BRiC's Collective Voice: Complementary Therapies and Resilience; Aug. 28, 2019.

'It’s not necessarily about being pampered, although this can feel good, it’s more about the support and kindness of another human being.'

Our discussion topic focussed on complementary therapies and their effectiveness in helping us to build our resilience following a breast cancer diagnosis. Our members have tried counselling, mindfulness, CBT, acupuncture, meditation, reflexology, Reiki, tai chi, hypnotherapy and so on. A good therapist will listen to how we feel and offer appropriate therapies to suit our needs. Some therapies offer a quick fix, perhaps feeling more relaxed or targetting something specific like acupuncture for hot flushes. Others may take time to be effective, such as counselling, and things may get worse before a positive effect is seen.

Getting the timing right when trying a longer term therapy such as counselling is key, as acting too soon after diagnosis may result in a negative experience which may be off-putting for later when the talking therapy may be more useful. The trauma of a breast cancer diagnosis may take some time to process, and trying to crystalise our feelings may be harmful if taken on at a time when numbness is a useful self-protection mechanism. A good therapist will help us to make the right judgement at the right time.

Self-awareness can be profoundly liberating when achieved via counselling, CBT, psychotherapy or other kind of talking therapy, but it can also be very challenging work. We have to be ready to face our fears, to dig deep inside and look at what we have been through, what it means to us, now and in the future.

Our members have all had a primary diagnosis of breast cancer and many are living with a secondary diagnosis. Many reported finding the relaxation therapies very helpful both during and just after treatment, Reiki and reflexology proving very popular. Many cancer hospitals and centres offer these types of therapies to cancer patients free of charge and many of our members took advantage of this. Massage is also very relaxing, but many beauty salons and spas won’t offer massage to people who’ve had cancer without a letter from a GP or other medical professional, so it’s worth being aware of this when inquiring.

Sound therapy has been tried by a few of us and has helped considerably with fatigue. Herbal remedies have been used alongside our traditional medication to enhance healing and wellbeing and to counteract the side effects of our post-cancer medicines.

Some of us have shied away from complementary therapies, perhaps seeing themselves as someone who ‘just wants to get on with it.’ Personal wellbeing practices such as meditation and journalling are helpful. Others have taken a ‘bury my head in the sand’ approach, believing they don’t need or wouldn’t benefit from additional help. Calming meditative activities such as crochet, knitting and sewing are popular, providing both focus and distraction. Some of us feel that exercise is our therapy, we run or practice yoga or walk in nature.

Some of us are unclear on what therapies might be available and whether we have access to them as cancer patients. Many centres continue to support patients for up to 5 years after diagnosis, and those with a secondary diagnosis may find they have open access to their local centre. However some centres only actively offer complementary therapies during and just after treatment and this may not suit us, particularly if we are working as much as we can through treatment. Therapies offered vary considerably by region, and sometimes we may decide to find our own private therapists. It is key to trust the therapist and believe in the treatments undertaken. For some of us, we want to go to therapists who have been through cancer themselves, and/or have had specialist training in working with cancer patients.

Counselling is generally offered as a series of six sessions which may not be long enough to be fully effective, and as private counselling is expensive this can be a problem. Scratching the surface and opening up deep wounds but not following them through may leave issues unresolved once the counselling stops. Some of us have had unpleasant experiences with therapies, and it’s worth taking the time to find the right one at the right time, and to check qualifications of the therapist.

As a group we believe that psychological help should be part of the package of treatment following a cancer diagnosis, with much better information about how to access complementary therapies and what they can do for us. Counselling can be helpful even many years after diagnosis, and relaxation therapies provide an ongoing support for wellbeing whatever stage we are at. Self-care is so important following a cancer diagnosis and many of the relaxing therapies give us time and space to focus on our wellbeing, to feel cared for. It’s not necessarily about being pampered, although this can feel good, it’s more about the support and kindness of another human being.

If you are a woman living in the UK with a breast cancer diagnosis and you would like to join our private group, please leave your name in the comments or send us a private message.

BRiC's Collective Voice. Mindfulness: Its benefits and drawbacks. Aug. 2, 2019

‘Many reported finding mindfulness helpful during periods of relative calm in their lives, but found it too hard to do when very stressed or sad.’

