Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Healing Circle Book Chapter Blog: Chapter Two – Setting an Intention to Heal

Join us by reading one chapter per week of our book The Healing Circle which includes inspiring true stories and teaching from the ‘Skills for Healing’ Cancer Weekend Retreats. Each week we will post the next chapter of our book, links to related video, and a blog about the chapter. Learn about recent scientific advances in the body-mind-spirit connection, updates of the people featured in our book, and our reflections on each chapter. Read the whole book for free by accessing the previous blog posts. Please send us your comments and questions! Deep peace and healing,Rob Rutledge, MD and Timothy Walker, PhD.

Read Chapter Two: Setting an Intention to Heal

Watch the Video: In this first visualization, Rob shows how we can always generate loving kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others. Please follow this safe and easy visualization as you listen along. Watch the video.

Blog by Dr. Timothy Walker

Over the years of working as a counselor and psychotherapist I have repeatedly been moved by what happens when people give rise to a strong intention to heal. It reminds me of the old joke, “How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.” Contemplating this simple concept has, in no small way, transformed my practice. When people consistently hold the intention to heal, they heal, in one way or another.

In the world of cancer there are many remarkable stories of people who say that they would not accept their prognosis as framed by their doctor, and instead, based on a deep intuition, began to envision themselves healing. The story of Geoff Eaton in our book is one such story of a young man who faced two bouts of leukemia. During the first bout, he had a focused determination to heal which he framed as a hockey player going through the Stanley Cup playoffs, with each round of chemotherapy representing a hockey game. When his cancer recurred two years later, he took a more gentle, intuitive, and spiritual approach combined with his bone marrow transplant. (Geoff is cancer-free and well now, 12 years later). Another man we recently met at our Winnipeg retreat has had five distinct cancer diagnoses over thirty years and his oncologist says, “If I knew why you’re still alive, I would be awarded the Nobel Prize.”

Nevertheless the intention to heal is tricky. Wishful thinking and hoping for a good outcome are not the same as setting a strong intention to heal. The difference has to do with holding your attention in the present moment and paying attention to your current state of mind. The intention to heal is in fact an ongoing, moment-to-moment practice of mindfulness and loving-kindness.

Think about an airplane on automatic pilot going from New York to Toronto. The wind may be constantly blowing the plane off target. One moment it blows it off course to the east another moment off course to the west. What the autopilot does is constantly reset the plane to adjust to these strong environmental factors realigning it back on target. By the time the plane lands it was probably off course as much as it was on course but it still lands on the runway in Toronto.

Meditation works the same way. There are many forces within our own being, in our lives, and in our environment that can blow us off course. But when we set a strong intention to practice mindfulness we are gradually training an inner system of our mind’s natural capacity for awareness that brings us back to the present and back to our wholesome intentions.

Once we set an intention to constantly bring ourselves back to the present, next we can set an intention to practice loving ourselves no matter what. We can set an intention to be grateful for all of the good in our life and to love life in each moment. In the midst of this kind of practice we can also set a strong intention to heal and to grow in whatever way is right for us at this point in our journey of life.

There is a story that Tara Brach (director of the insight meditation center in the greater Washington DC area) tells of the Zen teacher who gave a 5-second talk on meditation. He stood up and said “Meditation is about intention and attention.” Then he sat down. Very pithy!

Growing our capacity to give rise to clear intentions and then learning through mindfulness to consistently bring ourselves back to these intentions is an essential practice in aligning mind, body and spirit into their natural potential for healing.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Previous Chapters:

Introductory Chapter: Before The Beginning

The Healing Circle Book Chapter Blog: Chapter One – My Healing Journey

Read Chapter One: The Healing Circle Chapter 1

Watch the Video: Body-Mind-Spirit Connection Talk at CBCN Breast Cancer Conference. Dr. Rutledge outlines “Complete Breast Cancer Care”, the integration of conventional medical care with scientifically-proven and wisdom-based healing techniques and attitudes which maximize the chance of recovery. Beyond providing this practical and integrated approach, Dr. Rutledge will show how our attitude to our own healing journey can influence the outcome. Included are the stories of ordinary yet remarkable people who have transformed the cancer journey into a journey of the spirit.

Blog by Dr. Rob Rutledge

“The Healing Circle is what it claims to be: An integration of science, wisdom and compassion that touches one’s heart while guiding one’s mind to embrace the wholeness that every human can feel and understand. By drawing on the wisdom and experience shared in this book, life’s difficulties can truly become blessings which help us heal our lives.” Bernie Siegel, MD

Twenty-five years after reading Love, Medicine and Miracles, I sat in a cancer support group with its author, Dr. Bernie Siegel, the surgeon/teacher who inspired me to become an oncologist and run weekend retreats. At the monthly meeting, twenty people with differing backgrounds and cancer experiences crammed around a board room table. Each person spoke in turn about what was happening in their lives, sharing their struggles and triumphs while everyone listened attentively.

