When the mind talks, the body listens...!

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

WHEN THE MIND TALKS, THE BODY LISTENS
Not one of us caused our cancer. But there are findings that indicate a pattern that we should all be cognizant of. Most of us suspect that surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation are not the total answer to finding the silver bullet. It's a recipe, with multiple disciplines. Supplements, meditation, visualization. I talk to my body. I give it instructions. HEALTHY AND WELL. NO MORE CANCER. Denise has cool voices she uses which seriously amuses me but more importantly -- she is keeping the dialogue going -- consciously directing her body. I applaud her wisdom and creativity.

Please give this a read with an open mind and become aware of the power of the mind and body connection. Your brain and your body don't just coexist. They communicate all day long on multiple levels.

I know that when I was in tx, I would feel all sorts of horrid REAL pains, and my mind would wonder -- is the cancer spreading????? Pain causes much fear, especially in a person w/ca.
But my Inner Voice, not the voice in my head, would assure me that I was in a process of causing the death of my cancerous cells, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The fat lady was in the wings, but not ready to sing. She hadn't yet received her cue.

Sure I shuffled when I walked, slept more than a baby, whispered when I talked (it took so much effort!). Took a few small bites and really didn't want anything. I just knew I should. I had to. Sores in my mouth! Metallic flavor in my mouth constantly. Double BLECH!!! Drank my water allllll day. Even though I wasn't thirsty. I had to keep hydrated. My organs (including my skin) demanded this. And my liver was all messed up, so it especially needed some nutrition. I felt pain from the soles of my feet (burning like I'd been walking on hot coals) all the way on up to my bleeding nose (which the doc assured me wasn't my brain's blood). Seemed as if it could be. NO, there is no hole from the brain to the nose. Dried mucous membranes.
I was shaky, wobbly, weak and dizzy. Felt like I had the worst flu in the world for 9 straight months. But I was on the road (albeit barefoot walking on gravel) to getting where I wanted to be... I had fluid around my lungs and around my heart. Both came with the Taxotere and slowly dissipated when I completed my affair with that harsh drug.

But I endured, anyway. I smiled often, even in the chemo room, where I'd become an old familiar face. I would force myself up, once a week with the power of sheer will -- to get my husband out of the house with dear friends. Caregivers need care too I learned. He was so good, so scared, picking up the slack all over the place. So I got showered and dressed, put on makeup, my wig and some earrings, and met friends with my husband for dinner. Okay, so I didn't really eat, or have any wine, but we shared stories and memories and laughed and hugged tight. We went with those we truly love. We felt the love. And Paul would enjoy a night out. My gift to him for all he did for me.

I reported all symptoms to my onc, as is what a wise patient does. I know I wasn't being a bother. I was doing the responsible thing. I would say, I'm not complaining, I just want you to know. That's good, he would tell me. I want to hear. And he'd give me his feedback. That is to be expected, That is common or We should look into that.

I learned to think -- if I feel this horrid, imagine what that freight train of a drug Taxotere is doing to my cancer cells! It's working! And that is both the good news and the bad.

The heartburn that felt like I was maybe having a heart attack, that caused me to undo my bra and collapse into a seat, would go away with 2 Prilosec. 1 pill didn't work. 2 did. (And those were the days that Prilosec was only by prescription and the insurance company would only allow 12 pills with a script.) It was like gold for me.

I made it my business never to cue that fat lady in the wings on to the stage...!!!!!!!! I was in charge. The Master of my Fate, the Captain of my Soul. What "I" said/thought/whispered -- and the behavior I would quite naturally use to coincide with such words/visions/thinking -- would be heard and responded to by my body! I KNEW THIS. I TRUSTED IN THIS.

And I KNEW that when you KNOW something -- that is what comes to be!!!!!!!!
I played an active role (with my team of docs) in resolving my bodily dysfunction aka 4th stage invasive bc. I was in active co-treatment of my body.


NOTE:
Edema means swelling caused by fluid in your body's tissues. It usually occurs in the feet, ankles and legs, but it can involve your entire body.

