This week's post is written past times Judith Edwards, the psychoanalytic psychotherapist who started the gratis website cansurviving.com in order to assist people recover from the trauma of a cancer diagnosis. She discusses the importance of Narrative inwards the cancer healing process.
Summary
Five years agone I started a gratis site www.cansurviving.com which is currently accessed inwards 46 countries. It sells zero except self- empowerment, helping people to explore choice together with complementary treatments to touchstone chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment, together with to assistance the healing process. This site together with its success has caused me every bit a psychoanalytic psychotherapist of over 30 years to mean value well-nigh ways inwards which these professional person links conduct hold helped the site inwards its onward journey. I previously wrote a newspaper entitled ‘Cancer Healing together with Containment’. I proceed hither to mean value well-nigh how this really procedure of containment together with thence enables a novel narrative to live created over time. I also explore how the grouping is a powerful tool inwards helping people handle ‘life later cancer’. Keywords: cancer healing; narrative together with narrative research; encephalon query together with neuro-plasticity; containment
Introduction:
Narrative query emerged every bit a dependent within the broader champaign of qualitative query inwards the early on 20th century. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 narrative is usually recognised every bit beingness ‘a serial of connected events’ - which together with thence shape a coherent floor inwards the mind. The non bad psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion worked amongst psychotic people who for i argue or some other had experienced a intermission inwards connective linkages: they lived inwards an unconnected footing together with Bion coined the term ‘bizarre objects’ for what he experienced as happening in the consulting room, every bit these bizarre ‘bits’ were projected non only into him but into the concrete objects inwards the room.(Bion, 1962:24-27) In a sense these people had move fragmented, terrified together with alone. Some internal or external trauma had rendered them unable to mean value together with brand ordinary connections inwards their minds. He says elsewhere inwards the same book: ‘before an emotional experience tin live used for a model its sense information has to be transformed into alpha elements... {thinkable thoughts} The narrative shape is associated with the theory of causation...’ (p.74)
Any cancer diagnosis is a trauma, both for the someone who hears the words ‘you conduct hold cancer’ together with the household unit of measurement together with friends surrounding the afflicted patient. The capacity to ‘get what is said’ - which is called introjection inwards psychoanalytic linguistic communication - may freeze up. There may live an active avoidance of the message, or an initial passive unresponsiveness earlier the total import of the words are taken in. This ‘playing possum’ (Broucek, 1979 ) is i reaction which may come upward into play when at that topographic point is a feeling of inefficacy - why has this happened? Why me? What conduct hold I done? For some people these 3 words spell the get-go of a novel soil of mind, designated as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). In this soil of hear it is oft hard to sleep, oft the traumatic diagnosis is relived through nightmares together with flashbacks, together with people may experience feelings of isolation, irritability together with guilt every bit I conduct hold already described inwards a previous article, Cancer Healing together with Containment (see Edwards, 2017) These symptoms, every bit I pointed out, tin gain from mild to severe, together with tin conduct hold a pregnant impact on a person’s daily life. The site www.cansurviving.com was laid upward past times me, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, inwards gild to assist myself together with others dorsum to some sense of coherent narrative later the trauma of hearing those 3 words ‘you conduct hold cancer’. Antonio Damasio (2000:134) under a sub-heading ‘The Need For Stability’ talks about ‘the processing of the self from the uncomplicated centre self to the elaborate autobiographical self’...Continuity of reference is inwards consequence what the self needs to offer’. His volume demonstrates the importance of the neurophysiology of emotions. Our consciousness, our sense of being, arises out of the evolution of emotion: the ‘very thought’ of oneself, the experiencing self. As I together with countless others know, the experiencing of the self receives a huge together with traumatic blow when the cancer diagnosis is pronounced. The sense of continuity tends to live disrupted together with the ‘self’ tends to move a serial of fragmented pieces which i mightiness (without using the term psychotic) link amongst Bion’s thought of ‘bizarre objects’. One is inwards a broad sense catapulted into ‘a soil of disunity’ inwards the self. This 'sense of disunity’ inwards his/her patient is perchance something which the medical ‘expert’ knows well-nigh but defends against, inwards a natural agency to protect her/his ain sense of self.