This week we discussed mindfulness, its benefits and drawbacks.

So what is mindfulness? Here is one dictionary definition:

‘a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.’

Mindfulness has become a fashionable panacea for all trauma and distress, the modern antidote to frantic living. Courses are available in abundance, and it’s commonly taught in the workplace and even in schools. There is little research on how it actually works on the brain, and feedback is mixed on its efficacy, with some reports even finding it to be the opposite of helpful. Mindfulness is prevalent in the buddhist tradition and can include meditation and prayer. Some studies show it improves concentration, can help with a good night’s sleep, enhances quality of life.

Many of our women, all of whom have had a breast cancer diagnosis, some primary, some secondary, have found mindfulness very useful. It can be calming in stressful situations to breathe deeply and simply focus on the self or on our surroundings. However, focusing on our emotions can bring up all sorts of negativity and as a result, far from calming the mind, it can cause panic or upset. Accepting a flood of emotion in the moment, when what we are seeking is distraction from a difficult current situation, can be frightening. The idea that with practice we can actually control our thoughts and feelings is perhaps an attractive one, but it is difficult to master, and even more difficult to put into practice when most needed.

The link between body and mind is also the subject of much research, and it is undisputed that relaxing the body via breathing exercises can calm the mind. The vagus nerve is affected by controlled deep breathing and this has been shown to improve equilibrium. Acceptance is what mindfulness teaches, acceptance that the present moment is as it is, and that we are safe in that moment, despite what is going on inside us and outside us. It’s not resignation, a giving in type of acceptance, it’s an empowering peaceful way of keeping ourselves grounded. As one of our members put it, ‘(there are) subtle and not so subtle feelings that can emerge when we are focusing, and how in riding the waves of those feelings, we can drift safely back to shore.’

Visualising a calming scene when we’re feeling anxious can be a useful form of mindfulness - imagining being on a beach with the waves lapping against the shore can be helpful in counteracting the stress of a medical scan, for example.

Our women described many different ways of using mindfulness. Some of us have attended formal courses, some have used online apps, some have read books, some are self-taught. Some are using breathing techniques for relaxation without knowing much about mindfulness, others have taken elements of what we’ve learned, perhaps meditation or a body scan, and we use these to help them to calm our racing brains. Others have picked up on techniques of mindful eating and use these to address healthy eating issues. Yoga may be seen as a moving form of mindfulness, focusing as it does on proper breathing and fusing body and mind in relaxing movement.

Many of us probably practice a form of mindfulness unknowingly. Any focussed task that takes concentration can be done mindfully, and in a way that brings calm and relaxation. Crochet and knitting are a great example. This type of craft is both a distraction and a mindful activity, repetitive and calming.

For deep-seated trauma, such as may be caused by a breast cancer diagnosis, mindfulness may not be the right ‘therapy’ to address the issues. For some, mindfulness brings on sadness and panic, and this is a common reaction and often seen as failure. However this is perfectly normal and just means that mindfulness doesn’t suit everyone. It’s become so prevalent, everyone seems to be doing it. Mindfulness uses bodily sensations to connect to the present, through breathing or observing sensations in the body, and for those in pain or with scars and ‘broken bodies’ this means facing our trauma head on, which is just too much for many. Many reported finding mindfulness helpful during periods of relative calm in their lives, but found it too hard to do when very stressed or sad, for instance following a bereavement.

Perhaps instead of practising mindfulness we could consider slowing down our pace of life, so that we are naturally mindful of our own needs, the needs of others. For those with secondary breast cancer, this slowing down may be enforced by health needs, and for some it reveals a different way of living, a more mindful way of being. Would we actually be better off spending time with a good friend, really connecting, really listening to what’s going on in their lives, as opposed to taking time out alone to focus on ourselves? There is a lot to be said for mindful living.

Mindfulness has found a place in our world and its popularity speaks for its efficacy. However, it doesn’t take the place of talking therapies for deep issues and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) Perhaps the best use of it is to find what works for you and practice that.

If you are a woman living in the UK with a breast cancer diagnosis and you would like to join our private group, please leave your name in the comments or send us a private message.

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