INFLAMMATION IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL BODILY DYSFUNCTION (Dr. Christiane Northrop). Inflammation causes pain!

[suzan w]

Good words for us all. Thank you!

[IrvineFriend]

Thank you for the post. I don't think I'll do different voices, but I'm willing to give it a go. Right now dealing with lymphedema (at least that's what I think it is) .... going to onc. tomorrow to see what he thinks.

[Ellie F]

I think you raise many interesting points. As research moves forward our understanding of the mind/ body relationship increases. There is now a considerable body of research indicating that meditation can cause structural alterations in the brain and ' light up' different parts, an idea that would have been dismissed 20 years ago. If some other of the current thinking is proven, for example that the immune system is a perceptional sense then who knows where this journey will go!
Hugs
Ellie

[NEDenise]

Hi Gals,
Today's "voice" is the calm police officer..."move along people, nothin' to see here"...of course he's talking to all the edema...not us!

:) Denise

[dawny]

Lol Denise! I imagine an English Bobby, with a touch of "On the buses" style!

Thanks girls

Dawn xx

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

I see American cops, Okay, folks, the show is over, keep it moving, talking to the edema... Love your wit Denise! And your attitude which is superlative!!


PSYCHO - NEURO - IMMUNOLOGY
Our dear Sister Brenda turned me on to this many yrs ago. Know she's shining down on us right this moment. I was into the mindbody connection, but this is a fabulous new interdisciplinary way of seeing US as whole being. Even more integral in combining psychology, neurology and the immune system. Emotions and thoughts and their interactivity.

Knowledge is power. We are not helpless victims of our body's failings. We can fully, consciously participate in our own wellness. We can help our body to heal.

Brain physiology has evolved from fight or flight which was essential at a time for survival, imperative to pass on to future generations. Thriving has become a luxury for us in America.

Once trauma has occurred to a person (and I lived a very traumatic childhood which my therapist commented put me into a PTSS mode) -- there is an increased sense of vulnerability in the world. I developed a level of anticipatory angst to help me ward off danger.

Our brain doesn't differenitiate between the importance of physical danger and social/emotional danger. The field of Traumatology is a branch of Psycho-Neuro-Immunology, a field of study that examines this uniquely human process of traumatization.

How the body responds to stress regardless of past trauma, whether acute or chronic, directly impacts the entire PNI process. It is now believed that the Amygdala, a part of the brain anatomy that sits directly on top of the Limbic System (The Emotional Brain) holds most if not all negative experience. This part of the brain does not differentiate emotional, physical, spiritual pain and perceives anything negative and/or hurtful, to be a trauma.

This in turn sets up an automatic response to all immediate trauma, or anything that feels like past trauma. The cascade is a Central Nervous System response.

For this is the great error of our day that the physicians separate the soul from the body"

Hippocrates

Psycho-neuro- immunology then is the scientific field of study investigating the link between bi-directional communications among the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, and the immune system and the implications of these linkages for physical health.


Understanding PNI helps people take charge of their lives. As they begin to understand the physiology of what is happening to them, they learn to read the automatic reactions of their body, and use all of this to shift from victim of their symptoms, to healing them.

i.e. The pain I am feeling must be the cancer spreading! This pain is seriously alarming. OMG. Am I dying? To -- wait a minute -- could the pain mean that the chemo is working and kicking the heck out of my tumors???? If I feel this horrid, I can only imagine how my cancer cells are feeling!!! So, that's a good thing.

The Inner Pathic Process sees the individual as an "integrated whole". Working in the Highest Good (which to me is akin to our family here on this site, supporting one another with love and compassion, bonding with others, offering and sharing experience and lessons learned. It's a giving of oneself that in itself is healing!)
The healing intuitive process and the I-SEE Body Therapy were created by Dr. Guldal Caba and Dr. Ken Davis.

It's a bridge between East-West, Body-Mind and Science-Spirit -- a multi-disciplinary therapeutic healing framework. This bridge is meant to help all interested in personal growth, healing an illness, regeneration of their physical body, coping with life stress and/or desiring more spiritual growth. This process facilitates a person's emergence from illness to healing.

