Friday 28 October 2011

Relaxation, hypnotherapy help cancer patients heal

After losing his zest for life, Amhar Saputra, a 30-year-old network engineer, has regained his enthusiasm and joy for living.

He never imagined he was suffering from thymus cancer, a rare malignant cancer that started as a tumor in his thymus tissue, since he was in good physical condition.

Enduring the hardest years in his life by coping with the life-threatening illness, Amhar finally understood that harboring grief, anger and other negative emotions would bring nothing positive to his fight for recovery.

“At first, I was very depressed when diagnosed with stage 4A thymus cancer,” Amhar told The Jakarta Post at a cancer victims gathering held by the Cancer Information and Support Center (CISC).

After a string of biopsies and CT scans at Dharmais Cancer Hospital in Jakarta, Amhar was told he had a malignant tumor in his thymus gland. His tumor needed to be removed immediately, as it was already 10 centimeters long.

His physical condition dropped drastically during four cycles of chemotherapy and 30 cycles of radiation therapy.

Frustrated with his poor condition, Amhar decided to only undergo four chemotherapy cycles instead the six suggested by his doctor.

He finally regained his health after eliminating negative emotions through relaxation therapy.

“I now feel calmer and more relaxed. Pains in my chest continue to fade as I can accept my life wholeheartedly,” said Amhar, who currently participates in meditation and hypnotherapy sessions at Dharmais Hospital, held free of charge every Thursday for cancer patients.

Eliminating negative emotions by using Thought Field Therapy (TFT), among others methods, is the backbone of the therapy that can give patients the calm and relaxed state of mind needed for a faster recovery and to curb the spread of the cancer.

Rachmat Santoso, the hospital’s surgical oncologist and TFT practitioner, said calm and relaxed feelings achieved through meditation could release serotonin — the happiness hormone — into the brain, accelerating and increasing the body’s immune system.

“With strengthened immunity, we hope that the cancerous cells will be less active,” he told the Post.

Serotonin-rich people will also be more resistant to sharp pains, thus, most cancer patients who undergo meditation and relaxation therapy feel less pain than before.

In TFT, a sequential tapping procedure developed by Roger Callahan, a US-based therapist, patients release negative emotions such as grief, anger and depression by tapping meridian points on their bodies such as above and under the eyes, at the collarbone, on the side and at the back of the hands, and many others.

“Each meridian point connects to the brain, allowing a person to get rid off their bad emotions,”
Rachmat said.

Rosalinde M. Balay, a 72-year-old breast cancer survivor, said she rapidly recovered from the cancer after routinely participating in the TFT sessions at Dharmis Hospital since the class started three months ago.

“I feel comfortable both physically and mentally because in the class we learn not only about how to leave out stress and anger but also how to forgive. It’s very important for us to understand that, basically, forgiveness is the key to relieving suffering,” said Rosalinde, who had her breasts surgically removed on Aug. 27, 2010.

Calmness, said Rachmat, was important not only for ill people, but also for the healthy.

“Healthy people should also learn how to keep calm, because with calmness their body organs will function optimally.”

— JP/Elly Burhaini Faizal

posted by Hpw to heal cancer

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