Chronic Illness and the Mind Archives

Acceptance, Authenticity, Transparency, Body Centeredness, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Living by Personal Values, Mindfulness Practice, Practice is Everything, Self-Efficacy and Self-Mastery, Self-Empowerment, Social Support and Contributing Member of a Community

You Can Survive Even the Most Painful Feelings

It is normal to believe that we would not be able to survive a traumatic life event such as the death of our child, our spouse being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, or any number of other tragic and traumatic life events. However, once we develop…

Cancer and the Mind, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Meaning and Purpose in Health

Why Do Cancer Rates Drop in Times of War?

War Lowers Cancer Rates? Solomon (1990) made the surprising finding that, historically, cancer rates have been much higher among soldiers in peacetime than during wartime. He discovered that being challenged and stressed can actually…

Acceptance, Authenticity, Transparency, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Living by Personal Values, Meaning and Purpose in Health, Mindfulness Practice, Self-Efficacy and Self-Mastery

Video: Live Your Life by Your Values

Self-empowerment and self-efficacy are developed by living your life according to your personal values and goals. A goal is something you desire to achieve. This can involve acquiring a material thing—a new car, for example—or it can…

Authenticity, Transparency, Chronic Illness and the Mind, In Your Own Hands, Living by Personal Values, Meaning and Purpose in Health, Mindfulness Practice, Practice is Everything, Practice Living by Choice, Self-Efficacy and Self-Mastery, Self-Empowerment

Video: Self-Efficacy, Wellbeing, and Mastery—My Personal Experience

Self-efficacy is the belief that you can succeed in the life challenges presented to you. The greater your self-efficacy, the greater your chances of succeeding in everything you attempt to accomplish. What you believe about yourself makes a…

Acceptance, Authenticity, Transparency, Body Centeredness, Cancer and the Mind, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Meaning and Purpose in Health, Mindfulness Practice, Self-Efficacy and Self-Mastery, Self-Empowerment, Social Support and Contributing Member of a Community

Video: In Your Own Hands: A Course in Self-Empowerment

Since January of 2015, I have been teaching a class in the Continuing Education Department at the College of Marin in Kentfield, California. Since January of 2016, I have been co-teaching the class with a colleague. The class makes it easier…

Acceptance, Body Centeredness, Cancer and the Mind, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Living by Personal Values, Meaning and Purpose in Health, Self-Empowerment, Social Support and Contributing Member of a Community

Video: Openheartedness and Love Confer Health

Studies by James McKay found that people who are open and friendly to strangers had half the rate of major illnesses of those who kept a cold and distant attitude toward strangers. These “affiliator types” (people who value relationships)…

Cancer and the Mind, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Social Support and Contributing Member of a Community

Video: Meaningful Relationships Reduce Odds of Developing Cancer

In one of the longest-running prospective studies, 1300 medical students at Johns Hopkins were followed for forty years. While at Hopkins they were given psychological tests exploring the ability of the students to have meaningful…

Chronic Illness and the Mind, Self-Efficacy and Self-Mastery, Self-Empowerment

Video: Inert Placebos Act Like Drugs In Your Mind

Over the centuries, medical prescriptions included animal dung, lizard blood, frog sperm, crab eyes, and countless potentially deadly substances. Patients actually got well on these and hundreds of other useless and dangerous substances. The reason…

Cancer and the Mind, Chronic Illness and the Mind, Gratitude and Well-Being, Self-Empowerment

Video: Hope Helps Kill Cancer

In a large study of oncologists, the doctors were all asked what single attribute among all the cancer patients they had ever treated, was most strongly a contributor to the patients’ recoveries from cancer. The patients had a wide variety…