Psychoneuroimmunology (http://www.nfnlp.com/psychoneuroimmunology_quinlan.htm)

The name Psychoneuroimmunology was provided in 1975, by Dr. Robert Ader, director of the division of behavioural and psychosocial medicine at New York's University of Rochester. Dr. Ader believes that there is a link between what we think (our state of mind) and our health and our ability to heal ourselves. In particular, this was borne out in a study conducted by Dr. Ader and his colleagues which showed that it is possible to classically condition the immune system. The experiment that caused this development consisted of feeding mice with saccharin while simultaneously injecting a drug that caused upset stomach. By association, the mice learned to avoid the saccharin. An additional side affect of the drug used was that it suppressed the immune system. When the experiment was repeated without the drug to reverse the aversion Dr. Ader found a high proportion of the mice formally injected died when receiving saccharin alone.
Dr. Ader hypothesised that the conditioning had been so successful that saccharin alone suppressed the immune system enough to kill the mice. It is possible then, that when there is stress on the organism, mental or physical, that there is a corresponding link between the two. That is to say, if a person has a mental state of depression, this state can be interpreted by the body to produce lethargy and other corresponding ailments. Conversely, if the body is diagnosed as ailing from a serious disease, i.e. cancer, a negative mental state may ensue. By conditioning the immune system through processes, a connection in communication is developed. Thus providing the patient with some feeling of control over their circumstances may create a positive outlook and attitude. Some believe that this may, "Inoculate against disease and act as a valuable supplement to conventional medical care."

IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT.

Andi

[ElaineM]

Thank you for the thought provoking essay.
Beautiful !!

[Jackie07]

A local cardiologist's wife (both of them my college alumni and she'd given me a wedding shower just two years prior) gave me the book entitled 'Head first' by Norman Cousins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Cousins after learning about my upcoming brain (tumor) surgery in summer, 1990.

That was the first time I heard of the term 'psychoneuroimmunology'. But it made sense. The Chinese have always emphasized the importance of a 'pleasant environment' for patients: never impart bad news to the patient! Learning from evidence cummulated from hundreds/thousands years of experience, they know that patients fare much better, heal much faster if they are insulated from outside pressure/bad news/psychological traumas..., etc.

They also know certain genetic traits could lead to illness/shorter life/deformities ... etc. Thus a young lady ready for marriage would be scrutinized by the match-maker carefully to be sure there're no 'moles/birth marks' in unwanted area (mostly on the face), no unusual skin color/shade ...

Evil spirits were blamed for many illnesses, but there were always remedies to counter the effect - burning insense, praying to the gods, burning paper money for the ancestors so they could help out in the 'other world' ...

From modern research we know that excercise helps the release of endorphin which is the 'happy hormone' that aids our immune system to fight disease, rebuild cells/tissues, and speed up recovery. That's why I 'tap' my feet on the floor everyday while typing on my computer... :)

And it does apply to cancer survivorship:

It applies to cancer survivorship:

Brain Behav Immun. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23333846#) 2013 Mar;30 Suppl:S1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.01.003. Epub 2013 Jan 16.
Psychoneuroimmunology and cancer: A decade of discovery, paradigm shifts, and methodological innovations.

Green McDonald P (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Green%20McDonald%20P%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23333846), O'Connell M (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=O'Connell%20M%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23333846), Lutgendorf SK (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Lutgendorf%20SK%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=23333846).
Source

Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch, Behavioral Research Program (BRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), United States. Electronic address: mcdonald.paige@mail.nih.gov.

Abstract

This article introduces the supplement Advances in Cancer and Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and outlines important discoveries, paradigm shifts, and methodological innovations that have emerged in the past decade to advance mechanistic and translational understanding of biobehavioral influences on tumor biology, cancer treatment-related sequelae, and cancer outcomes. We offer a heuristic framework for research on biobehavioral pathways in cancer. The shifting survivorship landscape is highlighted, and we propose that the changing demographics suggest prudent adoption of a life course perspective of cancer and cancer survivorship. We note opportunities for psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) research to ameliorate the long-term, unintended consequences of aggressive curative intent and call attention to the critical role of reciprocal translational pathways between animal and human studies. Lastly, we briefly summarize the articles included in this compilation and offer our perspectives on future research directions.

