Guided Imagery for Cancer Patients

A GUIDED MEDITATION TO TURN OFF STRESS HORMONES AND HEAL YOUR BODY

Guided Imagery for Cancer Patients

The mind-body connection is a major factor in healing from cancer. Don't underestimate its importance in your recovery! As soon as you receive a cancer diagnosis, your mind becomes overwhelmed by scary thoughts that produce strong stress hormones. Cortisol and adrenaline pump through your veins and suppress the function of your immune system at the very time you need it most. Unless you learn how to turn off these stress hormones, you leave yourself vulnerable to the spread of disease. When I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, I knew I had to find a way to calm myself down and be able to breathe again.

In 2008, I was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma. I was told that I had a 50% chance of living two years, and a 20% chance of living five years. That's enough to scare anybody! Well, it has been almost six years now, and I am completely healthy with absolutely no recurrence of the disease. My doctor says, "Remarkable! You're remarkable! You give me hope. Keep doing what you are doing." Part of my healing protocol has been to do guided imagery and meditation every single day. I knew from the start that my mind was the battlefront, because every part of our being, including our cells, sympathizes or responds to the positive and negative states of our minds. For this reason, when we are diagnosed with cancer, we must find a way to alleviate mental and emotional stress in order to allow our mind to be free to instruct the body to heal itself.

Stress produces hormones that can sabotage your entire healing program by interfering with the function of your natural killer cells, the ones that identify cancer cells and mark them for destruction. Your body chemistry reacts dramatically to your thoughts and your emotions. You may experience trouble sleeping, feel sick to your stomach, have difficulty thinking clearly, and suffer debilitating fatigue. Many health problems, especially cancer, do not permanently clear up unless the mental aspect is also addressed. The mind-body connection is powerful, and just as surely as your mind can make your body sick, it can make your body well. 

Listening to a guided meditation can shut off the mental chatter in your mind, bringing you to a place of peace and tranquility. It has the ability to reach deep into your subconscious and change your body's chemistry, stopping the release of stress hormones and lowering the level of cortisol in your blood. There are many nice recordings on the market - in fact, I own most of them - but I found that none of them had everything I was looking for in one place. So I decided to produce my own guided meditations beginning with the first one entitled De-Stress and Relax with Jeannie.


De-Stress and Relax with Jeannie is specifically designed to turn off stress hormones and restore your sense of well-being. Whether you are newly diagnosed, or on a lifelong journey to stay in remission, this first CD (audio download) will be invaluable to your recovery. It will teach you how to turn off the negative mental chatter that is so detrimental to your healing, and focus on the present moment, which is the practice of mindfulness*. The soothing sounds of ocean waves and beautiful meditative music send a signal to your brain that it is time to relax and heal.This is your time now, a time to let go of stress, anxiety, worry, depression, anger, resentment or fear. The more often you listen, the faster your body will enter the state of total relaxation and inner stillness, activating your immune system and releasing dysfunctional energy. You will empower yourself by learning to use your mind as a formidable force to make you well.

De-Stress and Relax with Jeannie will help you:

• Reduce the Fear of a Cancer Diagnosis
• Turn Off Stress Hormones
• Lower the Levels of Cortisol and Adrenaline in Your Blood
• Enter a State of Deep Physical and Mental Relaxation
• Control Anxious Thoughts
• Enter the Place Where Mind Speaks to Body
• Manage Stress Levels During Treatments, Scans and Doctor's Appointments
• Prepare You For the Next CD on Mind-Body Healing

https://youtu.be/SZSFpGXQO5E

Click the Link Above to go to De-Stress and Relax Video on You Tube

Blessings and healing energy to you! ~ Jeannie

*According to a long-term, control-group study by the University of California at Davis, mindfulness has the ability to STOP the release of stress hormones and lower the level of cortisol in the blood (Saron). 

 Blessings and healing energy to you! ~ Jeannie

Long-Term Leiomyosarcoma Cancer Survivor

Five-Year Survivor of ULMS
Let's Celebrate This!

Long Term Survivor of Leiomyosarcoma

I saw my oncologist on Friday. He said it's time for me to "graduate." He doesn't need to see me anymore. After more than 5 years with no recurrence of leiomyosarcoma, I am thrilled! But I will continue to follow the strict regimen of the anticancer lifestyle for the rest of my life - after all, that's why I made it this far. I was able to engage my immune system to prevent the cancer from returning.

I have always told people that I am recovering from cancer, not that I have cancer. I began to say this right from the start. Your brain listens to everything that you say, so that's why you need to say that you are recovering. It's more than just the things you speak out loud, although it is very important to speak only positive things about your recovery. But it's deep down in your heart and soul that needs to be convinced that your are going to be okay. That's why you need to flood your mind with the right guided imagery as part of the mind-body component of this healing program.

Are you recently diagnosed? Let people take care of you now - don't push yourself to do anything whatsoever. Don't spend time doing anything that drains you, period! When you begin to feel a little better, don't go out and spend your energy. Save it and just keep relaxing. That way your body can use the unspent energy towards healing you.  Save your energy to do the healing routines that are to become your new way of living.

Your goal is never to feel exhausted. Whatever it takes. The only time you need to spend some energy is when you are outside walking each day in order to get your lymph fluid moving to remove the toxins from your body. Or when you are preparing raw, organic foods and juices. 

