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Recovering from Breast Cancer: A Guided Visualization

Rachel Carson Day

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(9 sessions to be repeated with variations yearly)

Jump to session:   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9

Session One: Getting to Know Your Breasts

• introduce yourselves; background, what you want to gain from the group
• talk about feelings you have associated with your breasts; divide into groups of 2 or 3
• draw a picture of your breasts with positive associations on one side, negative ones on the other, beneath the picture. Share your picture with the group.
• sharing circle of stories of your breast history; let each person speak in turn without interruption or much comment so they can say what they need to. May need a time limit per person depending on the size of the group.
• discuss your feelings around breast self exams. Share your techniques with one another. Can show a video on BSE while women do it on themselves.
• consider bringing in a medical professional to demonstrate BSE and have all the women do it together along with a breast map
• discuss the ways you monitor your breast health with one another and share your experiences with various technologies. Consider a collective trip for thermography or do the AMAS or Immunicon test together yearly. Educate yourselves on the risks, benefits and accuracy of each test.
• review the importance of the twenty minute break and become aware of the signals your body gives you when you need to relax. Discuss with each other the strategies you use (or don’t use) to relax.
• practise a breathing exercise or meditation together amd commit to practising it regularly at home. You may want to bring in a meditation teacher or follow the audiotape Sat Dharam Kaur produced or use another tape. Share your experiences with meditation to help motivate others with less experience. Pay attention to your breathing through the month and focus on making it slower and deeper.
• choose what you would like to focus on in the next session

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Session Two: Looking at Risk Factors

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• look at the Breast Health Balance Sheet and check off the risk factors that are applicable to you. Make a commitment to the group that you will reduce or eliminate a certain number of them by the next meeting. Choose the ones you will work on and write them down so that you can review them at the next meeting and celebrate your successes or try again.
• help each other with weight management by sharing your own strategies. Commit to an exercise program that is attainable for you. It may be daily walking, rebounding or other aerobic activity. You might set up a time to walk or hike or exercise together. Create your individualized exercise program there in the group and report back at the next meeting with what you were able to accomplish. Be gentle with one another and yourselves – no guilt – just inspire one another. Some of you may want to be buddies by calling one another regularly through the month regarding exercise schedules. Make it fun. You may want to join an existing exercise class together. Your eventual goal is four hours of aerobic exercise weekly.
• arrange through a naturopathic doctor to check your hormone levels through saliva. You will want to check estradiol, estrone, estriol, progesterone, melatonin, IGF-1 and if possible, the ratio between C2 and C16 hydroxyestrone. Check these yearly. Educate yourselves and each other on the significance of these hormone levels.
• if you are on the birth control pill, hormone replacement therapy or fertility drugs, explore other alternatives and work with a naturopath to deal with your symptoms in a way that is not potentially harmful.
• ensure that your thyroid gland is functioning normally. Commit to taking your underarm temperature in the morning before getting out of bed, daily for a month. Graph it on paper. It should be between 97.8-98.2 degrees F. Share your graphs with each other in the next meeting. If your temperature is consistently low, seek further testing of your thyroid through a medical or naturopathic doctor. Imbalanced thyroid function is associated with increased breast cancer risk and needs to be corrected.
• as a group, focus on one thing you can do together in your community to reduce breast cancer risk.
• choose what you would like to focus on in the next session

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Session Three: Environmental Links