The floor that started it all
This is merely i story- from the someone who gave me the impetus to start this site inwards fact: this has non been aired earlier together with I volition non refer the person's name...”no, they could operate on me, inwards fact wanted to excise my cervix of all lymph nodes...they initially took a lump depression on my cervix every bit they couldn't acquire anything from several needle biopsies... they'd been going to withdraw i higher up, but past times the fourth dimension they came to make it, it had disappeared....that was around Octoberish I think....then at Christmas they wanted to excise the neck.... the lump that was evident at that topographic point had straightaway shrunk also, together with I agreed to permit them conduct hold farther biopsies from olfactory organ pharynx tonsils etc, but non to strip the cervix correct out, because the lump that had been at that topographic point was straightaway almost gone...they were soundless trying to locate the primary source. The diagnosis originally given was that it was secondaries that were evident inwards the lymph nodes, but despite all the proddings, pokings, insertion of things where they shouldn't ever move together with scans, the finest oncological minds of the part could non discovery the primary site.... but they soundless wanted to ship on amongst their traumatic investigative practices.... when it became clear that fifty-fifty if they did discovery the site of the primary, together with bargain amongst it inwards some way, it wouldn't brand that much departure because the secondaries would acquire me.... these are their words....So I had CUP.... cancer amongst an unknown primary.... this relates to well-nigh 10% of all cancers, but it's non really good known...so yes... I was glad that they'd decided I was beyond help... it gave me a clear champaign to make every bit I wished (which he together with thence did inwards damage of query which was together with thence passed on to me).... It has bee n a really interesting experience.... most life changing.... if y'all desire to move it that is..... if y'all merely desire a white coat to give y'all a magic bullet, thence y'all tin acquire dorsum to your normal life, or if y'all believe inwards the doctor's curse, together with thence I’d say these efforts aren't a goodness investment.....but if you're prepared to ascent to the occasion.....It was Einstein who said something along the lines of.... y'all can't solve whatever work from within the same consciousness that created it....there's zero quite every bit worthwhile every bit raising your consciousness, don't y'all think?”
The cansurviving site had this post from a journalist site fellow member who had of late been diagnosed.’I wanted to give thank y'all you really very much for beingness thence variety to me.{the powerfulness of containment} Initial diagnosis together with those damn scans were shocking...I conduct hold to acknowledge I'm no longer inwards a permanent soil of panic, that subsided thank y'all to y'all but it's soundless far from ideal. Meanwhile I'm next a fairly stiff diet together with having acupuncture. And conduct hold merely well-nigh recovered from my jounce well-nigh how revolting vegan together with saccharide gratis chocolate is!’ Slowly does it: babe steps which are indeed what the contained babe learns to take. But the battle betwixt emotion together with argue reward strongly within the individual’s mind. Sophisticated moral together with rational thinking is abandoned together with the internal footing feels every bit the quotation inwards a higher identify indicates inwards ‘a permanent soil of panic’. But people are non statistics: nosotros all demand to live treated every bit human beings amongst our ain lives, feelings together with wishes. Can a sense of narrative live restored, which incorporates but is non overwhelmed past times the novel information about the diagnosis? In an article well-nigh a traumatised adolescent portrayed inwards a cinema Morvern Callar, (Edwards, 2017,:119-130) I examined how trauma tin live denied together with un-registered inwards the emotional life of an overwhelmed person. Others together with thence may experience what the dissociated someone perchance cannot feel. Many people study feeling numbed together with dissociated later receiving a cancer diagnosis: how tin feeling live returned together with a novel narrative live resumed?
