Recovery:
The essential components to healing from disease
By Stephane
Bensoussan
After the shock
of a diagnosis of a serious health condition has settled,
the desire is to want to cure it, to want to eradicate it
from the body forever. Medical treatment may take care of
the physical expression of the disease, but what about the
emotional side? What happens to the interpersonal and family
side? What about the spiritual side? Many cancer survivors
will be heard saying that they are glad to have had cancer,
because it helped them change their life for the best. They
admit that without the cancer, they would not have had the
courage to make those significant life changes. It is almost
as if the disease gave them the permission to summon their
courage and change their life. These survivors will say
that they are not in remission from the cancer, but actually
have healed from their disease.
Healing is the process of bringing greater wholeness to
consciousness. This heightened awareness addresses the cause
of the disease, the lack of ease, the resistance to the
flow of life. Healing disease is different than curing disease.
Healing involves seeing the bigger picture. Healing engages
the patient in a process of self-acceptance and discovery.
In his book, Love and Healing , Dr. Dean Ornish describes
healing as a process whereby the patient attains greater
inner peace and greater freedom from the struggle with pain
and suffering. Healing involves psychological, spiritual,
social and sometimes political dimensions of the individual
as well as the physical. Thus, the process of healing from
cancer goes far beyond conventional medical treatment.
Be a creator: Take responsibility and take charge
Getting a disease is not a carte blanche to embark on a
rampage of blame. It is not the time to blame the water,
the environment or your genetic heritage. Nor is it time
to blame yourself. It does not serve to blame yourself for
not having eaten enough vegetables or for having smoked
as long as you did. Furthermore, when you are reacting to
external influences and get stuck in negative emotions,
you are allowing yourself to remain in a victim state that
does not support healing. The bottom line is that healing
requires the abandonment of blame.
Being a creator involves taking charge of your health and
doing whatever you need to do to reach your ultimate goal.
This stance requires being fully responsible for all decisions
that you take regarding your health. Even if your doctor
or other experts counsel you, it remains you that makes
the final call. You need to relinquish the fear of making
waves. In fact, a creator will seek to make waves. That
is how things change! Indeed people’s lives will be
affected, and people will need to readjust their lifestyle
because of your changes. Remember that a disease indicates
an imbalance in a system. If changes are made to the system,
a healthier balance point can be achieved.
From the growing field of psychoneuroimmunology, it is known
that the emotions and mental attitude that we hold play
a significant role in the progression of a disease process.
By taking charge of your health and your life, you are sending
a loud and clear message to your immune system and body
that you are going to do what it takes to heal and that
you are prepared for anything that will come your way. This
attitude will be heard and adopted by the fighting forces
within you!
Harness the power of intention
For many generations, survivors of severe trauma or disease
were labelled as ‘miracles’ due to the lack
of understanding. It appears that from the field of quantum
physics, we seem to be able to explain more concretely what
actually happened for these survivors. Whether the individual
survived a concentration camp, resisted a natural tragedy
or overcame a deadly disease, the common denominator is
that the survivor maintained a strong sense of intention.
During the ordeal, in their minds, they were clearly going
to make it. They had set an intention to overcome the odds.
In that intention, they are clear about making this THE
most important thing in their life at this time. They would
be ready to do anything, even make radical changes, in order
to reach that ultimate goal. That intention was so powerful
that they were able to visualize themselves in a successful
goal state. There was never any doubt that the success was
going to be present. This doesn’t mean that one should
not look at al the options, and realize the gravity of the
situation. Using the power of intention is making a clear
100 percent commitment to healing from cancer.
The best way to exert this power of intention (‘I
intend to heal’) is to envision yourself as if in
an already healed state. This already healed state makes
time for nutrition, for naps, for pleasures, for happiness.
It is amazing to notice how once this state of being has
been imagined, the discomforts of life prior to illness
soon become apparent. It is the perfect time to invest in
a journal. All hopes, dreams, stresses and fears can be
let out on the pages. Writing it all out allows the perspective
necessary to see what is/has been hurtful and what creates
happiness. The goal being to let go of pain and embrace
happiness. The possibilities are endless...
