cancer wellbeing

cancer
noun: 1. a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. 2. a malignant growth or tumour resulting from such a division of cells. 3. something evil or destructive that is hard to contain or eradicate.

well-being
noun: the state of being healthy, comfortable or happy

Oxford English Dictionary

Cancer is tough, the disease can be difficult, even fatal and the treatment is often brutal with an uncertain outcome.

Yet people with cancer are still alive, they have time left to get on with their lives,

Would you prefer to spend the time being anxious, fearful, traumatised or calm, resourceful, accepting and determined?

Surprisingly it is possible to reduce the negative emotions associated with cancer and develop the positive emotions most people would like to have in such a predicament.

Isn't feeling unhappy a natural part of cancer?

Cancer brings with it a whole range of unwelcome and unhelpful emotions: fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, trauma, guilt, regret and many others. However, these negative emotions are not in themselves a part of cancer.

You may have had cancer for quite some time before you suspected something was wrong or you got a diagnosis. From the diagnosis all those negative feelings that go with cancer arrive in your everyday experience. They are not part of the disease. They are extra and unhelpful. They can be changed.

Animals with cancer may feel pain but do not agonise over what will happen next, or whether or not they deserved to get the disease. Humans are blessed and cursed with memory and imagination. Many of the unhelpful emotions are the result of using your memory and imagination in unhelpful ways.

You may have thought that you are stuck with the negative emotional aspects of cancer: that this is just the way it is, or has to be. However there are simple and effective ways to greatly reduce or even eliminate those unhelpful emotions around living with cancer.

What would adopting the Cancer Wellbeing approach do for me?

Just imagine for a moment that all the negative emotions about having cancer were to disappear. The cancer would still be there requiring medical treatment but you would be comfortable and at ease and ready to do whatever is needed to be done. Wouldn't that be a sense of wellbeing? Maybe that sounds rather unlikely. How could you get rid of all those emotions? What would it be like if you could reduce some of them? Worry less, be less anxious, be more optimistic and resilient. Would that be helpful?

If I don't feel bad about cancer won't I get complacent?

Many people think that if they don't spend all their time worrying about their situation they get complacent and stop doing the things they need to do. They think that worry protects them, but worrying is not the same as being motivated and resourceful. If your level of worry develops to the point where you feel paralysed then it is not doing you much good. What would it be like if you could do all the things you need to do without worrying? Which would be the more useful way to be: motivated and resourceful or worried and paralysed?

Is this about treating the cancer?

No. The treatment of your cancer is up to you and your medical team. The purpose of Cancer Wellbeing is not to be an 'alternative' cancer treatment but to teach you how to manage your feelings so that you can be in the best possible state to pursue whatever treatment you choose with less worry, fear or anxiety.

Is this the same as a support group?

No. Cancer support groups provide a caring and a supportive atmosphere where you can talk over the difficulties of dealing with cancer. The aim of Cancer Wellbeing is to show you how to change the way you feel so that you can be more comfortable whenever you want to be.

How do I find out more?

There are a growing number of articles on this site. Some of them will include simple exercises, things to try out, give them a go and notice what you find. If you sign up for the Cancer Wellbeing updates you will receive a free report on the variety of ways EFT can be used in caring for cancer patients.

If you live in the Tyneside area you might like to consider attending one of our four session Cancer Wellbeing Courses where you can learn to put these techniques into practice.

These courses are free of charge to cancer patients.

To find out more click here