The novel narrative
The 3 foremost items on the Stress Index are death, divorce together with moving. All 3 of these tin also refer to what happens when a someone receives a cancer diagnosis: at that topographic point is a expiry of the onetime self, which volition never return, a divorce from previous ‘ways of being’, and a moving like shooting fish in a barrel over fourth dimension to a novel agency of beingness which encompasses what has taken place, together with also moves the private into a novel ‘way of beingness amongst the self together with others’ amongst all the changes that conduct hold taken place. In The Good Life (Music 2014; 97) the author quotes Affonso together with his cohort of researchers who constitute that the capacity to brand decisions together with live attuned to one’s ain together with others’ distress depends on this experience of having been good attuned to. The cansurviving site which has grown thence good was started past times someone who had felt really much listened to past times the someone whose floor is recounted above, who now, 8 years on, is salubrious together with happy having been told to move abode together with brand his volition together with fix to die. His secondary tumours (the primary tumours every bit indicated were never identified) conduct hold disappeared. This was for me the get-go of a novel narrative: i where some promise together with indeed some experience could assist amongst the inevitable depression together with hopelessness which tin oft beset those faced amongst those stark 3 words, ‘you conduct hold cancer’.
The success of the cansurviving grouping lies I advise inwards this really notion of providing a novel narrative for the suffering person, together with a narrative which does non emanate from merely i person, but from a group. On the site, which grows every bit nosotros conduct hold grown, at that topographic point is a Forum called ‘How make I Start? This has the strapline ‘do y'all experience dazed together with confused?’ every bit thence many people do, wading around inwards the body of body of water of information available on the internet We offering the thought of sitting downwardly , non falling into the urgency trap, listening to some music together with a radio show, together with thinking well-nigh causes, symptoms together with effects inwards a uncomplicated way. If this cancer has taken a long fourth dimension to prepare inwards the body, the torso tin together with thence start to homecoming itself inhabitable to farther cancers, together with the someone may mean value well-nigh living amongst the cancers if they are already inwards the body, rather than popular off of them. This novel narrative ‘story stem’ tin together with thence conduct hold root inwards the mind, affecting the onetime neural pathways thence that they get down to popular off off, and creating novel ones, every bit scientific discipline has shown (Cunningham, 1982). Cunningham’s piece of work describes the naturally occurring neuron expiry together with its rule past times the evolution of novel neural pathways. This offers us the thought which has straightaway been well-researched well-nigh neuro-plasticity. Unlike a computer, the encephalon is constantly adapting itself. Norman Doidge inwards his exciting volume The Brain that Changes Itself talks of the encephalon ‘not beingness an inanimate vessel that nosotros fill: rather it is to a greater extent than similar a living animal amongst an appetite, i that tin grow together with modify itself amongst proper nourishment together with exercise. (Doidge, 2007:47) Removal of targets for surely populations of neurons accentuates the normal attrition of neurons during development. So what is the onetime narrative or target thought here? The ‘target’ thought later receiving cancer diagnosis is oft that this is a non-survivable event, or i at to the lowest degree that volition non live able to live survived without considerable (and really difficult) medical intervention, amongst surgery, chemotherapy together with radiation. The target thought hither is that the self has given upward beingness inwards the driving seat, which is a topographic point taken over past times orthodox medicine. While orthodox medicine may live indeed a handling of choice, it is non the only choice, together with when people emerge from beingness treated they oft experience lost together with lone without the solace of the medical squad around them – a squad which of course of educational activity inevitably moves on together with is non peculiarly invested inwards the individual's survival, nor tin they be.
