My Mindset & Cancer

Two years ago today I was at a clinic in Mexico receiving treatment for cancer.

Diagnosis

The day I recieved my diagnosis was the day everything changed for me. Immediately the world looked different, I felt different & I also somehow sensed this was to be the beginning of a very transformative journey.

I instinctively knew there was an emotional & mental component that I would have to address in order to truly heal. Up to this point, I had spent years in talk therapy & had experience with various healing modalities. However, I soon realized these therapeutic techniques were not able to get to the root of what was keeping me sick and stuck.

Decisions

Choosing to seek treatment in Mexico was not an easy decision, nor was it one that I made hastily. But, it was evident that what the conventional doctors were willing to offer me was not an opportunity to truly, deeply heal.

I was treated as just another cog in the machine and never once was I given the opportunity to meet with an oncologist to discuss treatment options. A nurse simply called and told me the treatment plan - with no consideration for the emotions, fears, questions or concerns that I had. I was not viewed as a human but rather as just another patient file.

After being ignored, dehumanized, shamed and manipulated with fear by the local medical staff, my decision was made for me and I began my journey to Mexico. . .

Up to this point, I had had multiple conversations with the oncologists in Mexico in which I was not rushed, my feelings were validated, my questions answered and my concerns addressed. I was asked about my children and my work and my hobbies. I was seen and treated as an actual human!

They did not attempt to pressure me or cause me to feel any fear. They were joining me on this journey and honoring the decisions I made about my body.

The First Night

My first night at the clinic the doctor came to my room to conduct my intake exam. The physical portion of the exam lasted about 20 minutes. He then sat across from me, looked me in the eyes and asked me to tell him everything about myself & everything I could remember about my past - including what my childhood was like, what traumas I experienced, who I sought comfort from or if I did, how my parents disciplined, if I was shy or outgoing as a child, how many siblings I had, how my relationship was with them then and now.

He asked for details on my marriage and how I processed the emotions from that relationship. He asked about my current relationships and support system. He asked if I allowed myself to feel my emotions or if I suppressed them. He asked about my religious upbringing and current spiritual beliefs.

These questions were presented with pure curiosity and compassion and there was no undertone of judgement or criticism of any kind.

He could sense my hesitancy and resistence to sharing so vulnerably with him and yet his pure presence allow me to open up more and more.

More Questions

He asked and asked and asked. . . and more importantly he listened. He was genuinely interested in me as a human being - he wanted to understand me as an individual with emotions, beliefs, thoughts, ideas, family, dreams and fears. And he created the time and space to listen to and encourage the sharing of my past experiences.

Once he left my room I layed in bed and somehow felt better. For the first time since my diagnosis I felt lighter. For the first time in forever, I felt seen. It was in that moment I realized there is healing in being witnessed for all of our humanness. That night was confirmation that there was a mental and emotional component connected to the cancer growing in my body and if I intended to experience true and lasting healing I could no longer ignore or avoid that fact.

Beliefs

Up to this point in my life, I had spent years in talk therapy & had experience with various healing modalities. However, I quickly learned these therapeutic techniques were not able to get to the root of what was keeping me sick and stuck. These techniques did not allow me to access the subconscious beliefs that I had adopted as a child - these limiting beliefs about my worth, my sense of safety and my enoughness.

It wasn’t until I began doing my own subconscious work that I was able to excavate the limiting beliefs that were hidden within my own blind spots. I realized that these beliefs (which I wasn’t even aware of) had dictated every aspect of my life including playing a role in creating the cancer within my body.

I became empowered when I realized - if my beliefs helped create disease within my body - then my beliefs can also help heal my body.

Messengers

Every thought we think and every emotion we have creates a chemical reaction throughout the body. Our cells are always waiting for these cues and then responding accordingly. The messages are either ones of health and ease or stress and dis-ease.

So, if we suppress emotions, live in prolonged state of stress, ignore out intuition, fail to express our needs, put others needs above our own & continue to betray ourselves in this and other ways - our bodies are not able to operate in a harmonious and healthy way. . . overtime this dis-ease accumulates in our cells and eventually manifests as disease in our physical bodies.

Mindset

The thoughts we have are responsible for the emotions we experience and these emotions are the energy that send the messages to our cells.

All of these thoughts are based on how we internalized our past experiences and traumas - they are the stories we tell ourselves about who we are because of what happened to us.

These stories create our belief system and are programmed into our subconscious minds at a very young age. Because these beliefs were created by a child’s mind they aren’t always reasonable or logical and this makes them even more difficult, if not impossible to identify on our own as they are not within our conscious awareness.

These beliefs are rooted in inadequacy, insecurity and scarcity and despite our best intentions, until we dissolve these beliefs we will continue to sabotage ourselves, repeat painful patterns and feel frustrated and unsatisfied with our lives.

When we are finally able to access these beliefs, we can identify the ones that are limiting us and keeping us sick and stuck in life. By dissolving these beliefs we become available for an abundant life and optimized health.

The Mind

I have learned and grown so much these past couple of years and I have come to know that in order to achieve optimal health one must incorporate the power of their mind.

Our minds are the most powerful space we have and it is often cluttered with beliefs and memories that prevent us from living vital and healthy lives.

Cleaning up the space of our minds is an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to healing and balancing our bodies and unfortunately it is also often overlooked, ignored and under resourced.

My Passion

I feel so strongly about this in fact that I now help others optimize their health by harnessing the power of their minds.

Every individual has everything within them to heal and I am passionate about guiding them to clear the clutter from their minds, release the beliefs that are keeping them sick and stuck and step into a more empowered state of health and wellness.

If you aren’t thriving in your body I invite you to begin to bring awareness to the most powerful space of all - your mind!