A Mind-Body revolution is underway

Drawing by Jo Lawrance

Do we become what we believe? How much do our views help determine our destiny? 

In this blog I hope to touch on some of the wider beliefs that come from our culture and our conditioning. Many of these we generally don't question. Such values and beliefs are spread by our society, in part to help us maintain social order; control cannot be maintained by physical means alone. These values and beliefs play a huge role in shaping our perceptions of our reality. We grow up with this, so it is hard to step back and see what is influencing us. 

Lama Nicholas Packard, author, teacher, healer and a regular visitor to my home town, Stroud (i), describes this saying;

“People, like fish who cannot see outside of the waters where they swim, cannot see outside of the culture in which they have been brought up. As a result they find themselves unable to question their values and beliefs because they are products of their own conditioning."

Drawing by Jo Lawrance

 

So what are some of these broader influences on our lives in the West?    

The first I will mention probably wont be new to many reading this blog; the mind-body split. This dates back to ancient Greeks, but it was Descartes who is credited with creating the scientific separation of mind and body. This was, in part, to avoid being accused of challenging the Church whose domain included mind and soul. 

The separation of mind and body has been part of our culture ever since and while things are changing it still plays a powerful role. The NHS continues to distinguish between mind and body; services are segregated and there often little interaction between them. For example not one of the doctors I’ve seen regarding my prostate cancer has mentioned anything about how the mind can impact on health, one even seemed dismissive when I tried to start a conversation about what else I could do. 

A second key influence on our lives has been the discoveries of Isaac Newton and how he saw the world in terms of mechanics. This has led to human beings also being considered in terms of mechanics. We are seen more as machines than as living beings, hence cancer treatment is seen in terms of chemical interventions, surgery or some form of technology. Lama Nicholas outlines the consequences of this. He says: 

“...taking responsibility for one’s community, one’s welfare, and one’s health and wellness - as well as taking care of oneself in terms of nutrition, disease prevention, and exercise; healthy living habits; calming the mind; and self-healing - have been deemphasised, discarded, and ignored."

In terms of illness (mental, social or physical) we too often seek and see 'outside causes' of disease. We are not invited to look inside for causes; our mind, thoughts, ego and desires are not seen as playing a part in our destiny or health. Yet in ancient times things were very different; human thoughts were seen as playing a key role in the causes of illness.

A Revolution is coming 

 

Today many are waking up to seeing things differently, seeing mind and body as one. Complimentary and alternative medicine already hold a more holistic view, but some would argue a revolution is now taking place in the Western medical community. Candace Pert, nearly twenty years ago (ii) established the biomolecular basis for our emotions and the connections between mind and body that were not imagined before by Western medicine. More recently Dr Lissa Rankin’s excellent book (iii) highlights how changing thoughts can change behaviours, which change your biochemistry. For example the study of epigenetics has now proved that our genes are actually fluid and influenced by our environment.

Professor Oliver Howes, a consultant psychiatrist, writes about emerging evidence that schizophrenia could be a disease of the immune system (iv), while there is new research linking low levels of chronic inflammation to depression. He says;

“In the past, we’ve always thought of the mind and the body being separate, but it’s just not like that. The mind and body interact constantly”.

Penny Brohn near Bristol

Cancer charity, Penny Brohn, note that UK oncology services are also seeing changes from the impact of holistic palliative care services, directives from central government and increasing pressure from patient-led groups and other cancer charities. 

Earlier in the year I was fortunate to join Penny Brohn's two-day residential ‘Living Well’ course with my partner (v). This was all about integrative care or “whole person cancer care”. They use the Bristol Whole Life Approach which looks to address the needs of the person as well as treating the disease - and I love the way it takes account of all aspects of our lives. It is a great tool to help build our own ‘treatment’ plans. Indeed I can recommend folk with a cancer diagnosis signing up for the course (and very wonderfully they are available free of charge although they welcome donations).

Copyright image of Bristol Whole Life Approach with permission from Penny Brohn

More recently I have joined the exercise group of the Gloucestershire Next Steps programme (vi), an NHS specialist cancer rehabilitation service, but what is interesting is that it is also looking wider at what can work alongside treatment like surgery, radiation or chemo. The course covers nutrition, stress, exercise and more; a recognition that we can play active roles in our healing and that the mind has a key part to play. The Next Steps team are hoping the NHS will now extend this two-year pilot programme, which I understand has already seen significant positive outcomes for participants.

It really does seem a revolution is underway, Western medicine is shifting, all be it very slowly. Many more of us are finding we can play an active part in our journeys to wellness.

