Living a Healthy Life Despite Cancer Treatments

In this entry today, I am going to share the first of three "alternative" or CAM medicines I used during my course of treatments. These three therapies were, in my experience, the thing that made the difference. I needed the chemo, but these three modalities were key in my well-being and healing.

People in the waiting room would come up to me and say, "I know I see you here every week, for months. But today I see you with the tube coming out of your port. I can't believe you are here for treatment! I always thought you were here to be with someone getting treatment. You look so healthy and happy. Why?!"

And here is WHY:

Complementary Therapy Number One:

Hypnotherapy
My dear friend, and Healthy Psychology research partner, Julie Borovik, was in her first year of grad school for Family Therapy when the little "c" came knocking. She urged me to immediately go to Cai Bristol, a noted local Seattle hypnotherapist to begin. Julie was in New Mexico, in training and didn't want me to wait for her to be done.

I will admit. I was resistent at first. If it weren't for my trust in Julie, I never would have sought this out. But I feared hypnotherapy. I feared losing control, or it really not working. But I went, because I could see the difference it had made in Julies' life and I trusted her.

I was blown away. It wasn't scarey, I never lost control of the situation, and I felt such a healing effect immediately.

I walked in at that point, with low energy. I was still walking, but tired very easily. At the end of the session my energy was RADIANT, and I walked around the Ballard Farmers market for a couple of hours, in no pain. It was incredible. Utterly incredible.

Cai gave me a CD that week. After an intake session, she gave me a unique, scultped to my situation, CD of hypnotherapy I could do at home. For us, we focused on feeling empowered, hopeful, and clearing out the cacner cells. What is interesting, is that my white blood cell counts never fell below "normal" range, and WHEN I DID THE CD she gave me, felt like my energy and sense of well being soared. Any time I felt really down, low energy, or scared, I put in the CD.

I will admit, I played around a bit, to experiment and see how much hypnotherapy was really helping.

My healing experience went WAY up when I did my hypnotherapy CD Cai made me or when meet with Julie. My sense of wellbeing soared as well. When I didn't do my CD or ideas Julie gave me, I plunged or just "got by". If I could redo this experience, I would include a DAILY DOSE of the CD's given to me.

The good news is, Julie is now practicing hypnotherapy herself. She took over my hypnotherapy sessions once she returned. If you are in the Seattle area, and would like help as you journey through your cancer experience, contact Julie at:

Julie Borovik CHt

Clinical & Medical Support Hypnotherapist

206.200.3852

She will be the first to go into my "toolbox" on the sidebar.

My hope overflows that even when we feel like it has the best of us, we will rise to the challenge and face cancer with a sense of well-being!!!!!

Jenna Helm

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