Mindfulness Meditation for Optimal Health – Cancer – 4 Week Series

Mindfulness Meditation For Optimal Health

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is disruptive and frightening. Patients and their family members likely find themselves feeling overwhelmed and powerless, with few skills to cope. Being aware of how we are reacting, and practicing different ways to care for ourselves will help boost our resilience to the stress of this diagnosis.

There is growing evidence supporting the benefits of meditation for patients with cancer. Mindfulness meditation is a type of meditation that involves the practice of paying attention to the present moment, deliberately and nonjudgmentally. It is a practice of focusing on a neutral point and bringing thoughts back as the mind wanders. It involves mental training by deliberately focusing on the here and now without judging our feelings as good or bad. It is observation without criticism; being compassionate with yourself and others.

Learning and practice mindfulness provides patients with a new skill to cope with the uncertainty and stressors that a cancer diagnosis and treatment bring. Developing awareness this way helps to settle the mind and to minimize distractions.

Additional Benefits of Practicing Meditation:

• Improves focus and reduces chaotic thinking • Helps you cope with pain and fear • Strengthens your immune system • Helps stabilize emotions and creates resiliency • Reduces stress, anxiety and depression • Helps improve sleep • Increases peace of mind, optimism and self-worth, confidence • Improves confidence and concentration • Decreases heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of cortisol • Reduces sympathetic arousal

We are excited to offer a 4 session weekly virtual series to our patients and their significant others, and are eager to support patients and families in every way possible. Each session will be educational and experiential, and will provide time to discuss best practices.

Session 1: Getting started with mindfulness
Session 2: Preparing for mindful living
Session 3: Building resilience, compassion and creativity
Session 4: Creating acceptance

We encourage you to join the entire series, but are also welcome to join these sessions individually. These courses are available virtually through Microsoft Teams the first 4 Tuesdays of each month at 1:00 pm, and are being facilitated by Barbara Walker, Ph.D., an Integrative Health and Performance Psychologist.