Mayo."

She came all the way from Prairie Farm to Heaven Sent Hypnotherapy to help manage her anxiety.

"I thought this would be great if she could give me some guidance and positive imagery,” she smiled.

Owner Julie Geigle says she started offering a free hypnotherapy session for cancer patients in memory of her Dad.

"My father died of cancer about 14 years ago,” Julie said. “As I moved into hypnosis and became more and more aware of how it can help people, I just felt lead to move into this direction."

She says she just wants to bring peace to her patients.

"To give people a taste of what it was like. To help them move past the fear of the unknown, that this really is something that can help them move through this disease."

Move them to a better, brighter place.

"I think it'll give me a better outlook,” Kay said. “And a better outlook means a better quality of life."

Mayo Clinic says hypnotherapy can be helpful in managing pain and stress. To learn more, visit this site.

To contact Heaven Sent Hypnotherapy, visit this site.