LESSONS FROM MY CANCER JOURNEY, pre hypnosis
THE CALL
“Hello Sean, we have the pathology back and the growth in your throat is a tonsillar carcinoma.” BANG
Not the greatest news but I had prepared myself for it and I was more interested in the facts around what that meant rather than any shock about the pathology result. Even though I had prepared myself for it, it was still hard to hear. My wife was in the next room and we had been waiting anxiously, but silently all day for the results. I knew that she would hear the muffled conversation that I was having through the closed door.
After a thorough discussion with my ENT specialist, who was absolutely fantastic with his service, bedside manner and genuine care I now had 10 seconds to compose myself and tell Ange. She took it very well as expected, she is a seasoned trooper at this now after our experience with her mum the past 10 months. Still, I am going to have to look after her as this is more than she needs to deal with.
This was the start of my cancer story and I instinctively knew that my mind was going to be my best asset, or my worst enemy, over the next months and years. I did not know what the future held but I knew one thing for sure, the next few months of treatment were going to be rough, and I needed my mind in good shape to get me through this.
At the that time I had no working knowledge of hypnotherapy but I had been meditating on and off for many years. As I later learned, after studying hypnotherapy, many of the techniques that I used to manage my pain, my moods and my sanity, were a form of self-hypnosis. This approach not only helped me so much, it helped my friends and family around me.
More to come in my next blog.