“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”~ Max Planck
Thought, Emotions and Illness
Western medicine has always viewed illness from the perspective that it can only be cured with drugs or surgery. But when illness is viewed using a more holistic approach we can see that everything has a mind- body connection, giving us much more control over any given situation.
Your state of the mind will influence your state of the body…. and vise versa. If you can learn to master your thoughts and emotions, you take charge of your health. Mediation, visualization, making conscious statements, prayer, surrender, gratitude, and healing exercises are all ways of taking control of your emotional life. You can find more information about them with this link.
“If you want 
to heal the body,
you must first heal the mind.” Plato
Transcending fear may be one of the most important obstacles to overcome. Fear will cloud your judgement and prevent you from fully assessing your situation. You may be pressured into a therapy that is ineffective if you are not given the time to research the best treatment options available for your situation.
Meditation, writing in a journal, and reading about how others survived cancer are all very helpful things to do, but sometimes fear can be too overwhelming and paralyze you from moving forward. One suggestion might be to release your fears using a ceremonial ritual.
- Write a letter to God, or other religious figure, or to the Universe.
- Include in this letter all of your worst fears and torturous thoughts. The goal is to purge your negative emotions and put them into this letter.
- The next step would be to release them. Go to a natural setting, or set up an altar of sorts in your home, and pray for healing from your emotional and physical burdens.
- As you pray, you will burn (or release in some other way) your letter.
- Your goal is to face all of your fear fully and then to release them fully, and hopefully afterwards, you are able to move forward and concentrate all of your emotional energy on your healing.
The Power of Prayer
Sending healing thoughts and blessings to others
In his book, There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about sending silent blessings to all of people you meet throughout the day. He says that sending blessings to others will return these blessings back to you. The postman, the grocer, the librarian, even people who you feel have been rude to you are still entitled to a blessing. Why? Because you don’t know the personal anguish that another is feeling at this very moment when you are having contact with them.
We are all experiencing the same emotions-whether it is love, hate jealousy, or anger, and we are all experiencing extreme pain, loss, and unbelievable fear, and the fear of sickness or death can be the most overwhelming of all. So all people are entitled to blessings, and so are you….Send healing thoughts to others and God will return those healing blessings to you tenfold. Dr Dyer uses the Prayer of Peace, of St. Francis of Assisi to demonstrate the power of sending love, peace, and forgiveness to others and then being the recipient of those blessing as well. It is a beautiful and inspirational prayer to use as a meditation.
- Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
- Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
- Where there is injury, pardon;
- Where there is doubt, faith;
- Where there is despair, hope;
- Where there is darkness, light;
- Where there is sadness, joy;
- Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not seek to be consoled as to console;
- To be understood, as to understand;
- To be loved, as to love;
- For it is in giving that we receive;
- It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
- And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life
Cultivating Gratitude “Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” ~ Seneca
There are people who have looked back at their struggle with cancer and were able to say that they were thankful that cancer had come into their lives.
Some feel this way because cancer taught them how to live differently, not taking moments for granted, not taking health for granted, and hopefully becoming a better person in the process.
Through all suffering, it is important to find something to be thankful for. One way is to focus on your breathing and be thankful for having the energy and the ability to be able to take that breath. Say a prayer of gratitude each night and list the things which you are thankful for, and focus your attention on those things. Perhaps, as you focus more energy on the positive aspects of your life, you will find that you can expand those positive feelings into your healing plan.
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Dr Wayne Dyer on the Power of Intention
Recommended reading:
There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, by Wayne Dyer