When you are sleeping, the immune system is activated. The supplement melatonin has been clinically proven to have an anticancer effect against leiomyosarcoma in particular. I take 20mg before bedtime and sleep 10 hours per night. If you can't sleep that long, have a guided imagery CD by your bedside and listen to it when you wake up (with earphones if you are not alone) but remain still and quiet to prolong your relaxation.  

The components of the anti-cancer program include mind-body work (such as guided imagery, meditation, reading stories about others who have overcome incurable diseases, and stating intentions and affirmations to be well), a detoxification program (usually designed by a Naturopath after they do some testing), avoiding environmental toxins, eating a mostly raw, organic, vegan diet, drinking freshly pressed carrot-apple juice and green smoothies and/or wheat grass, fresh air, sunshine, mild exercise, NO STRESS OR NEGATIVITY, some form of emotional clearing/healing (with a therapist, energy worker, acupuncturist, or self-healing guide), and supplements that have been shown to stop cancer from spreading (Liposomal or I-V Vitamin C treatments, Liposomal Curcumin, Pancreatic Enzymes, Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Silica, Vitamin E, Melatonin, Iodine, Glutathione, and Chlorella are some examples) and other supplements designed to change the way you metabolize estrogen - breaking it down in a non-toxic way that does not stimulate tumors (MK-7, DIM, and Lipotropic Factors). 

Some supplements require blood tests to monitor your levels to make sure you reach the optimal level but don't overdose. I work with my naturopath and my medical doctor to accomplish this. 

The first place for you to start is by turning off stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) because they suppress your immune system, shutting it down so it can't work to fight the cancer. So turn of your favorite laugh-out-loud movies, or music that evokes happy, care-free memories, and read through my blog. I'll show you ways to improve your well-being and connect with healing power you have within you. 

~ Jeannie

Five Years Free of Disease

Five Years Free of Disease January 2014

Preventing Recurrence of Uterine Leiomyosarcoma is My Full-Time Job

It was November of 2008 when I was diagnosed with Uterine Leiomyosarcoma. My lab report said it was Stage II/III with a mitotic count of 100 in a 10X magnification field. The sky high mitotic count definitely downgraded my prognosis. Typically a mitotic count of 1-2 is low and 9-10 is high. My score of 100 indicated that the cancer had been multiplying rapidly. I was told I'd have a 50% chance to live 2 years, and a 27% chance to live 5 years. That's when I immediately embarked on a total change of lifestyle, one that would nourish my physical body and create a pervasive sense of relaxation and well-being. If I was going to ask my immune system to prevent this cancer from returning, I had to do my part by adopting the best practices to optimize my own body’s healing ability.  

My number one goal each day is to stay peaceful and calm inside, like it feels when you've just had a massage, or upon awakening from a deep and peaceful sleep. Guided imagery, affirmations and meditation help me to do this, along with walks in nature, acupuncture and deep breathing. My second job is to focus on the physiological and biochemical needs of my body - my nutrition, my supplements, my juicing, my exercise... and so much more. Since my diagnosis my body demands that I put my physical and emotional health first, and I don't feel guilty about doing it. You will need to decide that your health is more important than anything else and that your full-time job is taking care of you. At first, this is all I want you to do.

Your mind can aid in making your body well, but you will need to be actively involved in the process. I recommend that you take time off from your job for at least one year after surgery. I waited two years before resuming part-time work. Right now your full-time job is to make yourself well. You will begin a rigorous program of mind-body training, detoxification, and exercise. Time will be needed to shop for organic foods, juice vegetables, and prepare nutritious raw, vegan meals. My husband and my mother both remind me that my job is to focus on wellness, and everything else must be subservient to that goal.

Your body listens and responds to your subconscious thoughts, so it is not enough just to verbalize that you are going to become well - you must believe it in your core, in your spirit, in your "energy," in your subconscious mind.

Right now, your mind is the battlefront. Focus on everything that is uplifting. 

Realize that when you entertain negative thoughts, your are effectively using negative guided imagery on yourself! 

Learn to listen to your heart - when your spirit is in balance, you will feel love, joy, peace, perseverance, gentleness, goodness, humility and self-control. When your spirit is out of balance and in distress, you will experience anger, resentment, hatred, bitterness, excessive worry, and the ultimate spiritual stronghold of cancer - fear.

I began this blog because when I was diagnosed there was NOTHING positive to read about survivors of Uterine Leiomyosarcoma. In fact, my doctor told me NOT to look it up on the internet! Since that time my blog has been reaching women all over the world, in nearly every country you can think of. I've also started a Facebook page where women and caregivers can comment and ask questions as well. 

I realize that if you are newly diagnosed, or if you are a caregiver of a newly diagnosed patient, that sifting though all of these blog pages can be a bit overwhelming. For that reason I have decided to write a book so that you can have the information at home in your own hands to refer to again and again. I hope to have my book available in the coming months. 

Remember that your body is designed to prevent cancer from multiplying. At one point, something got out of balance and your immune system failed to work properly. I know that stress played a huge role in my own cancer.  I also know that my body can change. It can be made well, nourished and strong, able to prevent the cancer from returning.

It has been five years since my diagnosis, and I have not had any recurrence of the disease. My body is preventing the cancer from returning. When I saw my doctor he said, " Remarkable! Remarkable! Keep doing what you are doing!" I most certainly will.