Nurturing Your Spirit

Cancer can challenge your mind, heart, and spirit every bit as much as it challenges your body.

You have many strengths and resources to draw upon during your cancer journey—through diagnosis, treatment, and healing. These might include: your team of medical professionals, your family and friends, your own participation in your care, and perhaps your spiritual faith or other beliefs.

It is very common for people with cancer to find themselves thinking more about their spiritual and religious beliefs than they did before their diagnosis. Some rely on foundations that have long been part of their lives, or they turn back to a spirituality or religion that they have allowed to lapse. Some people, conversely, may feel alienated from their previously held beliefs.  Whatever the case, it is normal and natural to explore spiritual questions when faced with a disease such as cancer.

Until recently, cancer care was defined only within a narrow medical framework—what type and stage was the disease and how would it be treated? There's now more attention given to the roles of the heart, mind, and spirit in the healing process, beginning right at diagnosis.

Comprehensive cancer care in many oncology practices and hospitals now includes consideration of such issues. Research shows that religious involvement or a sense of spiritual well-being may help lessen anxiety, depression, and distress; reduce isolation; increase optimism; and foster feelings of personal growth and life satisfaction. Studies have found that these effects can be beneficial to patients and loved ones, regardless of the cancer diagnosis or prognosis.

Your doctors and other health professionals may or may not talk with you about your spiritual beliefs. If you want to talk about this with them, feel free to raise the subject. Most doctors want to know everything they can to better understand you as a person and to treat you as fully, effectively, and respectfully as possible.

Some ways you can explore spiritual care include:

• Meet with a spiritual counselor, either through your religious affiliation or by recommendation from a cancer center or medical professional.
• Find a faith-based or spiritually oriented support group. Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and other religious organizations sponsor patient and family groups in hospitals, churches, homes, and elsewhere. To find a group:
  • Check with your own clergy, if you are religiously affiliated.
  • Talk with a hospital chaplain or social worker. They often know local faith-based or spiritual support groups.
• If you’re comfortable with prayer or meditation, develop ways to incorporate those practices into your daily life.
• Attend faith services or spirituality programs aimed at a wider population than just cancer patients. These can help you build personal connections, enjoy life, and find healing.
• Consider using spiritual counseling no matter where you are in diagnosis, treatment, or recovery. Even if you don’t go regularly throughout your treatment phase, you may want to revisit the counselor if you encounter emotional or physical difficulties later on.
• Find out more by reading about spirituality and cancer. One good place to start is on this website by going to Dr. Jeremy Geffen’s The Seven Levels of Healing. This is a pioneering integrative oncology program that addresses the body, mind, heart, and spirit and is also described in detail in his book, The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person.