Spiritual Support for Cancer Patients

There is a psychic crisis in any illness, none being bigger or more highly charged than cancer. It is a disease that is both dreaded and feared and as such it carries a big psychological charge. However, many people these days are becoming cancer survivors, with advances in medical treatments and investment in whole person healing many people are able to overcome this disease, my husband being one of them.

Cancer is not just a physical problem but a problem of the whole person.  A cancer diagnosis can send shock waves through us, it is a huge journey physically, mentally, emotionally, psychically, soulfully, spiritually, and at times even financially and socially. It can radically disrupt our lives and is often a catalyst that sends us on a deep healing quest.

Loss of health and sorrow pull us inward and downward, there is a natural gravity that leads us toward the inner life which is much closer to the soul. This time can feel overwhelming and frightening as we head into this unknown and uncertain territory. But it is here that we find the time to slow down, review and reassess our lives and how we have been living them.

Life is a union of the body, the emotions, the mind, the soul and the spirit. Health is balance. Illness occurs when the individual falls out of balance physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. This is why it is important to consider the whole.

Studies show that trauma, stress and isolation increase the risk of cancer. Chronic stress results in a suppression of the immune system. It is hard to know the causal factors of cancer however some experts say it is often an indication of problems elsewhere in the person’s life, aggravated or compounded by a series of stressors 6 to 18 months prior to the onset of cancer. Typically, these patients have responded to these issues with helplessness or an attitude of giving up. This emotional response in turn could have triggered a set of physiological responses that supress the body’s natural defences and make it susceptible to producing abnormal cells.

Cellular biology tells us that a cancerous cell is a weak and confused cell that contains incorrect genetic information. If this cell reproduces other cells with the same incorrect genetic material then a tumor begins to form. Normally the immune system would recognise these cells and destroy them.

In this modern era we have started to really understand the link between the mind, the emotions and the body and how these all act as an interconnected system. That changes in the psychological state results in changes in the physical state.  Affect one and you affect the other. Herein lies the distinct possibility that within one’s own mind is a power capable of exerting forces that can influence the course of disease for the better. That recovery is more possible when you mobilise the whole person in the direction of health. We all participate in our own health through our beliefs, feelings and in the attitude we have toward life itself.

In spiritual support for cancer patients, I work with the clients whole self, not in replace of allopathic medicine but in conjunction to with the belief that this gives ourselves the best opportunity to face cancer with courage, strength and a determination to heal. We can ask questions such as how can I grow from this, how can I learn from this, what is my life calling for within me, what is this illness asking from me, what do I need to let go of, what traumas possibly may have contributed, what do I need to do more of, what is this teaching me about my relationships and how I treat myself, what do I need right now?

All inner crisis or pathologies can become epiphanies of the divine and the architecture of the soul. It can take us closer to the deep centre. When troubled times happen to us it is important to remember that at every threshold there are creative energies waiting to enter the world though us. As we crack and feel like we are falling apart the deeper self, the true self, the soulful self moves closer to the surface. As Rumi says the cracks are where the light enters. It can be a doorway, a portal that holds the power to heal us and renew our life we are living.

People journeying through illness are often pining for an empathic and compassionate embrace, at times they can be afraid of their own deeper feelings or how their illness impacts the lives of others.

I hold a deeply compassionate space that allows the heart to open so we can be with the suffering with a soft and gentle hand.

To the heart in you, don’t be afraid to feel

To the sun in you, don’t be afraid to shine

To the love in you, don’t be afraid to heal

To the ocean in you, don’t be afraid to rage

To the silence in you, don’t be afraid to break

Najwa Zebian