Despite recent significant advances in cancer care, a cancer diagnosis is still so frightening that many people shrink from just hearing the word. Once diagnosed, patients enter a world in which time is no longer their own. They may be subjected to painful procedures, and they may, understandably, worry about their outcome. In the face of these challenges, many patients respond as if cancer is just another illness to get over and get past. But according to oncologist Jeremy Geffen, MD, author of The Journey through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person, this approach is a missed opportunity. He encourages people to recognize that cancer affects all dimensions of a person — not just your physical body, but your mind, heart and spirit as well. Dr. Geffen believes that caring for all these dimensions can enhance every aspect of the cancer journey, and lead to profoundly meaningful healing and transformation.
In 2004, Dr. Geffen left the cancer care and research center he had founded in Vero Beach, Florida, to start Geffen Visions International in Boulder, Colorado, www.geffenvisions.com, where the mission is to integrate state-of-the-art conventional medicine with leading edge complementary and mind-body approaches to healing and wellness. In addition to his extensive medical education and training, Dr. Geffen spent years learning about complementary therapies by traveling and exploring the great spiritual and healing traditions of the world, including those from India, Tibet, Nepal and China. I interviewed Dr. Geffen about the program he has developed for cancer patients and families called “The Seven Levels of Healing.” He told me that recognizing and experiencing the seven levels offers patients the opportunity to enhance their treatment experience and overall wellness. He says they can even emerge from the cancer journey with a greatly enriched understanding of themselves, their lives, relationships and goals. The program he developed provides a map of the entire terrain encountered by patients and loved ones, and helps them navigate the journey as skillfully and effectively as possible.
THE SEVEN LEVELS OF HEALING
Level One: Education and Information. Dr. Geffen encourages patients to educate themselves about the specific type of cancer they have and to explore and understand their treatment options as fully as possible. “Cancer” is a term that refers to what is actually a complex and multi-faceted range of very different diseases. Knowledge and understanding can help you make the right decisions for yourself and achieve the optimum results from your medical care. Dr. Geffen acknowledges that anxiety is common and understandable, but he emphasizes the importance of making decisions based on reliable information, rather than fear.
Level Two: Connection With Others. Social isolation can put patients at higher risk for morbidity and mortality from just about every disease, including cancer, and loneliness can be a factor in weakening the immune system, says Dr. Geffen. Still, it’s not uncommon for patients with cancer — who may already feel isolated — to withdraw even more from their social networks. It can be hard to rise above depression, anger and frustration about the unfairness of it all. During difficult times, maintaining connectivity can be challenging. Nonetheless, it is important and can be very comforting. Options include participating in a support group, an educational program or an on-line chat room — or can be as simple as sitting and sharing thoughts with a loved one or trusted friend. Regardless of the format, making connections with others, including people who are going through the same experience as you, can be very helpful and reassuring.
Level Three: The Body as a Garden. Dr. Geffen describes this level as an invitation to begin to regard your body not just as a machine, but also as a precious, living organism that can be cultivated and tended like a garden. To apply this metaphor, drink lots of water and enjoy foods that are nourishing and vibrant, just as you would water and fertilize a garden. Sunlight is also important, although people undergoing cancer treatment may have some restrictions on sun exposure. Exercise, even now, remains extremely beneficial — aerobic activity such as walking and running improves circulation and promotes deep breathing that brings oxygen into the cells and stimulates the lymphatic system. Dr. Geffen adds a reminder: People who love their plants have healthier ones and this message carries over to the body — love your body as a garden, care for it tenderly and consciously and send it messages of appreciation. An additional way to do this is to incorporate complementary practices like massage, acupuncture, yoga and Reiki into your treatment program.
Level Four: Emotional Healing. “Health and wellness are intimately connected to our emotions,” says Dr. Geffen. “Feelings and emotions affect every aspect of our physiology. This can be especially important on the cancer journey, which is often an emotional roller coaster.” He urges people not to shrink from exploring emotional issues — including ones from the past that may still trigger strong feelings. Understanding and expressing emotions can promote health and vitality, and can liberate energy and important inner resources for healing. One easy way to open yourself to your feelings: Write daily in a journal including how you feel about your disease, how it is affecting your life and what you can do to feel better today. Dr. Geffen says many people may benefit from personal counseling or therapy to help them through the emotional demands of this time. Beyond just helping you cope, emotional healing can be transformational and positively impact all areas of your life.
Level Five: The Nature of Mind. Here, Dr. Geffen focuses on three aspects of the mind: thoughts including the stream of chatter that constantly fills our head… beliefs, which are thoughts that we have elevated to the level of truth… and finally the meanings that we attach to events. All of these are subjective, yet they profoundly impact the healing process and all aspects of our life experience, he says. To heal at the deepest level requires understanding our thoughts, beliefs and the meanings we give to what is occurring in our lives… releasing those that are negative, and choosing others that are supportive, empowering and life-affirming. For example, patients who believe that all chemotherapies are “poison” may reject treatments that are potentially lifesaving. Similarly, other patients who reject all complementary therapies as “hocus-pocus” may miss out on receiving their many documented benefits. Being willing to question and reconsider previously held thoughts, beliefs and meanings can open up worlds of new possibilities — physically, mentally and emotionally.
Level Six: Life Assessment. Knowing your deepest purpose in life and living it as fully as possible each day — even in the face of cancer — is very powerful, says Dr. Geffen. In this level of the program, he invites patients and loved ones to explore and identify their purpose in life and determine their most important goals, including the top 20 for the next year. This helps you focus on the good things you want from life, and direct your energy and attention to what matters most to you. A potential “gift” of cancer is increased clarity about your priorities in life. Dr. Geffen says that after cancer many people make long-delayed changes, such as embracing a healthier diet and lifestyle, finding a new career or creating deeper and more satisfying relationships.
Level Seven: The Nature of Spirit. Energy, focus and action are important — but people who rely on will and intention alone are in hyper-drive all the time, says Dr. Geffen. He urges balancing this by taking time for rest and relaxation, and for looking to the deeper part of the self — your spiritual core. It is, he says, “the source of everything we ultimately want in life, and the source of the deepest experience of fulfillment we can have.” There are many ways to get in touch with your spiritual essence — it might be by spending time in nature or with loved ones, going to church, meditating, making love or riding a bike. “Whatever you choose,” he says, “embracing the nature of spirit involves letting go of the outer world and taking a break from striving and effort.” Instead of asking “why me?” he urges going deep within yourself to ask how you can learn and grow from all that you are experiencing. Above all, don’t miss the opportunity to fulfill the purpose of your life and use the journey through cancer to discover who you really are.