Priority One: Me!
Many people affected by disease have led their lives putting
the needs of others before their own. In order to heal,
one needs to place one’s needs before those of others.
Although it may be difficult to change habits and force
others to adapt, it is again sending a powerful message
to the body that you are worth fighting for. This change
of thinking style can be a major paradigm shift for many,
who may feel selfish or guilty for putting their needs first.
In fact, putting one’s needs first is self-loving
not selfish. Learn how to say ‘yes’ to love,
happiness and a sense of peace and learn to say ‘no’
to all that doesn’t include it.
Make changes
It is a time to think about one’s career, mission,
family, friends, partner, place of residence and quality
of life. Who and what will stay? Who and what shouldn’t?
It is a time to think about what requires re-adjustment,
what needs fine-tuning. What feels right, what feels wrong?
The courage to change and the strength required to make
changes will follow from that desire. It’s usually
not difficult to see what’s in the way of being your
best self. Unfortunately, during the best of times, the
idea of change is hard. And so during a crisis, altering
routine seems almost impossible. However, letting go of
these past hurts and old habits creates a ripe new feeling
of a second life, which segueways to healing the body.
This commitment to change can be major or minor, just as
some changes will be gradual, others may be drastic. Some
changes require more strength and determination than others
do. A change in job can help you remember whom you once
were, allowing you to see just how much your previous job
was eating away at your core self. Moreover, while it may
not seem the most opportune time to do so, leaving a partner
now may finally be ‘the time’ after all those
years of saying ‘now is not the time’. The need
to heal must come hand in hand with wanting to become your
very best self. Your very best friend. This does not mean
becoming a star tennis player or the world’s best
mother. It means feeling like your most optimum self. Feeling
at peace and free of strain. It is an opportunity for simple
pleasures that you denied yourself for lack of time. It
may be the time to finally complete the painting that’s
half finished in the attic. It may be time to learn a new
hobby, take up meditation or enrol in a cooking class. It
is time to feed the soul.
Be assertive: Ask for help
Many people with disease have the reputation that they are
independent and do not need help. They can cope with anything
themselves. Often, a person with a disease will be more
worried about their spouse or family than their own disease.
In the quest for healing, it is necessary to learn to ask
for help. For example, ask for your spouse’s help
in the kitchen, for friends to car pool, for bosses to extend
a deadline. Similarly, asking for help involves establishing
boundaries: asking for space, for time alone, for the understanding
from others that ‘no means no’. If they don’t
understand the need for those desires to be met there is
no need to tiptoe, to ‘be nice’. Keep in mind
that there will be resistance in others’ behaviour
at first. They will test your new resolve. Stand firm and
respect your position. Asserting yourself and being clear
about your boundaries will help you, stimulate you immune
system and support others as well.
Stimulate the parasympathetic nervous
system
The body’s parasympathetic nervous system is the body’s
recuperative state of being. It is calm and relaxed. However,
in triggering the sympathetic nervous system, the body moves
into a ‘fight or flight’ response. That state
triggers a number of stress reactions including muscle tension,
secretion of stress hormones, halted digestive, elimination
and immune systems, excited cardiac function and mental
anxiety. If the body is preparing itself for battle, how
can it heal? It is therefore vital that the utmost effort
be made to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system
which is associated with the relaxation response. This response
is associated with the body concentrating its efforts on
repair and recovery. As such the immune, digestive, elimination
and lymphatic systems are stimulated and supported. The
relaxation response can be achieved through relaxation,
deep breathing, meditation and visualization. A daily practice
of one or several of these effective techniques is recommended.
Find meaning
Disease in all its forms is an opportunity to bring greater
consciousness to the wholeness of your life experiences,
your relationships, work and expression. If there is some
unlived potential, disease will persist in bringing it to
your awareness.
It is a good time ask oneself all of life’s big questions.