Notes 

Penny Brohn

(i) Read his book "Riding the Dark Horse, And the Fall of Man” by Lama Nicholas Packard (2017) and see more including videos of his talks at Hawkwood College near Stroud: https://lama-nicholas.com/

(ii) “Molecules of Emotion” by Candace B. Pert (1999). See more at: http://candacepert.com/

(iii) “Mind Over Medicine” by Dr Lissa Rankin (2013). See more at: http://lissarankin.com/ and here's a link to a great hour long talk by Lissa: https://youtu.be/gcai0i2tJt0

(iv) See more re Professor Oliver Howes at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/12/mental-physical-health-link

(v) See more about the Approach at: https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/why-choose-us/what-we-do Also 'Integrative Whole-Person Oncology Care in the UK' by Catherine Zollman with Axel Walther, Helen E. Seers, Rachel C Joliffe and Marie J Polley (published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 2017, Issue 52 November 2017); https://academic.oup.com/jncimono/article/2017/52/lgx002/4617817?guestAccessKey=947aa9d2-c100-4927-85b1-6006d5edb3d0

(vi) See more re Next Steps at: https://www.glos-care.nhs.uk/our-services/specialist-care/macmillan-next-steps

A Cancer Festival?!

Trew Fields: the UK’s first Holistic Health and Cancer Awareness Festival

Cancer and Festival don’t seem to naturally go together? Indeed eyebrows raised when I shared with friends that I was planning to join the weekend. And yet, this is exactly what the world needs. A Festival of health that looks to change the way we treat cancer, think about cancer and speak about cancer. A Festival about empowering people and sharing knowledge and connection. A Festival that celebrates integrative medicine - in other words the very best of all medicines, orthodox, complementary, psycho-spiritual and self-help, for the treatment of illness and the prevention of illness. A Festival that is full of hope and fun. 

Here's my film of the weekend

Fermentation workshop

When I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer last September I was uneasy with the language of battling cancer. Yet I was so engulfed in confusion and fear, even terror, and trying to unpick treatment options in those first weeks, that I found myself also adopting that language. 'I will beat this. I will win. I will conquer it'. The subtext of course, is that we are either cancer’s attackers or its victims. If you survive, you have 'beaten' cancer; if you die you have 'lost your battle' - however bravely you fought.

The Boobmobile

I thank Sophie Sabbage for helping me see it differently. In her wonderful, inspiring, life-changing book, ‘The Cancer Whisperer’ with the wonderful subtitle 'Finding Courage, Direction and the Unlikely Gifts of Cancer’, she wrote about how she had cancer, but cancer did not have her; how cancer brings us an invitation to look within ourselves and decide who we are and how we wish to live. So rather than seeing cancer as the enemy we can see it as a teacher or guide (see article by Sophie here). To fight it, felt like going to war with myself. Cancer is in us - and rather than a war, it is a chance to work at putting things right.

Sophie asks: ‘What if cancer is the body’s last attempt to save its own life? What if its purpose is not to extinguish us but to heal?'

Fire dancing

And wow, Trew Fields was all about that. This was the second Festival and took place on a farm near Guildford (7/8th July). It was the brainchild of another Sophie - Sophie Trew who was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2014, She built her own integrative recovery plan and wanted to use her learning as a 'force for good’. Well the Festival is certainly a force for good. It was so beautifully put together with camping in the next-door field, a number of stalls of clearly carefully selected organisations, a main cancer awareness stage with many talks and discussions with doctors, health and wellbeing practitioners and cancer ‘thrivers’. There was also a whole very varied programme of workshops from yoga, essential oils and chanting to a Wim Hoff ice bath (yes I did get in), breathing and fermentation. 

The Ice Bath

And of course no Festival would be complete without music, dance and food. The main music stage had a great line-up but there were also other experiences like the Sunday morning silent disco where we had guided dance via headphones. Best of all was the wonderful vegan food which included Buddha boxes, smoothies, juices, burgers, kefir cocktails, crafted beers, refined sugar-free cakes and the exceptionally good barista coffee from Four Fillies.

But actually the Festival was so much more than the amazing talks, food and music - it was about a different conversation, about listening, living as well as possible, about fun, laughter and hope, about connection, sharing stories, learning, prevention, integrative medicine and so much more. 

The Ice Bath by Jo Lawrance

It was about reframing the aggressive mainstream narrative  surrounding cancer into how we can nurture ourselves and bring more balance back into our lives. Indeed I was blown away time and time again over the weekend; the generosity, welcome and warmth of those running the Festival and those participating. Somehow people seemed to connect almost instantly; cancer opening doors but wonderfully, no judgements. Indeed Sophie Trew described the atmosphere of the 2017 Festival as 'like walking into a giant hug’; that’s also a great description of this years Festival.

Thank you to all who made the Festival possible - and so inspired me and many others on our journeys to wellness. I love Sophie Trew's dream of taking this life-changing Festival to other countries - am sure it will happen - and I’ll certainly be putting next years Festival dates (5th/7th July) in my diary.

Four Fillies coffee; the best!

Trew Fields are hoping to add to their website many of the talks by doctors and cancer thrivers; sign up for their newsletter on their website: https://trewfields.com

Here more about the Festival in this podcast on UK Health Radio. 

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This blog also appears in Yes to LIfe's blog, Penny Brohn's blog and linked from the Cotswold Prostate Cancer Support Group.