1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Your Mind Can Affect Your Cancer Cure, November 17, 2009
This review is from: Congratulations, You Have Cancer! (Paperback)
Leslie Bishop's uplifting approach to accepting a diagnosis of breast cancer underlies her inspirational work,
Congratulations, You Have Cancer!. Her positive mindset toward having the deadly lump removed from her breast, her subsequent radiation, and then chemotherapy can help give anyone diagnosed with the same invasive ailment hope for a joyful future.
Cancer does not mean death. Throughout
Congratulations, You Have Cancer! is Bishop's overwhelming belief system that a wholesome outlook after the diagnosis is a critical factor in restoring health to your body, mind, and spirit, and possibly preventing future recurrences.
Merely admitting the presence of the cancerous growth is not enough. You must accept it. Initial shock and denial and even anger are only natural, especially if you are an outgoing, physically active and fit individual. Cancer claims its victims seemingly at random. You don't need to know why the disease started. Dwelling on a cause or the "Why me?" syndrome is an obsessive waste of time. Accepting cancer as a chance to foster new understanding about your self and your existence can lead to enrichment and enlightenment. It can help you "Send it on its way."
Bishop tells about her first reaction when chemotherapy was recommended. The idea that toxic chemicals would be injected into her, chemicals which would attack the cancer but would also kill healthy blood cells as well, was indeed fearful. She was terrified.
Congratulations, You Have Cancer! also tells of the importance of belief in an "awesome God/Universe." Bishop claims that, "Every person who crosses our path is an angel in disguise." In her case, one particular angel had a supportive, optimistic message for her. She just needed to tune in and listen to it instead of paying attention to negative thoughts in her own head.
Her angel/friend suggested a different outlook about chemo. Instead of thinking of cells dying within, Bishop was taught to think of the chemicals as rejuvenating and healing every single part of her body that they would touch. Sure, she would lose her hair, her appetite, but like a newborn babe these things would begin anew within her. Her body would start over without the cancer cells present.
Equally important in overcoming cancer or any negative mindset is self-talk. Since we are what we think, allowing pessimistic thoughts to grow into negative beliefs is like "rowing a canoe in the opposite direction of a rolling river." Our spirit becomes frustrated, disillusioned - emotionally we experience sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Positive self-talk done regularly, can turn our canoe around so we flow with the river and find real hope. The book gives several examples of meditative self-talk. You begin this exercise by stating exactly what your frightening bad feelings are. For example:
_____I'm really scared. I don't want to die of cancer. How did I get it?_____
Then you shift the self-dialogue to defeat each gloomy thought:
_____Of course I'm scared, but I have good people helping me through this. Millions undergo chemo each day and are reborn to good health. Makes no difference how I got it, but since it got in, I'm chasing it the hell out._____
Leslie Bishop's book is well-written and easy to read. In fact, it can be read in one sitting, but I doubt that is the author's purpose nor will it be helpful read that quickly. To feel hopeful about yourself and your condition, each chapter must be read as many times as necessary, until the words on that page affect your belief system.
Likewise you must sit quietly and practice talking to yourself every time you feel overwhelmed by sadness and fear until you begin to feel hopeful. I would highly recommend
Congratulations, You Have Cancer! to anyone diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. It can provide your soul with a guide to mastering thoughts, feeling good about yourself, and finding peace and joy within.
Review written by Regis Schilken
Author of:
Tears of Deceit
Other interesting reads:
Trusting God When You Have Cancer: Help and Hope for the Road AheadOutsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work (Second Edition)With CDI Am Not My Breast Cancer: Women Talk Openly About Love and Sex, Hair Loss and Weight Gain, Mothers and Daughters, and Being a Woman with Breast Cancer
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