Living with Cancer: The Mind-Body Connection

Some people feel like failures if they don't fully recover from a life-threatening illness. But I feel they are missing the message survival carries. The message is that you can make your life more satisfying as you fill each precious moment with meaning.

I am a cancer survivor, certified therapist and counselor and my philosophy is shaped by the physical, emotional and spiritual transformation that I underwent during my 16 year process of healing from cancer. Cancer is not a synonym for death and many people survive with cancer to live full lives. I stress to my clients that getting cancer is not your fault. Cancer survivors have enough to do healing themselves without the burden of illogical guilt. Cancer occurs in three out of ten people. When it happened to me, the idea of actually surviving and coping seemed unimaginable. I was surprised by the strength and endurance it brought forth. Support psychotherapy helped me to grow through the pain and gave credence to the strength of the human spirit. After my cancer diagnosis, I called on that spirit to help me continue living a meaningful life. I searched and read everything I could. I discovered Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) and was struck by the proven scientific premise that patients' minds and emotions can influence their recovery, and that people can participate in their own healing.

I underwent surgery for uterine cancer, but rejected the doctors' recommendations for chemotherapy and radiation. Instead, I began treatment to strengthen my immune system at the Immune Augmentative Therapy Clinic started and run by the late Dr. Lawrence Burton in Freeport, Grand Bahama. I built a personal library of books and resources on traditional and alternative approaches. The more I read, the more I came to believe in the mind/body/spirit connection. After three years of treatment, I was told by Dr. Burton that I was doing so well I could discontinue treatment. I did, and the cancer recurred.

Dr. Siegel was still doing surgery at the time so I traveled to New Haven just to have him perform a reversible colostomy. This prompted me to reexamine my life. I saw cancer as a signal to make some major changes in the way I was living.

My husband had a serious heart attack three years before and we decided to sell our business. At age 69, I went back to Kingsborough Community College where I received my Associate Degree and the Behavioral Sciences Award at graduation. I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree and graduated cum laude in Mental Health and Human Services at age 75, an achievement that was written up in The New York Times. While earning my degree, I continued to study the relationship between the mind, body and spirit. In addition to my college degree, I became certified by Bernie Siegel's Exceptional Patients, Inc. (ECAP) as a therapist and counselor.

Most recently, I was certified by Harvard Medical School for participating in Dr. Herbert Benson's course in Clinical Training in Mind/Body Medicine. I am also a certified hypnotherapist. For many years, I led the Hoping and Coping Support Group sponsored by The American Cancer Society and I am a speaker for The National Cancer Survivors Day Speakers Bureau. I was nominated and inducted to the Wall of Fame in the Kingsborough Community College for my accomplishments.

Since my last bout with cancer, I have appeared on NBC television with Gabe Pressman in The Truth About Cancer, on ABC television with Morton Downey, Jr., and on WPIX with talk show host, Nola Roper. I participate regularly in a panel at Mt. Sinai Medical School on the value of combining alternative and allopathic medicine. I have lectured at learning centers, synagogues, schools, churches, libraries and hospitals throughout the New York City area.

In MY PROGRAM FOR CANCER SURVIVORS I believe that healing is the process of becoming whole physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Cancer says, "Please take a look at yourself. There are some changes you need to make." I advise my clients to look at disease as a detour, not a destination, and to learn from others who have successfully run the same course. In the therapy I offer, the goal is to develop a plan of action using innate talents to achieve a healthy and creative life. I have found through my own and many others' experience that healing emotionally and psychologically is an integral part of the process. My suggested program includes meditation and listening to tapes, regular exercise, nutrition and journaling daily. I encourage creativity and teach visualization and imagery to help my clients with self-defeating behaviors, self-esteem, resentment and forgiveness. These methods were successful in my own healing.

It has been my very good fortune to meet so many wonderful and inspiring men and women who are not only my clients, but my teachers. I think of Ellen who had never worn a wig after chemotherapy and her acceptance of the treatments. She was a great mom, wife, sister and daughter. What an inspiration to watch her change! Her battle with breast and brain cancer using traditional medical methods was valiant. It is a privilege to speak to Marcia and hear how she is now helping others with her extensive knowledge of nutrition, yoga and other health practices. I can name many others with whom I have shared experiences, strength and hope - people I would not have met, if cancer had not brought us together. Knowing them has enriched my life and I hope I have enriched theirs. I encourage my clients to become active partners in their recovery, whether they have chosen traditional or alternative treatment or a combination of both. They must draw upon their own inner strength to heal and grow.

Because I have walked in my clients' shoes, I am better equipped to understand and communicate heart-to-heart my love, strength and caring, hope and inspiration.

For more information, email: flocope@aol.com or visit http://members.aol.com/flocope/counseling. html