Bernie, with bald head and sparking eyes, looked remarkable spry for a man in his seventies. He responded to each person in turn with lines like “These are the attributes of an exceptional survivor”, simultaneously teaching the group and addressing the person. After one feisty elderly woman spoke he nodded and smiled. “Yes, I remember you, we’ve had our disagreements here…” Apparently she had attended the support group on and off for years, often arguing with its leader. Bernie was honest and direct, but I also got the strong sense that he truly loved every person there.

On my turn, I shared my passion for empowering people affected by cancer and my incredible gratitude for attending Bernie’s professional retreat in 1990. Bernie seemed to glow as I spoke, perhaps reflecting on the idea that his wisdom and love were being passed on to so many others via the Healing and Cancer Foundation. For a second time in my life, I left Bernie absolutely certain that I was on the right path.

The second reflection on this chapter is how the science of the body-mind-spirit connection has evolved since we wrote our book. In the last five years, there has been an explosion of studies being published on brain science proving that our brains continue to grow and change throughout of lifetimes. It’s exciting because by practicing simple techniques like “Taking in the good” we can sculpt the brain to change passing states of mind into lasting traits – literally choosing how we can experience the world. We can use this science to train our brains to think more clearly, remember more, and function at a higher level.

I’m also excited to share the emerging science of positive psychology. The analogy is that our mind is a horse and we are the rider. By learning to re-direct the horse when it becomes skitterish (ie. when difficult thoughts and emotions arise), we can learn ways to settle the horse down and move forward in the direction we choose. When the horse and rider work together, we can create more happiness and fulfillment in our lives.

So please join us in this weekly blog where we can update and teach these essential healing skills. Enjoy the Ride.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Holistic approach to cancer care

By Jessie Moniz Hardy

Published Feb 4, 2015 at 8:00 am (Updated Feb 3, 2015 at 10:02 pm)

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Radiation oncologist Rob Rutledge talking to a cancer patient.

Signs of anxiety or depression

Some signs that a cancer patient might be struggling with anxiety or depression:

They’re unable to enjoy life and feelings of hopelessness;

They no longer enjoy activities such as playing with grandchildren or watching a favourite television programme;

Loss of concentration when making decisions;

Inability to use the word ‘cancer’ without getting upset;

Disabling insomnia from anxiety;

They are unable to function socially;

Frequent talk of death and suicide.

Talk to a general practitioner, nurse or oncologist about any of these symptoms.

It seems a bit cruel. You get the all-clear from cancer, and along comes depression.

About one-third of all people with cancer are significantly affected, according to radiation oncologist Robert Rutledge.

The Canadian specialist believes if the situation isn’t addressed, it can have a profound effect on a person’s health.

Although the medical system can do a good job of treating cancer, it doesn’t usually handle the emotional side of things very well, he said.

Dr Rutledge, who works for the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre in Halifax, will give a free lecture on the subject for cancer charity PALS this month.

He became interested in the holistic approach to cancer healing as a medical student in the 1980s. He later started a charity, Healing and Cancer Foundation.

“It was one of those magical moments in life, when I just knew what I wanted to do,” he said.

“I wanted to be an oncologist and I was really interested in empowering people beyond the medical sphere. I have been following that path ever since, giving public talks and working with patients in clinics and support groups. I have been drawing on the science of the mind-body connection.

“I also like to tell stories that inspire people. I talk about everything from taking a holistic approach to cancer care to a more hard-nosed talk about getting the best medical care. I also talk about seeing cancer as a learning experience.”

The associate professor at Dalhousie University Medical School said people aren’t usually affected by depression and anxiety until after their cancer treatment is over.

“During the treatment they are putting on a brave face,” he said. “Sometimes the patient might have a meltdown when treatment is over. That is normal.”

He said sometimes it’s just a matter of learning how to handle negative thoughts and feelings.

“I think evolution has given us a bias to focus on learning from negative things in order to survive,” he said.

“We have to learn how to appreciate the positive things in life, also, and learn from them.”

Dr Rutledge’s mother Audrey died of a brain tumour four years ago.

“I have no regrets from that time,” he said. “We spent a lot of time having great conversations. It was very sad, but I felt privileged to have been with her every step of the way.”

His talk, Body-Mind-Spirit Connection: Making a Difference on the Cancer Journey, takes place at 6pm on February 19 at BUEI.

For more information visit www.pals.org or healingandcancer.org. Alternatively, e-mail pals@northrock.bm or telephone 236-7257.

The Healing and Cancer Foundation