types of mind therapies
There are so many different types of mind therapies that we can’t discuss them all here. Some of them will not be suitable for everyone so choose the ones that you think you'll like. You should also always tell your complementary therapist that you have cancer. All complementary therapists should be registered with a professional organisation. It’s safer for you to be treated by someone who is registered.
Some of these therapies are available in hospitals across the UK free of charge or for a small fee so ask what’s available at your hospital.
counselling
This is something that quite often happens anyway between friends or families. A person doesn’t have to be a trained counsellor for you to feel better by talking to them. If you find talking to your close family and friends difficult, the section on talking about tough issues can give you some suggestions or your nurses can tell you how to contact a counsellor.
relaxation
Simple breathing and relaxation exercises are very useful in helping you to stay calm and reducing the effects of stress on the body like muscle tension and digestive problems. Almost anyone can learn how to do it. You can also get relaxation CD's. These can be bought at most book or music shops, or your local library may stock them.
relaxation techniques
Find yourself a quiet and peaceful place to do these relaxation exercises. Lie down or sit upright in a comfortable position with your shoulders, neck and back well supported, with your arms by your sides or hands cradled on your lap. This technique can take practice. Try it for perhaps 5–10 minutes once a day to start off with.
- Close your eyes gently
- Start by breathing out first and then breathe in, just as much as you need. Breathe out slowly with a slight sigh, like a balloon slowly deflating. Do this again, as slowly as you can, and as you breathe out feel any tension in your body begin to drain away. Try to keep your breathing at an even, steady pace.
- Once you feel comfortable doing this, you can move on to the next stage:
- Think of different parts of your body in turn.
- Start with your toes and check they are relaxed, comfortable and still.
- Now think about your legs and allow your calves and thighs to relax and roll outwards.
- Next, let your tummy muscles become soft and relaxed.
- Think about your fingers and let them become limp and still. Do the same with your arms and shoulders.
- Let your shoulders relax and drop easily.
- If you are sitting, your neck muscles will relax if your head is held upright, resting easily balanced on top of your spine, or supported against the back of the chair.
- Relax your face; make sure your teeth are not clenched and let your jaw rest in a relaxed position.
- Now, instead of thinking about parts of your body, be aware of the all-over feeling of letting go, of quiet, calm, restfulness and stillness. Stay like this, concentrating on keeping your breathing steady. If your mind starts becoming busy again, check out where your muscles have tensed up, and relax them. Get up slowly when you’ve finished.
Once you feel comfortable doing those exercises, it can help to imagine pleasant or peaceful surroundings or to listen to some relaxing music. Relaxation can be used together with meditation and visualisation.
visualisation
This is creating images in your mind (pictures and stories). By imagining a peaceful scene, you can make yourself feel relaxed, and by imagining yourself as healthy you can affect your health. For example, you might imagine:
- that you are lying in a field full of beautiful flowers
- that you are healthy and strong
- that your healthy cells are knights fighting the cancer cells
- or that the sun’s rays are shining on you, warming you and giving you strength.
Many people say that visualising themselves as stronger helps them to feel better. It can make the symptoms and side effects of cancer and it’s treatments less. Research is being done to see if visualisation can improve the results of treatment for people with cancer.
hypnotherapy
This can be very helpful in improving some of the side effects of chemo and radiotherapy, like feeling sick. In this treatment, the hypnotherapist leads you into a deeply relaxed state. Don’t worry, you are not hypnotised so that someone else can control you, you are still aware of what is happening around you. The therapist then makes some suggestions that can benefit you in different ways like feeling better or getting some control over your symptoms.
art therapy
This is when you use art such as drawing, painting or sculpting to express your feelings such as anger or fear. It’s not about making a masterpiece (so you don’t have to be good at art) but more about you showing how you are really feeling. It can be done in groups or one-to-one. The pent-up feelings that come out can then be discussed in counselling or group sessions.
healing
Healers believe that there is healing energy all around us. This energy flows through them and into the person they are healing. Depending on where or when it is used, it can be known as spiritual or faith healing, contact healing or therapeutic touch.
meditation
This is using mental exercises to deeply relax and calm the mind to help to lessen feelings of fear, pain, anxiety and depression. This may allow you to feel more in control of yourself and your life. It can be helpful to practice in a group until you know how to do it. Also it would be good to talk about your meditation regularly to an experienced meditation practitioner.
