I received a firestorm of comments in response to what is actually one of the older posts on the blog entitled, “Could Resentment be a Risk Factor for Cancer?” You can read the post and the comments, and the conversation didn’t stop there—it continued on our Facebook page as well. Some people were in agreement that repressed emotions can negatively affect our health, but others were incensed that I would even suggest this to be a possibility, especially where cancer is concerned.

Here’s what was interesting to me—in reaction to this one post, I was told I was “doing a disservice to the men and women affected by cancer” with the headline and general message, and told it “wasn’t fair” to say that stress and emotional problems are the “only thing” that causes cancer and other illnesses. Other responders jumped on the “positive thinking” idea, commenting on how expecting cancer patients to be upbeat all the time does more harm than good, and that the pressure many cancer patients feel to “be positive” is very damaging.

Here’s the thing—I don’t mention “thinking positive” once in the post. Not once. Nor did I say that emotional problems are the only thing that causes cancer. Far from it. We all know that any disease is the result of a myriad of factors, from diet to activity level to genetics to environment to viruses to chemical exposure to you name it. I have posted about all of these factors on this blog, with the number of posts about emotional factors making up only a small minority of the total.

I was told I was silly for suggesting that fixing bad moods would keep you cancer free. Never did I mention “moods,” or any fleeting emotions. Never did I say that fixing your emotions would keep you cancer free. I spoke solely about one lasting, particularly difficult emotion—resentment—and what science is saying about its potential link to cancer.

Some comments suggested that looking into the possibility that resentment could have an effect on health—and potentially on cancer—is just another way to “blame the patient.” But I don’t understand why, when talking about emotions, we jump to the conclusion we’re blaming, yet we can talk about diet and activity and everyone accepts it as perfectly fine? Don’t we have equal control over what we eat or how much we move as we do over how we handle emotions? We may not be able to control how we feel, but we do have control over what we do about it—and science is showing that learning how to deal with negative emotions could be just as important as learning to eat less sugar! Think of it this way: We may not be able to control our sugar cravings, but we can and do control whether or not we eat that chocolate cake. Why can’t it be the same when we’re dealing with emotions?

Some people commented that Louise Hay—whom I mention in the post—is “irresponsible” for promoting emotional therapy as a cure for cancer. I happen to admire Ms. Hay because her books have helped me, personally. Of course I wasn’t there during her cancer. Her story is her story, and it’s a very individual one, as all our stories are. Whether you believe she cured her cancer or not really doesn’t matter. The point is that she is a prominent figure who has helped a lot of people with her theories, one of which is that resentment can be damaging to your health. She says it was to hers. And she’s still here, and cancer free.

The bottom line is that this post has nothing to do with positive thinking or bad moods or fleeting emotions causing cancer, or about blaming the patient. It’s all about how resentment—that negative emotion you hold inside you for long periods of time—has been shown in scientific studies to be damaging to your health, particularly to the immune system, in ways that have been linked to cancer. My purpose in publishing it was to help make people aware of this connection. I have done the same with a myriad of other risk factors, including an unhealthy diet, inactivity, exposure to chemicals, and more, and I’m going to continue writing about risk factors, whatever they are.

Just to be clear: could resentment be a risk factor for cancer? Science says it could. Will getting rid of resentment cure cancer? Doubtful. No one thing is a magic bullet. Could getting rid of resentment help you avoid cancer? Who knows? But if it is a potential risk factor, why not do all we can to decrease that risk? Why not, while we’re eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising at least 30 minutes a day, learn how to let go of such a toxic emotion? We’d all do better, feel healthier, and “perhaps” live longer if we forgive more often, and unburden ourselves.

Now, as to the whole “positive thinking” thing, since that’s what so many people commented about. This is a totally different animal, and it’s obviously a hot topic—one that’s on a lot of people’s minds. In the cancer community, “positive thinking” has come to mean “thou shalt think and say only positive things no matter how awful thou feels.” Has there been too much of this mantra in the cancer community? Obviously, yes!

What started out as something that was supposed to help people stay strong and fight the disease has turned into a “demand” that many people just can’t live up to. To tell a dear friend to “think positive” when she has just been diagnosed is absolutely ridiculous, but our current cancer culture has created a “groupthink” that makes people do just that.