[jacqueline1102]

Hello all,

I am passing along the correspondence between the two researchers that are looking at stress and breast cancer as it pertains to the immune system. Thought you might enjoy reading the exchange. It's always interesting to me when we can see first hand what researchers are really thinking.

On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 3:49 PM, Martha McClintock wrote:
Dear Jacqueline,

first of all, my best wishes to you.
We do have data from our animal models.
In rodents that are under chronic stress conditions, they actually have lower cort levels at baseline.
However, when a natural stressor is imposed, they have a higher stress response.
Then, over the life span, their stress response (glucocorticoids) takes longer to recover, but still with the lower baseline.

Our hypothesis is that the chronically stressed animals (who have attenuated social contact) respond more robustly to the daily stressors of everyday laboratory life, and it is this that confers the increased risk for the mammary cancer.

So, IF humans are like the rodent model, a screening would require detailed testing of the stress response system, not just a single blood draw.

I hope this is helpful

Martha McClintock

From: Suzanne Conzen <sconzen@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu>
To: Jacqueline Reynolds <jackier1102@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, July 2, 2012 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: Hello and question

Hi Jacqueline
Martha Mcclintock and I have a paper under review looking at dirunal
salivary cortisol levels after diagnosis.

May women have levels that reflect a burned out phenomenon, suggestive there
were high cort levels prior to diagnosis.

The only prospective study of diurnal cortisol levels and health outcome
over the lifecourse are ongoing- and Martha is involved, so I will ask her
if they have any results.

We have hypothesized that women at high risk of certain breast cancer
subtypes may have higher stress responsiveness- is your cancer ER-negative?

-sc

[conomyself]

Thanks Andi and Jackie for the information!

I think that it absolutely must be true that the mind and the body work together!

Athletes use visualization and belief to improve their performance, and they can get their bodies to do things that have never been done before!! They break records all the time!!

So why wouldn't our beliefs and visualizations affect us as well?

This article is about people with multiple personalities and how the different personalities have different physiological characteristics - such as hives appearing and disappearing, injuries and scars appearing and disappearing, etc.

I found it to be a powerful example of how our mind and beliefs define us.

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/28/science/probing-the-enigma-of-multiple-personality.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Rachael

[jacqueline1102]

Here is an article by the researchers I have corresponded with. More to come ladies. I hope I don't annoy anyone.


Breast Cancer in Isolation
Posted by Rob Mitchum on September 12, 2011 in Cancer, Genetics, Medicine, psychology, Research
Loneliness can be deadly. In humans, there is a statistical relationship between social interaction and mortality – the more isolated you are, the lower your chances of living a long life. Rats kept in social isolation their entire life die at a younger age than littermates who lived in groups closer to their natural social structure. But how exactly does isolation kill a rat? Under normal conditions, an infectious disease such as pneumonia is typically the cause of earlier mortality in a lonely rat. But when rats are kept in the sterile conditions of a laboratory animal facility, the cause of death is something quite surprising: breast cancer.

Those experiments – conducted by the group of Martha McClintock, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago – sparked a fruitful collaboration between McClintock and Suzanne Conzen, professor of medicine and a cancer expert. Last week, McClintock and Conzen gave a tag-team talk at the Chicago Breast Cancer SPORE seminar to present an overview of their research into the connection between social isolation, stress, and breast cancer, a line of study that could flip the current thinking about the disease. Traditionally, the psychological and social effects of breast cancer are considered to be the consequence of its diagnosis and treatment, but the research of these two laboratories suggests that these factors could be a cause as well, just as much as genetics or other biological sources.

“What I brought to the classic traditional approach is trying to flip it on its head,” McClintock said, “where you recognize that there are truly social forces which then change the psychological states of individuals in those interactions, and in turn their hormone function, cell receptors for those hormones, and then ultimately changes in gene expression.”

