CANCER ROCK TO STONE PROGRAM

Our main program is called rock to stone, where Western Medicine meets Eastern Medicine. Its purpose is to help you heal by processing your feels in a group setting with the support of others and a professional psychologist. Afterwards, you will experience a combination of holistic treatments including Yoga, Body Movement, QiGong, and Mindfulness meditation.

Schedule: Monday and Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 PM for six weeks.

If the idea of talking about your feelings in a group setting is intimidating, you aren’t alone. However, group therapy can have many advantages over individual therapy and many people are surprised to discover how beneficial group psychotherapy can be.

Understandably so, many people experience an intense emotional response when they are diagnosed with cancer. This response can vary in intensity and may run the gamut between a wide range of emotions from shock, anger, and fear to disbelief and feeling a large sense of loss. Although well-meaning, individuals closest to the patient cannot possibly comprehend the loneliness and isolation that a cancer diagnosis can cause.

Thankfully, there is a solution that can help those living with cancer break through their stress, loneliness, and isolation. Support groups provide the opportunity for patients to surround themselves with individuals who are on the same journey as they are, allowing them the opportunity to discuss their individual experiences and feelings that often feel too overwhelming for family and friends. This brings about a sense of belonging for patients, which in turn can lower stress levels as they begin to feel like someone understands their journey and that they aren’t walking it alone. Some studies have even documented that group psychotherapy can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients, enabling them to better manage their emotions and feel a greater sense of hope.

The practice of yoga is a whole-body exercise that provides healing for many individuals, and those who currently have cancer or are cancer survivors are no exception. Cancer treatments often leave individuals feeling sick and depleted of energy, and there are many types of different therapeutic yoga poses that can provide relief.

During cancer treatments, toxins can build up in the body. Yoga therapy can be effective in helping to clear these out. Aside from this, many individuals report reduced levels of anxiety and tension when they are practicing yoga, allowing those with cancer to feel more at ease with their health and a greater sense of well-being. Yoga also enables individuals to strengthen their body gently, boost their immune function, and enhance their mood — all of which are critical while enduring rigorous chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Many cancer patients and survivors describe the practice of yoga as an internal anchor that calms their soul. This is because the benefits of yoga reach beyond an individual’s consciousness, spilling over into many different aspects of their being. In fact, studies have determined that practicing yoga can help individuals enjoy better sleep, less anxiety and fatigue, and an enhanced appetite, all of which are very important to the body’s healing process. Additionally, individuals have reported reduced levels of physical pain and stress, as well as an enhanced emotional state. Some studies suggest that there may even be a possible survival benefit to practicing yoga.

Just as the earth turns endlessly on its axis, our bodies are in constant motion. Every step we take defines the beautiful dance of our lives. Movement therapy seeks to help individuals live their best lives by gently guiding them through the process of mindfully connecting to various parts of their bodies. This is done by using guided breathing processes and a variety of fluid movements to achieve balance in the energy centers of your body. Our team will walk you through using stillness and diverse motions with relaxing beats and rhythms to help you achieve a calm, yet energy-filled, mind, body, and soul. This type of unique meditation invites you to listen and reconnect with the wisdom of your body through movement.

We often move as we are directed to by others, whether during the flow of a relationship or because of other outside forces. We also move as we are directed to by our inner selves, whether driven by emotions or other inward forces. The movements from external and internal forces don’t always coincide, and learning how to recognize and achieve a balance between the two can be a lifelong process. We must learn how to overcome the urge to move too quickly, hold onto things for too long, or let go of things before we should. The work of achieving balance can be difficult, and it can create uncomfortable physical and emotional feelings of tension, disharmony, and imbalance. Movement therapy can help liberate individuals who feel weighed down by stagnant tension, as it enables them to be fully present and aware of all of their body’s movements. If you are ready to tap into your freedom to move and if you’d like to embrace your creative form, our team would love to speak with you about this unique form of therapy.

Fear. Uncertainty about the future. Some of the most difficult elements of the cancer experience are well-suited for mindfulness meditation. The practice of mindfulness has recently been recognized as a powerful way for cancer patients to reduce stress levels and enhance their psychological functioning.

Participants in a 2011 study reported several perceived benefits after practicing mindfulness. Many reported better sleep, a greater sense of calm, increased energy levels, an enhanced sense of well-being, and lower levels of physical pain. This study and its reported results lend credibility to the notion that, through practicing mindfulness, individuals may be able to enhance their ability to handle life’s stresses that affect their body’s ability to heal. (M. Fine)

Healing is more than just a physical process — it is also an emotional and physiological process. Mindfulness can benefit all three of these processes because it largely impacts our ability to regulate our emotions and work with physical pain. This has brought many individuals who are living with cancer a sense of calmness, allowing them to enjoy greater peace surrounding their diagnosis.

Qigong (pronounced “chee kung”) is a Chinese practice rooted in a holistic system that balances the flow of energy (qi), or lifeforce, within the body. This is done by coordinating posture, movements, breathing, and meditation. There are internal and external qigong practices, each of which has a different approach to balancing energy flows and the life force in the body.

Studies have documented how the effects of practicing qigong can enhance the lives of individuals who have cancer. Among helping with other medical conditions, some of the benefits reported by individuals with cancer include:

• Enhanced mood
• Effective pain management
• Decreased fatigue
• Enhanced cognitive and immune function
• Lower levels of inflammation
• Easing of cancer treatment side effects