Cancer Wellness & Recovery Blog

strengthn your resove to heal during cancer

Help with Cancer – Strengthen Your Resolve to Heal

May 4, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, Healing from Within /by Avinoam Lerner

The interconnectedness of our body and Mind still baffles researchers. Despite decades of effort, it’s 2013 and we still have more questions than answers. True, studies repeatedly show a promising potential of this phenomenon, especially when it comes to our health but we know very little about how to employ this relationship and its mechanism to our advantage. If we could only learn how to tune-in and read the accurate feedback our minds and bodies provide, we would be able to anticipate, intervene and even stop illness at its track. Unfortunately, we are not there yet and may never get an absolute clear cut answer or protocol we are hoping for. I for one believe we need not wait for a scientific confirmation so we can tap into our own experience. We all are equipped with the ability to pay attention to what is taking place within us, our own thoughts, sensations and feelings. An example of some of the most common messages we may “hear” (and ignore) are headaches, nausea, fatigue, insomnia etc’. The outcome of acknowledging these messages and not just numbing them with medication or other numbing substances will be “health promoting” rather than “health limiting”. How to Tune Into Your Own Experience Here are some ideas about how to tune-in and tap onto the flow of information your mind-body provide. Follow the process below and practice it whenever you can, either when you wake-up, on your lunch break or just before you go to bed. When you have the time, close your eyes, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Now ask yourself… • How am I feeling right now? • Listen to the most dominant or loud emotion/physical sensation. • If the answer is “I feel good” or the sensation in your body is of comfort, acknowledge it and thank your mind-body for taking such good care of you. • If a negative emotion arises, or you feel stressed, afraid or notice any physical discomfort, ask yourself what is this pain/stress/emotion is trying to tell you? • Once again, listen, sense or feel the answer. • Then ask yourself, what steps need I take to resolve this pain/stress/emotion? • Resolve to follow through. • Check in with yourself on a regular basis to make sure your attending to your needs. This process should take about 15 minutes. Tuning-in doesn’t mean belly gazing or soul searching; it means you are checking-in with yourself, emotionally and mentally for greater clarity of your experience. Different people may get the answers to their questions in different ways. As humans use our senses to process information i.e. Visual (images), Auditory (sounds), Kinesthetic (touch and internal feelings), Gustatory (tastes) and Olfactory (smells). If you are an auditory person it is likely that you would “hear” the message in your own inner-voice. If you were a person using the visual system it is likely that you would “see” the answer in your own mind’s eye, and so on. Pay attention to what takes place inside of you. Continue Reading Help with Cancer – Strengthen Your Resolve to Heal

Healing Cancer from Within.

May 3, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, Healing from Within, holistic cancer therapy, hypnotherapy for cancer /by Avinoam Lerner

A growing body of evidence suggests that we have within us valuable resources to heal. After all, when the body suffers a cut or a bruise and even a burn, it heals and when we catch a cold or any other virus we usually overcome it, right? From published scientific literature we learn that the question is not whether we have this innate healing capacity or not but rather how can we harness this healing mechanism to heal even the most advanced illnesses such as chronic conditions and even cancer? It may seem foolish to compare a simple passing cold or a bruise to aggressive and advanced cancer, but to the body illness is illness; it uses the same healing mechanism to fight this disease or the other. This is good news because it means we have a say and we can participate and intervene in our own healing process. The Scientific Study of Psychoneuroimmunology and Cancer The answer is within, where it has always been. Findings in Psychoneuroimmunology or PNI for short, which is a science dedicated to researching the relationship between our mind and the nervous and immune system validates the ability of our mind to intervene with the immune system via the Central Nervous System. This points us in a very exciting direction because it means we can use the mind’s language i.e. imagery and thoughts to perk-up and boost our immune system. Finally we have the proof that healing starts within. By thinking thoughts that are joyful and positive in nature and creating mental images of ourselves healthy, happy and full of life we support our health. This is an exciting message because we all have the ability to think and imagine, even if we were conditioned to believe we are not good enough, smart enough or anything enough. The ABC of Guided Imagery for Cancer So how do we connect with that part of ourselves that is whole and healed: the healer within? Here are a couple of ways to do it right. The power of imagery: a) Create images in your mind’s eye that represents health and well-being. b) Visualize yourself doing things that make you feel good and positive. c) Imagine your condition/illness as a separate entity, with its own shape, color, sound or texture melting, dissolving, clearing, healing, fading etc’. Self-talk. Your Body Believes What Your Mind is Saying Pay attention to your mind’s chatter. If your inner dialog is negative or full of doubt and criticism resolve to change it. Changing your self-talk is a process and may require some learning of how to formulate better and more appropriate sentences or affirmations. Hopefully now that you understand the purpose and necessity of such change it may be easier to remain on track and focused. After all, your health depends on it. Paying attention to your thoughts, expressing your desire to heal and nourishing your experience with healthy and positive mental images, feelings and emotions you access and harness your body’s innate healing capacity, you awake the healer within. Please share how it felt to get in touch with you? Continue Reading Healing Cancer from Within.

Is Hypnosis for Cancer the New Anti-Cancer?

May 2, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, holistic cancer therapy, hypnotherapy for cancer, Immunotherapy /by Avinoam Lerner

Can a non medical therapy like Immersive Healing and Hypnosis for Cancer benefit cancer patients? see this short video. Immersive-Healing, which utilizes hypnosis for cancer as it’s therapeutic vehicle, is an advanced mind-body model designed to resolve, cleanse and heal harmful mental patterns and psychological factor which may suppress the body’s natural defense system i.e. the immune system and leave the body vulnerable to cancer. If you or someone you know benefited from a non medical immunotherapeutic therapy, please share? Continue Reading Is Hypnosis for Cancer the New Anti-Cancer?