The link between the two labs was made over a hormone known for its role in stress responses, cortisol. McClintock observed that solitary rats behaved more anxiously than their group-housed peers, and found that they exhibit a larger and prolonged cortisol increase after a stressful event. Conzen’s laboratory was already studying the role of a receptor for cortisol, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), in breast cancer, because women with the harder-to-treat “triple negative” form of the disease often show increased GR levels. Researchers in Conzen’s laboratory discovered that activating GRs can stimulate proliferation of breast cells and block the effects of chemotherapy drugs.

Could this be the missing biological step between isolation stress and breast cancer? At the lecture, Conzen tagged back to McClintock to talk about experiments on the tumors from her socially isolated rats. Unlike more common animal models of breast cancer where the tumor is instigated by a toxin or a genetic mutation, the naturally-occurring tumors in isolated rats show a similar diversity to that seen in human tumors. Some rats grow benign tumors, some malignant, and different tumors have the different hormone receptor profiles that are used for classification and treatment choices in patients – including, in some cases, glucocorticoid receptors.

“This to me was very exciting because in the rat model we have a good model of the diversity of breast pathology that happens [in humans] and it is increased by isolation,” McClintock said. “I was happy to see it in the more natural, spontaneously-occurring cancer model rather than something that was induced.”


But an induced-tumor mouse model used by Conzen’s laboratory also added intriguing information to this growing theory. These experiments used genetically identical, transgenic mice with a predisposition for breast cancer. But splitting these mice at a young age into group-housed or isolated conditions produced very different results, as the isolated mice grew both more tumors and larger tumors than the mice raised in a social environment. When the researchers looked at gene expression in the two groups of mice, they found large differences – again, in mice that shared the same DNA. The timing of the gene expression changes were also interesting, Conzen said, because they seemed to appear relatively early in life, before the cancer.

“This was fascinating,” Conzen said. “Because what this said was that most of the gene expression changes that were different were happening before the invasive component of the cancer arose.”

Taken together, the evidence appeared to support a strong relationship between isolation, stress, and breast cancer pathology, at least in rodents. But as the seminar’s moderator Olufunmilayo Olopade said during the question-and-answer session, “human beings are much more complicated.” Certainly, McClintock and Conzen said, the evidence suggests that an effective intervention for breast cancer should consider social and psychological factors as well as medical. Julian Solway even wondered provocatively from the audience whether one could take this evidence to make a case for gun control as a preventive treatment for breast cancer – removing the stressful and isolating conditions created by gun violence.

“Women are evolving, society is evolving, and the rates of the different types of breast cancer are changing,” Olopade said. “There are a lot of things that are changing about a woman’s environmental health and social environment…that’s why this is an interesting approach.”

=====

Williams, J., Pang, D., Delgado, B., Kocherginsky, M., Tretiakova, M., Krausz, T., Pan, D., He, J., McClintock, M., & Conzen, S. (2009). A Model of Gene-Environment Interaction Reveals Altered Mammary Gland Gene Expression and Increased Tumor Growth following Social Isolation Cancer Prevention Research, 2 (10), 850-861 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-08-0238

Hermes, G., Delgado, B., Tretiakova, M., Cavigelli, S., Krausz, T., Conzen, S., & McClintock, M. (2009). Social isolation dysregulates endocrine and behavioral stress while increasing malignant burden of spontaneous mammary tumors Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106 (52), 22393-22398 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0910753106

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[Ellie F]

Thank you all for this really informative thread. My onc did not agree that stress had any role in my bc but I knew it did! This article helps explore the biological way this may occur.
I also find the info about early childhood conditioning of the physical response to stress fascinating.
Ellie

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

Some yrs ago there was a thread posted on -- what was going on in your life when you were dx. I recall a lot of responses. And I also clearly remember that one Sister after the other had something extraordinarily stressful occurring at the time of dx.

