Cancer As a Turning Point

One in three women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer—a situation that can throw even the most self-assured individual into a crisis of body, mind, and spirit. To survive, and more than that, to thrive, we must rally all of our inner resources. On Cancer as a Turning Point, nine bestselling authors and healers, many of whom are thriving after cancer diagnoses, reframe the healing process in a positive, creative, and spiritual light. Distilled from the nationally acclaimed "Healing Journeys" conferences, Cancer as a Turning Point collects, for the first time, the sessions most relevant and useful to anyone whose life has been touched by cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. This information-filled anthology of real-world wisdom includes: Jeanne Achterberg, PhD Transpersonal Medicine: The Role of Sacred Ritual in Women's Healing A pioneer in the use of imagery in healing explores the healing potentials of ritual and community. Referencing rituals from varied cultures, Achterberg illustrates how ritual gives meaning to life-threatening illness and how this meaning is medicine. Dawna Markova, PhD No Enemies Within: A Creative Process for Discovering What's Right About What's Wrong Internationally known for her research in perception and learning, Markova offers a model for looking at illness as a way of becoming whole. She teaches that by reclaiming our shadows as the parts of ourselves that are most difficult to accept—we can reconnect with the world and find greater fulfillment. Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD The Power of Myth and Truth in Healing Renowned for her bestselling classic about feminine archetypes, Goddesses in Everywoman, this gifted Jungian analyst and clinical professor of psychiatry shows how illness can be viewed as a mythological descent into the underworld and how this framework can lead us to a greater understanding of ourselves. Joan Borysenko, PhD Fire in the Soul Borysenko transformed the way we approach healing in her bestselling book, Minding the Body, Mending the Mind. Here, this medical scientist, psychologist, and leader in mind/body medicine guides us through the soul-searching that arises in the face of a cancer diagnosis, and shows how we can use this process to rally our physical, emotional, and spiritual resources. Rachel Naomi Remen, MD Healing Medicine: Recovering the Heart of Health Care The author of the national bestseller Kitchen Table Wisdom draws from her own 40-year experience with a life-threatening disease to show how a recognition of the body's innate healing power is crucial to restore the spirit of service to healthcare, and to further its ability to heal. Deena Metzger, writer The Creative Use of Imagination in Healing In this personal and passionate talk about her journey through cancer treatment, the author of Writing for Your Life shares how she discovered her creativity and regained inner spiritual balance in the midst of crisis. Caryle Hirshberg, PhD The Remission Project and Implications for Patient Care Hirshberg provides an inside look at the probabilities of actual and continued remission. Illustrated by real-life stories of cancer survivors, Hirshberg discusses the groundbreaking work of "The Remission Project." Michael Lerner, PhD Choices in Cancer Treatment and the Emerging Environmental Health Movement The founder of Commonweal, the institution that pioneered alternative and complementary cancer treatment, explains their fivefold approach to healing. Includes a detailed survey of traditional and nontraditional cancer treatments. Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst Every Inch a Queen Taking inspiration from King Lear's Every Inch a King, Jungian analyst and author Marion Woodman shares how a shift in attitude helped her survive cancer and approach life with renewed confidence and dignity. Course objectives: Identify the client's primary support system Practice techniques for use in conversation with cancer patients Discover different treatment and therapy options