My stance on all this positivity? I believe in being positive in my life. I like looking on the bright side of things whenever I can. I think it makes life easier to live. Never would I tell someone who’s emotionally down, however, to “buck up and be positive.” That would only serve to make them feel worse. What I would encourage—and what I think is of utmost importance to our health—is to process those negative emotions. Talk to a friend, journal, listen to music, paint, exercise, talk to a therapist, scream, cry, punch a pillow, or curl up in a ball if that’s what it takes. Make an appointment with yourself if you have to! Feel that pain or that sadness or that despair or whatever it is and take the time to feel it fully. Then, and only then, let it go and move on.

An example: Researchers found that breast cancer patients who coped by expressing their emotions surrounding the cancer had fewer medical appointments, enhanced physical health and vigor, and decreased distress.¹ In a study on women with breast cancer who used online support groups, those who expressed both positive and negative emotions experienced psychological benefits.²

The key thing here is express the emotion in a healthy way (don’t kill the dog, in other words), then let go. Do what it takes to get the emotion “through” you. It’s when we don’t take the time to feel things—when we stuff them down to deal with “later” (as in resentment)—that we can encourage health problems. If nothing else, it encourages stress—and haven’t we all agreed that stress can influence our health?

Where does the “think positive” come in? Once we process our emotions—take the time to feel them and pay attention to them—this frees us up to then summon our positive energy again. We can go out with friends, do something that makes us feel good, and work on generating good feelings. That’s the only kind of “positive thinking” I can endorse. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind we hear about most of the time surrounding cancer.

We are emotional creatures. That’s one of the beautiful things about human beings. We are meant to feel. To tell anyone—especially those experiencing all the traumas of disease—to just ignore all the negative feelings and focus only on the positive, will only make everything worse. What we can do is encourage ourselves and others to pay attention to those feelings, address them, do something about them, and then let them go.

In summary: Science says that there may be a link between resentment and cancer—good to know. I believe we can feel healthier when we learn how to fully feel and process—rather than stuff down—our emotions, whatever they may be. But this is totally different from the “think positive” idea as it relates to the cancer community, and when it comes to that, I agree with most of you—it’s time to accept our feelings, wholeheartedly…and then learn how to better deal with them in ways that benefit our health.

I’m looking forward to blogging more about this issue in the future! In the meantime, please, write in, whatever your thoughts. I don’t care if you agree or don’t. The more we discuss these things, the better chance we all have of not only living healthier lives, but understanding more fully the complex, beautiful creatures we are.

Thanks again for all the input. Light and love to you all!

Britta

Do you have thoughts on how emotions may affect our health? Or on the whole “positive thinking” culture surrounding cancer? Please share!

References

1. Stanton A.L., Danoff-Burg S., Cameron C.L., Bishop M., Collins C.A., Kirk S.B, Sworowski L.A., Twillman R. Emotionally expressive coping predicts psychological and physical adjustment to breast cancer. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000 Oct;68(5):875-82. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11068973?dopt=Abstract.
2. Jeong Yeob Han. Expressing Positive Emotions within Online Support Groups by Women with Breast Cancer. Journal of Health Psychology Vol. 13, No. 8, 1002-1007 (2008) DOI: 10.1177/1359105308097963.

Photo courtesy Shutterstock.

Michelle Maniaci, energy medicine practitioner, says that deep breathing contributes greatly to healing.

Recently, I took a trip to Canyon Ranch Spa in Miami to relax and recharge, and I met an amazing woman. Her name is Michelle Maniaci, and she’s a licensed physical therapist, energy medicine practitioner, and belly-dance-for-healing instructor. She works at the ranch, helping people to incorporate the amazing healing power of deep breathing into their daily lives. My time at the ranch was relaxing overall, but it was my sessions with Michelle that pulled together my whole experience. She was able to be completely in tune with me, and I fell in love with her nurturing heart. Using a variety of different tools in my sessions, she left me feeling revived, alive, and balanced, so much so that I wish I could have brought her back with me to New York!

Of course, she remained in Miami, but I returned with some new habits that have now become an important part of my life. According to her, thoughts and emotions may increase our stress response and work against our healing if they don’t come from a loving and grateful place.

“The strength of our immune system determines how effective our innate healing mechanisms function,” she says. “ Our diet, beliefs, thoughts, and emotions—even the quality of our relationships, our living environment, posture, breathing pattern, and connection to a higher source—all influence our self-healing abilities.”