Your Emotions May Help in Cancer Prevention

April 14, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, Happiness During Illness, hypnotherapy for cancer /by Avinoam Lerner

According to a study by Professor Ronit Peled, at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, happiness and optimism may play a role against breast cancer while adverse life events can increase the risk of developing the disease. An article on the study titled “Breast Cancer, Psychological Distress and Life Events among Young Women,” was published in the British journal BMC Cancer (8:245, August 2008). While there’s no scientific consensus the above research or any other research suggesting emotions or psychological factors play a role in the development of cancer, there isn’t a scientific proof that they don’t. Personally I feel we should be cautious about being overly optimistic because I have seen people use it as a blanket of denial. People who are optimistic tend to hold the “look at the bright side of things” or “focus only on the positive,” kind of attitude. I prefer a more realistic approach where one sees things as they are; the good and the bad and still choose to extract the good, the lesson the value from the experience. Working with people over a period of time put me in a privileged position where I can witness their progress. One client who was doing very well stated it is her awareness of her inner strength which helped her develop a greater appreciation to life. She never realized how resourceful and strong she was before illness forced her to look into the mirror. These days she celebrate her new found realization by spending more time engaging in meaningful relationships and purpose driven activities. In her words, “It all boils down to this: Give yourself permission to feel good and make a conscious decision that you want to be alive and you want to feel good in your life.” Deciding to feel good builds new self-supporting beliefs inside of you. Those new beliefs state, “I exist, I can have what I want, I am supported, I’m good enough, and it is important for me to feel good.” But is it that simple, choosing to feel good? What do you think? Tell us what needs to happen in order for you to give yourself permission to feel good? Continue Reading Your Emotions May Help in Cancer Prevention

I Have Cancer, Can I Still Be Happy?

April 13, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, Happiness During Illness, hypnotherapy for cancer /by Avinoam Lerner

Happiness comes deep from within us. It is a practice in which we have to be actively involved, not expecting it will come to us by some divine intervention. This is actually good news…it means we can bring about our happiness, regardless of circumstances even when facing cancer. 3 Steps to Happiness During Cancer Treatment Now happiness may not be an anti-cancer solution, but it is a practical and effective way for you to support your well being and even enhance your recovery from cancer. The question I hear often is how? How can I be happy when cancer has taken over my thoughts, my body and my life? I don’t pretend to have all the answers. What I do know to be effective comes from seeing what works for my clients and this is the purpose of this post, to share with you this knowledge so you will know what to do when fear and despair have darkened your day. Here are three essential elements for happiness. Adopt these three behaviors, and find a little bit of joy every day. 1. Stop comparing yourself to others. Many of us are in the habit of regularly evaluating ourselves against others. We do so because it helps us make sense of the world. However, there are costly side-effects to a judgmental mind which serve only to reinforce negative perceptions and even damage our health. Do not compare yourself with others, whether you are healthy or not. You never know what you are really comparing as you don’t know everything in someone’s heart, mind and body. You may be comparing their strengths with your weaknesses. Action Step: Make a list of things or peoples you are fortunate to have in your life. Bring to mind people you have touched or impacted in a positive way. If you can’t resist your mind’s habit of comparing yourself, instead of using others as your yard stick, evaluate yourself in terms of your own growth. 2. Spend time in Gratitude. According to Wikipedia, gratitude is a “positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.” When illness colors our lives with gloom and self-pity, gratitude is an oasis for the spirit. Focus on the good; celebrate your achievements by regularly reviewing what went well in your life instead of thinking only about problems or setbacks. Action Step: Count your blessings, remind yourself of your strengths, your values, those things for which you are loved; Read that list every night before you go to bed. Find something daily for which you are grateful. You can always find something! Continue Reading I Have Cancer, Can I Still Be Happy?

Can Happiness Help Heal My Cancer?

April 12, 2011/0 Comments/in Alternative cancer treatment, Boston and Brookline Massachusetts, cancer Blog, Complimentary Alternative Medicine for Cancer, Happiness During Illness, hypnotherapy for cancer /by Avinoam Lerner

For most people, happiness is a value they aspire toward though only a handful can truly claim they have attained it. But notice that searching for happiness and being happy are two different things, one is future oriented while the other is more of an awareness to all that is in the present. In the context of illness and health, happiness plays a major role. Since my belief is that emotions are road signs which point us in the right direction, happiness is a very clear arrow pointing straight ahead; toward a better and healthier state of mind. So what does happiness has to do with healing? First of all, it feels good when we are happy, and feel-good state of mind correlate with certain health promoting chemicals production. These hormones and chemicals are dispersed through the blood stream to nourish, strengthen and heal that part which is currently vulnerable with cancer. Secondly, happiness actually represents a state of health, spiritual health that is. Since happiness is a level of awareness, the question is awareness to what? Several mystical sources, mainly the Jewish Kabalah, consider happiness as an indicator that the soul is in alignment with its divine purpose. What this means is that the soul, you, is exactly where it needs to be, doing exactly what it need be doing and in the right time. This presents a challenging paradox where even in the direst of circumstances, such as life threatening cancer, one can feel pure joy and happiness if the alignment is in place. Healing is an outcome, much like happiness, and stem from the same alignment described above. Please comment below and tell me and the community how you find happiness? Continue Reading Can Happiness Help Heal My Cancer?