What was life like before falling ill? What do I need to
do now? What can be learned amidst all this? This might
be a good time to develop faith. Faith in the universe,
faith in a higher power, faith in a guardian angel. It might
be a good time to explain why life is worth living. It is
a time to ask for strength, for the energy to heal. When
people lack meaning, that leaves room for anxiety, stress
and depression. Finding meaning is essential to moving into
a place of empowerment and readiness to keep the battle
alive.
Choose the best support system for you
A team of awesome multi-disciplinary health professionals
and healers may help you along the way. They can inspire
you with their knowledge of alternative healing and be a
guiding force amidst the regular team of doctors. It is
necessary to be clear on how they can specifically be of
help. Ask them what they can offer, and based on their answers,
be sure to establish what you need and expect from them.
Let go of painful memories
On the path to healing, there is no longer time to dwell
on negative emotions. That means detaching from ego, pain,
drama and chaos. If drama was a way of life prior to disease,
there is no better time than now to break that pattern.
Try to limit the invasion of dramatic personalities around
you. Withhold from engaging in the desire to take things
personally, to hold onto resentments, to get caught up in
family tensions. Letting go of grudges is fundamental to
healing.
Even your own difficult emotions, however, should be allowed
their time too. If they are surfacing, they need to come
out and breathe. This can be a detox process, much like
weeding a garden. What remains once those difficult emotions
are gone are the flowers: the self-care and the love.
Handle emotions with love
When an emotion surfaces, prepare yourself to listen to
it. Be attentive, and tune in to its physical manifestation.
Let it be present without trying to transform it in any
way. By observing it in a neutral way, you are acknowledging
its presence, validating not only it but you too. Shortly
thereafter this step, you will notice the emotion shifting
to another state. Stay tuned until you feel a state of persistent
calmness.
Engage the Future
Establish the reasons why you need to live. Make them personal.
Commit to a future meaningful goal in one, three and five
years. How is the disease supporting your soul’s path?
How can you learn? Come up with a mission statement for
your soul. What does it want to do most? If you strive to
for more, your mind will inspire the rest of your body.
Remember that this is a fight to heal old wounds and a fight
to assert your love of life. Heal the wounds and the body
will follow.
Respect the wisdom of the body
Take care of the physical needs of the body by learning
to listen to, and follow the body’s needs. Tune in
to your intuition. Close your eyes and your body will tell
you. When you experience a food craving, ask yourself if
it is what you wish to eat or what your body needs. There
is a difference. Do you need to go visit your friend or
do you need to take a bath instead? Listen closely. There
is no need to follow obligations. Following your body will
support you in accessing your intuition and stimulate your
inner healing resources.
Nutritious foods
Learn about a healthy diet. Try to eat organic food without
pesticides. Take supplements. Discover which foods will
support you, which will deplete you. Commit yourself to
eating the finest and healthiest foods to support your body
and your soul. Do not, however, get caught up in the fear
of eating the wrong food or not eating the right food. Make
clear decisions about what you will eat and be firm. Your
assertive stance will be sending a powerful message to your
body. The energy will clear your mind and help you on the
road to healing. If you need help choosing your optimal
healthy diet, meet with a specialized naturopath or registered
dietician.
Conclusion
Disease will change your life. Accept that and convince
yourself that you are worth creating the life of which you
dream. Let the disease be a doorway to a more fulfilling
and peaceful life. Live in hope, not in fear, and soon you
will see life taking on another level of meaning.
Dean Ornish, Love and Survival : Scientific
Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy, New York, Harper
Collins Publishers, 1998, p 15-16.
Stephane Bensoussan, MA Holistic Psychologist
© 2005. Stephane is a motivational speaker and holistic
psychologist. Stephane’s mission is to liberate your
human potential by giving you the tools necessary in order
to enable you to take charge of your health and life. Suing
a mind-body-spirit approach, he specializes in helping people
with stress-related health conditions, sports psychology
and team leadership. Stephane currently trains practitioners
to work in a holistic way.
www.psysante.com, Tel: (514) 695-5560
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