The grouping narrative
The thought of working inwards a grouping was i which appealed to me next beneficial together with creative experiences of thence doing inwards my piece of work context at the Tavistock Clinic. Group piece of work is a shape of voluntary association of members who all make goodness from a shape of cooperative learning that enhances the total output of the activity to a greater extent than than when done individually. It aims to cater for private differences, prepare skills such every bit collaboration together with critical thinking, towards the creation of what i mightiness telephone yell upward ‘a grouping mind’. You modify the agency I unfold, I modify the agency y'all unfold- nosotros move co-workers inwards this novel enterprise. The aforementioned psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion pioneered piece of work inwards groups, analysing the underlying unconscious processes which mightiness impact the running of the ‘work group’. His influential volume Experiences inwards Groups together with other papers (1961) was less a guide for the therapy of individuals within or past times the group, than an exploration of the processes laid off past times the complex experience of beingness inwards a group. The volume speedily became a touchstone piece of work for applications of grouping theory inwards a broad diversity of settings. The grouping piece of work which takes identify nether the umbrella of www.cansurviving.com is non withal a projection designed to analyse participants (or the Site Founder!) but to offering a agency frontwards inwards which all members tin experience they are a part. It is an awakening inwards which all members of the grouping tin experience themselves every bit co-workers every bit I conduct hold said. Each fellow member writes her or himself into the grouping narrative. As i fellow member said ‘I couldn't make this past times myself’. There conduct hold been the strange posts well-nigh such things every bit Burberry handbags, together with the commons crop of robots at the beginning, but straightaway the grouping seems to piece of work for the goodness of all participants together with is creating a vast resources which i of our members called ‘brilliant’.
We conduct hold a Newsletter which also helps our members experience that they are component of a project, an ongoing narrative which they tin influence, rather than beingness external to it. One fellow member wrote this message later our final Newsletter, which includes tidings of all the fundamental squad members (of which at that topographic point are v including the site founder) . ‘Thank y'all thence much for including us inwards your newsletter. It is non bad to discovery out to a greater extent than well-nigh your helpers, together with it tends to brand them people nosotros experience nosotros tin know rather than merely a name. Barbara together with I admire the efforts all brand to ease concerns together with assist thence many people acquire through the dreaded C. We also believe a website focussed on edifice personal stamina inwards the thence many ways members advise tin assist far to a greater extent than than many of the production suggestions offered. We are non against whatever production or proposition that tin live offered to anyone, inwards some agency they tin all assist somewhat nosotros guess? It is the mind set to acquire through the work that nosotros discovery helps thence many people amongst whatever number they may live facing together with your website could quite oft live the "Key starter" for this.” The thought of the site beingness a ‘Key Starter’ is an first-class one- together with it IS the start of something new...there is no going dorsum together with most people actually appreciate that, together with bask novel lives inwards the companionship of others. Being component of this site together with helping it grow is i of the activities that brand upward the whole that is ‘the designated patient’, no longer an isolate but component of a vibrant grouping together with able to contribute on all the Forums on the site, including Diet, (with sub-sections on naturopathy, homeopathy together with acupuncture) Mind together with Spirit, Depression, a Library, together with Vegan-friendly restaurants. And of course of educational activity the elephant oft unmentioned inwards the room, Death, nether a championship ‘Will y'all or Won’t you’. Atul Gawande’s Reith Lecture together with his volume ‘Being Mortal’ are mentioned here. As he says ‘if talking were a drug it would toll millions of pounds’ every bit nosotros modify our narrative through this grouping communication nosotros non only modify ourselves but give dorsum to others. These changes are hard piece of work for most of us, brand no error well-nigh it, together with i tin make goodness from returning to the narrative when i is discouraged. Athletes practise this variety of daily discipline, together with cansurvivors also tin get down to cultivate this novel mindset inwards gild to consequence modify together with to keep it. A sense of ease amongst the novel life pattern does emerge over time. Gradually adding inwards raw, organic foods, super-herbs, construct clean water, exercise, deep slumber together with meditation etc. into our daily lives volition crusade an undeniable shift inwards metabolism together with inwards the powerfulness to acquire out inwards the footing together with ship on living . As people get down to experience the results from the shifts beingness made, they find happier states of hear together with experience compelled to part what they know inwards the growing narrative- every bit was I. It spreads from there. This type of personal experience is what cascades into to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than people making changes together with transforming from the within out (Edwards, Cancer Healing together with Containment, 2017).