For me, my mother (widowed) developed Alzheimers. We all -- truly horrid disease. She became more and more debilitated. I arranged for round the clock aides to be with her. She was so confused. She couldn't care for herself. (It's not easy running a mini hospital, let me tell you.) I would visit often and bring supplies of food, diapers and on and on. I'd rent things like hoya lift, hospital bed and on and on.

The pain of seeing my mother deteriorate in every unimaginable way was heart-wrenching. Finally, as she became paralyzed and dead weight, it would take 2 aides to transfer from bed to wheelchair and vice versa. She'd gotten even worse in every way and I had to look into a nursing home. Her friends pleaded me not to put her in a home. God knows I didn't want to either.

I considered bringing my Mom to live in my house but all my friends told me, You don't want to do that. It's horrible.

So I did get her into a home, on a wait list, told that when they did call me I would have 24 hrs to get her there, or I'd lose the bed. So I packed up a suitcase for her and left all kinds of instructions w/the aides. Every time the phone rang, for wks, or was it mnths, I'd rush to the phone. We were hanging on by our fingernails, as they say.

It was the nicest home I could find, but they are all inhabited by wailing, screaming, drooling people, some saying over and over, I want to go home, and though it was truly well kept, there was a stench of urine. Incontinence is not pleasant in any way.

After 1 wk of my Mom being in the home, I wondered how much longer I could stand it. She spent 9 yrs in the home, on top of the 3 yrs at home w/aides.

So I was dx 4 yrs after my Mom went into the home. I never told her I had bc. There was no point. If she happened to understand, it would only serve to upset her. And, what could she do? I couldn't get over the fact that I couldn't tell my mother I couldn't come to visit tomorrow, b/c I had chemo.

WHAT WAS GOING IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU WERE DX?????

I THINK WE'D ALL BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING...

Andi

[carlatte7]

2 yrs before dx an adult child going through divorce, 6 months before dx a child with severe mental health issues- hateful, suicidal, nasty texts...they are both doing well now and I am NED but I've often wondered if i had just broken down and gotten a 'script for Ativan if it would have made a difference! Rationalization...

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

Wow, Carla! Thank you for sharing. I would love everyone to post what was happening around time of dx. It is my unscientific study.

I do believe that when we are stressed out -- and you had to be experiencing stress off the charts -- our immune system becomes hamstrung, our T cells (natural fighters) plummet and our genetically weakest point in our bodies acts up.

Also you had such a marvelous and quick response, Carla (do I hopefully have your name tight?) I am most impressed.

I would guess you have a cast iron belief system and that caused your body to respond and get with the program.

I have a friend in NY who had a funky mammo. They wanted to do a sono but she had to return for that. She was freaked out, as we can all imagine. She went home and worked all day on talking to her body. A single working mom, she had extra reasons not to want bc. We each have a list of excellent reasons why we don't want bc in our lives.

When she returned for the sono -- there was nothing there. Inexplicably, what they'd seen had completely disappeared.

Again, thank you for sharing your powerful story with us. We are all here to learn and help one another. You have touched my life in a most memorable way.

BTW, when my bc recurred throughout my liver, my positivity faultered seriously. I said to my onc, you have to give me something. I was asking for help. We each need help at times in our lives. And we should feel no compunctions about asking for it. My onc gave me Ativan. Anti anxiety med, which made the unbearable so much easier on me (my psyche, my body, my Spirit all included). I would take it at night cause it would give me peace along with the need to sleep it off. I awoke refreshed and able to face my battle.

When our kids are suffering, we more than empathize. We literally feel their pain. They are after all an extention of ourselves...

I have a niece much like the child you described, self-destructive, leaves 50 messages on my sister's phone (her mom) full of vitriole and blame. How do you fix that???? Bi polar/borderline personality -- major problems for the one dx and those who love them.
Andi

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

The Power of Self-Talk
To make your inner voice a force for success and happiness, says a noted psychologist, substitute accurate, positive thoughts for those false messages of fear.