Michelle says that emotional healing benefits physical healing of any injury, whether it’s a scrape on your ankle or breast cancer. “I worked with a woman who was going through chemotherapy for a lump that had been discovered in her right breast,” she says. “I was teaching her how to breathe, fully engaging her diaphragm muscle, the primary muscle of inspiration. While she was learning this, she said she felt her cancer was somehow related to her resentment towards her mother. Her ability to expand her rib cage increased while she visualized holding her mother’s hands and telling her she forgave her for not loving her enough in the ways that she had so longed for as a little girl.”

Michelle instructed the woman to trust that her mother was exactly the way she needed to be to help the woman become the person she was as an adult. “With tears in her eyes, she continued to let go of the sadness in her heart and replaced it with love and compassion. Her chest muscles softened more and more after every breath, and by the end of our session, she looked and felt more alive and warm than ever before.”

While I was at the ranch, Michelle encouraged me to take time to breathe fully and completely, which engages the body’s healing powers. It relieves stress, improves circulation, assists proper digestion, helps eliminate toxins, releases anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and helps release feel-good hormones. In addition, it helps me attain a state of unity and wholeness within myself and the universe.

“All we need to do is open ourselves to allow the healing process to occur,” Michelle says, “as it is always happening to us within. Something as basic as just being mindful and fully present in every moment and learning how to fully and freely engage the respiratory diaphragm muscle are two powerful steps in a more healing direction.”

Since my time with Michelle, just from my breathing alone, I’ve noticed shifts in how I feel. I thank Michelle from the bottom of my heart for teaching me to trust myself, my breath, and my journey!

For more information on how to maximize your breathing abilities for healing and processing of emotions, contact Michelle at www.nurturingmoves.com.

“Once, we believed that it was the ‘doctor’s job’ to help us get better,” says Whole Science writer Kerry Needs. “Now, research shows that we play a part in that too. Our belief, our attitude, determines the outcome of our health.”

What else but belief can explain the “placebo effect,” in which a sugar pill helps people get better? “In the health industry,” writes Connie Saindon, MA, MFCC, CTS, “studies showed that treatments later found to be misguided, worked 70-90% until they were no longer believed.”

Many people fighting cancer benefit from believing in the best outcome. Talking about the power of belief and cancer, unfortunately, can sometimes lead us down a slippery slope toward self-blame and negativity. After all, if what we believe affects our health, then did we create our own cancer in the first place?

David Eliot, author of “You Don’t Have to Die When your Doctor Says,” explains: “If you are suffering from cancer, then the suggestion that you could have created this condition can be very threatening, insulting, and insensitive….One doesn’t need to go into this depth in self responsibility, however….Taking responsibility isn’t about looking for fault, it’s about managing your beliefs in the present moment so you can focus as much creating energy as possible on the outcome you choose to experience: being a survivor.”

Eliot says situations are the result of multiple causes—for example, your cancer could have been caused by lifestyle, diet, environment, chemical exposure, genes, or a combination of these and many other variables. However, changing just one—your attitude and beliefs—could alter many of the rest. “What you believe is the most powerful contributing cause to any personal situation,” he says. “Diet, health, and habits may also be contributing causes, but each of them stands a good change of being managed just by managing your beliefs.”

For example, if you believe your body is healthy and pure, you’ll be less likely to put harmful things into it, like greasy, unhealthy foods and harsh, potentially dangerous chemicals. If you believe you deserve only the best, you’ll be more likely to seek out the best treatment, the best doctors, and the best alternative therapies. One positive belief can set into motion a whole avalanche of benefits.

Anne Harringon, chair of Harvard University’s history of science program, agrees with Eliot that attitude can effect other variables: “If a person is positive, he or she is more likely to show up for all the treatments and have a better diet.” She warns, however, that patients not be afraid when they feel negative emotions, or feel they have to cover them up with false positive ones. The key is to healthfully process those emotions, so that one can get to feeling truly positive and hopeful again.

If you’re fighting cancer, or want to prevent cancer, don’t be afraid to examine your own beliefs and habits and look for areas where you might help yourself with a more positive view. Here are some changes to consider (from xswebhealth.com).

Belief: I am powerless, a victim of circumstance. I must find someone else to blame.
Change to: I’m responsible and in control of my life. I can’t control circumstances, but I can control my attitude toward them. The world is not what it is, but what I believe it to be.

Belief: Life is a struggle. Something must be wrong if it seems easy or I’m having fun.
Change to: Life is full. Life is potential. It’s good to relax. It’s okay to have fun.

Belief: I’m not important. My feelings and needs are of no consequence.
Change to: I’m a valuable and important person. I’m equal to anyone, but above no one.