One has to live one’s ain advocate, but inwards the companionship of others, brand one's ain decisions, inwards a footing post-cancer diagnosis where at that topographic point are no magic bullets together with no cast-iron guarantees whichever route y'all conduct to take.
When I foremost was diagnosed amongst cancer I dreamed of driving inwards my machine into a huge dark cloud. I could encounter nothing. But I could encounter that farther along - but how much farther along- the cloud turned into sparse fog, together with thence who knew what came next? Yes, a tempest was brewing. I tin straightaway await back, together with I actually resonated amongst something Haruki Murakami said inwards his novel Kafka on the Shore.
"Once the tempest is over y'all won't holler back how y'all made it through, how y'all managed to survive. You won't fifty-fifty live sure, inwards fact, whether the tempest is actually over. But i affair is certain. When y'all come upward out of the tempest y'all won't live the same someone who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
The agency of narrative together with a novel floor is how nosotros discovery who nosotros are; all of us on this site conduct hold discovered something to a greater extent than well-nigh ourselves through beingness component of this grouping venture. Creativity later diagnosis is something which unites us all, together with is also the holler of a Forum on the site, where ‘famous’ people together with also merely ‘ordinary’ people discovery out that creative wellsprings move stronger inwards the human face upward of adversity . This is non well-nigh creating a revenue stream, but a novel current of witting awareness which affects how nosotros alive our lives post-diagnosis. Eve Ensler, creator of the Vagina Monologues, was diagnosed amongst Stage 3-4 cancer several years agone –‘Cancer was merely similar a boom into the wall. When I sat at that topographic point together with they said the cancer mightiness live inwards your liver too, it was similar a novel world. Wake the fuck up, sister! And I bless it…Was I glad to acquire cancer? Are y'all kidding? Of course of educational activity I am. I wasn’t inwards the beginning. But together with thence I actually got it. I’d ever been out to bear witness myself: was I going to bear witness myself to death? Now? I’m missing 7 organs together with lxx nodes, together with I’m functioning. How would I non honey this body? Once y'all alive inwards your body, y'all tin merely be’.
Conclusion
What I promise to conduct hold demonstrated hither is that the importance of the novel narrative cannot live underestimated inwards the overall movie of healing from cancer. This allied to working inwards a group, creating a novel narrative inwards which each private is component of the whole, is a vivifying together with helpful process, every bit many people writing to us conduct hold testified, together with every bit the rising numbers on the site also deportment witness to. The 3rd dot inwards this triangle for me has been the experience amassed over 30 years from my professional person work, together with these 3 aspects together conduct hold produced something which has been called past times an Australian fellow member who was recommended the site past times U.S. of A. colleagues every bit ‘the best site on the spider web for healing cancer’. Since at that topographic point are over nine meg of them that is indeed an accolade.
References
Bion, Wilfred R.(1962) Learning from Experience, London, Karnac
Broucek, F.J. (1979) ‘Efficacy inwards Infancy’ International Journal of Psychoanalysis 60:311-16
Cunningam, T.J. (9182) ‘Naturally Occurring Neuron Death together with its rule past times the evolution of novel Neural Pathways’ International Review of Cytology, 74:163-186
Damasio, Antonio (2000) The Feeling of What Happens: Body, emotion together with the making of consciousness London, Vintage Books
Doidge, Norman (2007) The Brain that Changes Itself London together with New York, Penguin Books
Edwards, Judith (2107) Love the Wild Swan: Selected Works inwards the footing library of Mental Health, London together with New York, Routledge
Music, Graham ((2014) The Good Life: Wellbeing together with the novel scientific discipline of altruism, selfishness together with immorality, London together with New York, Routledge