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A MULTIDIMENSIONAL HEALING FROM CANCER by Jocelyn Elder, MA, RN, LPCC, LADAC My personal relationship with cancer has spanned almost twenty years. In December of 1986, the day after the birth of my first child, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had to have my left kidney removed. Nine years later, when I was managing a psychiatric and chemical dependency hospital, I found that my cancer had metastasized to my left lung. I worked for another year, not knowing what to do, then found out I had good disability insurance, so I decided to go on disability and take care of myself. Three months after I went on disability, I had an unusual headache at the top of my skull that would not go away. I went to the doctor and he ordered an MRI, which revealed I had a three cm. sized tumor in the cerebellum, at the base of the brain. I endured three brain surgeries over a six-month period of time.
I was devastated beyond redemption. How could this be happening to me? Me, who stood for health, helping others and holistic healing? I am a registered nurse and a licensed psychotherapist. I knew I was working too much and not taking care of myself as I should, but this seemed so severe. I saw my illness as a recurring phenomenon that warranted immediate life change. Trained in holism, both as a nurse and later as a psychotherapist, I applied my training and the compassion and assistance I had extended to others to help heal my diseased body and shattered soul.
I had to change my life to what I knew was healthy for me. I divorced my alcoholic husband (after many unsuccessful attempts with therapists to save our ailing marriage). I saw that my overworking was to compensate for the difficulty my ex-husband had in paying his share of the bills. I engaged in many forms of complementary and spiritual treatments. I enjoyed being home and being there for my children when they arrived home after a long day at school, and I learned to shift my all-consuming fear to joy as I took pleasure in the simple things of life. It has now been over eight years since the divorce. The brain tumor, which was treated with radiation, has not returned. The lung tumors have slowly receded in size (without medical intervention), and I am no longer anxious about them. I felt much more at ease after the divorce, and this was reflected in the cessation of the cancer growth.
Although I appreciate all that allopathic medicine did in treating my cancer and saving my life, it was essential for me to include many other types of medicine during my healing. Also, I did not do everything that was recommended to me by the physicians. I refused to do whole-brain irradiation, since I was told one of the potential side effects was permanent Alzheimer's-like symptoms. I do not do CT scans nearly as often as my physicians would like. Since it will be twenty years from my original diagnosis of cancer, I am very concerned about the amount of radiation my body has absorbed over the years.
My recovery from cancer included many and varied therapies, from traditional allopathic medicine to medical intuitives and Ayurvedic healing. Since I had many spiritual experiences as a young adult and witnessed many healings and ceremonies at Zuni Pueblo, where I spent one year working early in my career, I was open to different and unusual forms of healing treatment. Here is a partial list of many of the treatments I participated in over the years. I believe doing all these treatments prompted a synergistic healing effect, which further intensified my body‘s healing response:
Allopathy, Ayurveda, Body/Mind Integrative Therapy, Reiki, Counseling, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Polarity Therapy, Medical Intuitives, Acupuncture, Gem/Stone Therapy, Yoga, Flower Essences, Diet, Vitamins, Meditation, Working with Angels, Prayer, Exercise, Chanting and Listening to Sanskrit and other tones.
I have written a manuscript, mostly memoir, detailing my personal experience and development of the cancer wheel, a tool which can be used personally or professionally to aid the healing process from severe illness, or to be used as a guide for spiritual growth and development. The wheel has six polarities, which need to come into balance for an individual to return to equilibrium after the devastation we experience in severe illness or other life crises and to continue on in healing and recovery. I am writing a second book (not a memoir) detailing how the cancer wheel can be used both personally and professionally, to restore wellness after the devastation of serious illness.
Inherent in the use of the wheel and returning to balance is the concept that this needs to occur in the three dimensions of existence: physical, psychological and spiritual. All three dimensions affect each other, and it is imperative to address all three dimensions for a complete recovery to occur. Especially when an illness tends to recur (as in my case), often there is a factor in one of the dimensions which has not fully been addressed. Our physical bodies are deeply connected to both the mental and spiritual dimensions, and a complete healing necessitates that we, as practitioners, fully ensure that all dimensions are addressed. I have coined the term, multidimensional as it alludes to the necessity of addressing these dimensions in every healing journey. As I am writing my second manuscript, I am very grateful for my health and willingness to use complementary healing techniques and have faith in the ability of the human body to heal after the devastation of serious illness. I will soon be looking for a literary agent to represent me and am confident that my personal healing and recovery can assist others as they employ a multidimensional perspective on healing. For more information contact: JocelynElder@msn.com ©2006 by Jocelyn Elder. All Rights Reserved. |