Belief: I should always look my best and be happy, no matter how I feel.
Change to: It’s okay to be who you are. You are unique and that shows. Be yourself.

Belief: If I worry enough it will help.
Change to: Worrying creates a negative energy that eats the one who worries. Actions change problems. Worry is exhausting. Create energy, don’t destroy your energy.

Belief: I’m not strong enough to cope with this.
Change to: Whatever life deals me, it also deals me the ability to overcome the situation. Balance is a fact of life. Everything can be accomplished by taking small steps.

Have you experienced healing from positive belief? Please share your story.

Photo courtesy Vitaliy P. via Flickr.com.

Historically, Tai Chi Chuan (translated as “supreme ultimate fist”) was a form of self defense in which the practitioner neutralized his opponent’s use of force before applying a countering force of his own. Students learned how to efficiently transmit energy, relax the mind, and control the breath. Such skills translated into other areas of their lives, promoting health and well-being.

Today, thousands of people find health benefits from daily practice of the graceful exercise of Tai Chi—and many of those are cancer survivors. It can ease pain and stiffness, build muscle strength, improve coordination and flexibility, and improve sleep. Studies funded by the National Center for Complementary Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) suggest that it may enhance the immune system and reduce blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic says it can reduce stress and anxiety, relieve chronic pain, and improve everyday physical functioning. A small study of breast-cancer survivors showed that the women in the Tai Chi group had improved flexibility, strength, and aerobic capacity. The slow, graceful movements accompanied by deep, mindful breathing help increase circulation and promote relaxation. Practitioners claim that it balances the flow of vital energy (called “qi”), which helps improve health and extend life.

The nice thing about Tai Chi is that the movements are gentle, so if you’re going through cancer treatment and/or recovering from it, this exercise can be the perfect way to help maintain or regain your flexibility and strength with a low risk of injury. Slow, precise movements are good for muscle control, while deep breathing creates a sort of meditative trance that can help ease stress. Of course, talk to your doctor first to discuss any limitations you may have before starting.

To find a class in your area, check your local health clubs, schools, YMCAs, and recreational facilities. There are a lot of books and DVDs out there for self-teaching, but as a cancer fighter or survivor, you’re safer with an instructor. He/she can show you how to practice safely to help avoid injury. You want to learn the fundamentals well, so choose someone who has received good instruction. (Lifematters.com has some more recommendations for finding a good instructor here.) The T’ai Chi Magazine is also a good source for instruction.

Once you get started, you may become addicted, as this exercise is not like you’re usual aerobic pounding. As Aldous Huxley describes in Island: “No leaps, no high kicks, no running. The feet always firmly on the ground…movements intrinsically beautiful and at the same time charged with symbolic meaning…The whole body transformed into a hieroglyph, a succession of hieroglyphs, of attitudes modulating from significance to significance, like a poem or a piece of music… ”

Have you found Tai Chi helpful in dealing with cancer treatments? Please share your experiences.

Photo courtesy of ziga-zaga via Flickr.com.

“I was given a Reiki session as a gift from a friend,” says survivor kfinnigan. “I was soooo amazed at the gal that did the session. She only knew that I had bc [breast cancer] and did her thing…she said after the session that she had to really dig and dig through my left shoulder area to clear the path there for balance and I told her that was my surgery side and all my lymph nodes were taken out. She said that explains it! I felt balanced and energized afterward.”

“I’m also a Reiki practitioner,” says Pbcc1, “and I can tell you it works. Most patients have less side effects and are more peaceful than those not receiving the treatments.”

Reiki (pronounced “ray-kee”) is an ancient healing practice that originated in Japan, with a foundation in ancient Tibetan Buddhism.  It is used to promote health and well-being, or to ease disease-related symptoms or side effects. The word Reiki is derived from two Japanese words: rei, or universal, and ki, or life energy. The idea is that there is a universal (or source) energy that supports the body’s innate healing abilities. Practitioners access this energy, helping it to flow into the body to facilitate healing, often through 12–15 basic positions or energy centers on the body (chakras). They direct Reiki energy through the palms of the hands to the patient, who normally sits or lays down fully clothed. A treatment can last anywhere from 30–90 minutes.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is currently funding research on the effectiveness of Reiki on cancer-related side effects and symptoms. As of 2001, 47% of U.S. state nursing boards recognized providing alternative therapies including Reiki as being with the scope of nursing practice. “We use probably 50-80 percent of nonpharmacologic methods in our NIH pain clinic,” says Ann Berger, R.N., M.S.N., M.D. Chief of the Pain and Palliative Care Service at the National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C. “The things we use include massage, relaxation, hypnosis, and Reiki therapy, which is also very helpful in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndromes.”