By Harriet B. Braiker

They say there’s nothing wrong with talking to yourself, but when you start answering back, it’s time to worry. They’re wrong. Talking aloud to yourself in public isn’t a sign of mental health, but holding an internal dialogue is quite normal and very useful.
In fact, inner conversations have a powerful impact on emotional well-being and motivation. Becoming aware of exactly what you are saying to yourself about yourself can help you understand why you react the way you do to events and people in your life. It can also give you a handle on controlling your moods, repeating your successes and short-circuiting your shortcomings.


We must learn to troll our thoughts. It is difficult, as most things are when first tried. But, as you also know, practice improves your abilities. Look for phrases that begin, I KNOW that..., I'm just afraid that..., But what if... and other negative commentary. Then, course correct. Replace negativity with positive statements. Use words that give you strength, courage and determination. Use words and images that encourage positive outcomes.

Positive self-talk can do a lot to give you the confidence that frees you to use your talents to the fullest. If public speaking makes you nervous, use your inner voice to reassure yourself: “You can do it. You’ve done it well before. Why else would they have asked you to do it again?” Behind your nervousness may well be negative thoughts such as: “There are 300 people out there! I could make a fool of myself. Freeze up. Lose my place...”

Self-talk has a way of becominging a self-fulfilling prophecy! Uncountered negative thinking can spell trouble. That’s why it’s so important to monitor your Inner Voice.

But don’t confuse positive self-talk with mindless positive thinking, happy affirmations or, even worse, self-delusion. For example, if I were to tell myself that I’m no good at artistic endeavors, my self-talk would be negative but not flawed. The truth is, I have difficulty drawing a straight line. On the other hand, if I say I can’t do anything right, that would be flawed, overgeneralized thinking.
Or, for a cancer patient who is feeling the harsh effects of chemotherapy, radiation, WBR, the consequences of necrosis and cells dying -- you could start thinking, I feel like I'm dying. I have no strength. I sleep more than 12 hrs a day. I can hardly stand, I'm so weak. Whereas, what I did when experiencing those horrid mnths, was to remind myself that -- if I feel this crappy, just think how my cancer cells are feeling. I am in a process. In the end, I will prevail. DELAY IS NOT DENIAL. My desired outcome will come to be. I will keep the faith. I BELIEVED. I "KNEW" THAT I WOULD SURVIVE. I WILLED MY BODY TO SURVIVE, as I've heard other Survivors of every kind, report. (I've been listening to what Survivors, Olympic Champions, Winners of every kind say since I was a young child.)

As I've mentioned in one of the threads, I had a difficult childhood. I would later learn as an adult from a therapist that I was suffering from post traumatic syndrome. And that made sense. My feelings, my reactions were the same as those who'd survived wars. So, my point is that I've always been riveted by any tale of how and why a person survived. That was my goal in childhood. And it became my goal when I was dx (in '95). I responded with the same strength and determination I had while growing up. I didn't yet realize it (that would come after my recurrence in '98) -- I drew courage and strength and passionate tenacity from the words of my Inner Voice. After I metastacized, and began reading self help books and then books about the mind-body connection, which I'd been fascinated in since the early 1970s, I moved on to books about spirituality.

HERE IS SOME OF WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN THE LAST FEW DECADES. IT'S PRETTY AWESOME...

My Inner Voice is my Spirit. Some say Soul. It is an entity that I now align myself with. I am a Spirit, or Soul, with a mind and a body. Your Spirit possesses eons of wisdom. It loves you more than you love yourself. It nurtures and sustains you especially in your darkest moments. It guides and protects you. It shares insights and warns you when you are headed in the wrong direction. It emboldens you when you feel a bit afraid to take a leap of faith, but something profoundly strong, deep within you, at your core, is urging on anyway! Your Spirit will never fail you. Never criticize you.

You are never alone. Never.

So, please connect with your True Identity. It is your most precious possession. It is your Truest Self. And when you are in sync, you feeling harmonious. Joyful. And serene. Able to leap tall bldgs in a single bound! EMPOWERED!

With Love and Light being beamed directly at YOU...

[Andrea Barnett Budin]

I cannot help myself. This is one of my MOST FAVORITE (redundant and I don't care) subjects -- the MIND BODY CONNECTION.

A MUST READ ... PLEASE... Good to know.