Many cancer centers provide Reiki sessions on site, or have recommendations for practitioners. If you need to find one on your own, reiki.org suggests you look in health magazines, health-food stores, and local new-age publications, and ask for recommendations from new-age bookstores and massage therapists. The International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP) provides a locator page, and About.com has a practitioner directory for both the U.S. and Canada, as does The Reiki Page.

When you do find a practitioner you’re considering, ask questions like these:

• How long have you been practicing Reiki?
• What qualifications do you have? (Look for completed classes, membership in Reiki organizations, and/or time with a master. Currently there are no certifications.)
• How long will each treatment take? How many treatments do you recommend?

In the end, go with the person that feels right. What matters is that you feel better—without more drugs. Leigh Leming, a breast-cancer survivor, tried Reiki during her second bout with the disease, receiving treatments prior to chemo. “I actually forgot to take my pain pills after a Reiki session,” she says.

Have you found Reiki helpful in dealing with cancer treatments? Please share your experiences.

Photo courtesy of reikigendai via Flickr.com.

Shanda Sumpter, founder of HeartCore Bootcamp, suggests a different word: gift.

Cancer, a gift?

“You’re not a victim no matter what has happened in your life,” says this clarity coach. “Whether you’ve had a divorce, suffered an injury, gotten cancer…anything that has come up in your space. It’s there to guide you to what you want so badly, to what we call your ‘heart drive.’ If you get cancer and surrender, you don’t see the gift—you’re not seeing the message.”

So what can possibly be the message of cancer? “Cancer gives you the gift of clearly seeing the value of life—the value of your life. What someone with cancer has over the average Joe is the appreciation and the urgency of what life really is. Whatever you’ve wanted to do, whatever your passion is, what is the point of holding back now?”

Together with her partner, Allyson Spellman, Shanda teaches women around the world to stop settling for simply surviving life and start stepping into a truly empowered life. “Most of us are society robots. We do what we’ve been told to do, or what we think we should do. We want to empower women to follow their hearts. If you connect with what you love, things like illnesses, stress, and other physical problems start to reverse themselves.”

Shanda talks about the “love frequency,” a personal vibration that people have when they’re truly connected to their passion. We’re all made of energy, and when we’re vibrating in love, there’s no room for fear, worry, stress, or other negative emotions. “When you’re faced with cancer,” she says, “your frequency goes flat. You need to realign your focus, and bring your vibration back up.”

How do you do that when you’re going through treatment, experiencing side effects, and struggling to get up in the morning? “Everything comes down to focus,” Shanda says. “What are you focusing on? If it’s only the cancer, your vibration is going to continue to spiral down. Let’s say your dream has been to open a dessert shop, but you’ve never done it. Now is the time. Cancer has given you the gift of realizing the value of your life, and your dreams. So even if you’re lying in bed after a treatment, you can create your recipe plans, or the themes around your new shop. How are you going to decorate it? What will your logo look like? If we focus on our dreams, we begin to ‘think’ our way into them. Watch. You’ll start to get excited. You’ll sketch out a few designs. Maybe you’ll think of a new ingredient to spice up your grandma’s chewy brownies. After a few minutes of doing this, your vibration—your energy level—will come up. You’ll feel a sense of purpose again. You’ll be engaged in life, instead of just overwhelmed by cancer. And that’s going to help you heal.”

The power of this engagement, according to Shanda, is that it comes from love, which is the most powerful energy in the universe. “The cancer is not there to hurt you or to deplete you. It’s actually encouraging you to get going on your dreams, to be authentic in who you really are. When you connect to what you love, there is no fear.”

Shanda and Allyson are offering a free call-in workshop on July 21 at 5pm PST (6pm MT, 8pm
EST), as well as a 2-day HeartCore Bootcamp on July 24-25. All you have to do is sign up on the website, then call in. Simple, and it could be the spark you need to reconnect with what you love!

“We need to be clear about the challenges that come into our lives,” Shanda says. “Instead of bemoaning what you don’t have or what you’re lacking or what you’re afraid of, look at what’s in your space now, and use it to launch the life you want.”

For more information on the HeartCore Bootcamp, please visit Shanda’s web site.