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• review your findings on the temperature taking to assess thyroid function
• talk about how your exercise program is going
• talk about the risk factors you were going to decrease or eliminate and whether you have succeeded
• review the environmental links to breast cancer as outlined in A Call to Women: The Healthy Breast Program and Workbook.
• each of you draw a "map" of where you have lived in your lifetime and include on the drawing proximity to nuclear power plants (within 100 miles), chemical factories, plastic manufacturers, pesticide sprays on crops or lawns, electrical generating stations or continuous exposure to electromagnetic fields, exposure to organochlorines, contaminated drinking water etc. Include the duration in years that you were exposed to each of these. Discuss your maps with one another.
• familiarize yourself and the other members of the group of the environmental risks in your community. Know how much dioxin is released from hospital incinerators annually or from plastic manufacturers. Become aware of the worst polluters in your area and develop a campaign to coax them to decrease their emissions. Prepare for Rachel Carson Day, May 27 and organize a march with other environmental groups in your area. Draw a map of your city and attempt to locate the areas that are most contaminated with carcinogens. Share this map with other women to raise awareness of how we are all affected by the pollutants around us. Write letters of protest together to government and industry. Create a plan of action to raise awareness and demand change. See the website www.pollutionwatch.com.
• discuss ways of decreasing your use of plastic and what you use as alternatives.
• discuss the feasibilty of using composting toilets or solar power and how you can make your home more energy efficient.
• review the foods to include in your diets on a regular basis to help protect you from radiation.
• examine how each of you has your bedroom and workplace arranged and if you can place electical devices at least 3 feet from where you sleep or spend most of your waking hours. Commit to changing this around before your next meeting. Be sure to sleep in a dark room.
• talk about ways to use your car less often, and how you can decrease your use of petrochemicals.
• create a plan to reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides in your community.
• if you have children in the primary grades, take the essential oil recipe for lice to your school and share it with other parents and the teachers.
• create a time to watch one of several films on the environmental links to breast cancer
• research the canned foods that do not contain plastic liners with bisphenol-A. Share your discoveries with one another.
• choose what you would like to focus on in the next session.

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Session Four: Prevention through Diet and Protective Nutrients

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• review the Healthy Breast Diet and its components as laid out in the book
• share your difficulties or ease with the diet and any suggestions of where to shop, how to organize your cooking etc.
• find out where you can buy organic food and some of the specialty items like shitake mushrooms and sea weeds
• consider forming a food co-op and order food monthly together
• share recipes with one another
• make arrangements to eat at each others homes or to bring in a pot luck to eat together
• find a cook who can teach you how to cook many of the foods included in the Healthy Breast Program – learn together.
• do a demonstration on how to sprout various seeds. Find sources of organic seeds to order together.
• make a point of asking your supermarkets to stock organic, non-genetically modified products – particularly soy products.
• bring in a week long diet diary and pair up to analyze each other’s diet for fat content, servings of fruits and vegetables, sea weeds, soy, fibre etc. and inform your partner of what she could include next to move to a more protective diet. Look at the dietary checklist in the book to do this. Be flexible – some people will not be able to follow the Healthy Breast Diet exactly because of food allergies or differences in metabolism. Come up with reasonable alternatives while keeping the principles in mind.
• talk about how you can avoid processed food and food packaged in plastic or plastic-lined cans
• review the supplements that are helpful in preventing breast cancer and the amounts each of you are taking and why. Work with a naturopath to understand which ones are necessary for you and what the dosage should be. Understand what your supplements are doing for you. Compare the places where you shop and where the best prices are to be found.
• choose what you would like to focus on in the next session.

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Session Five: Detoxification

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• discuss the various ways our bodies have of detoxifying
• review the nutrients that help the liver detoxify
• schedule a time to do a 10 day liver flush within the next month. Pair up with a buddy and call each other during your liver flush.
• discuss the problem of parasites and plan a three month yeast and parasite cleanse with supervision from a naturopathic doctor.
• talk about the various methods of bowel cleansing and what you can do to cleanse the bowel regularly. Review the benefits of psyllium and wheat bran.
• discuss the importance of enzymes and ways to increase your enzyme reserve.
• talk about water filters, your choices and suppliers
• review the aspects of the sauna detoxification and talk about the feasibility of you doing it together as a group or what each woman’s individual sauna detox can be. How can you let other people know of the importance of saunas for breast cancer prevention? They need to become a weekly event, as they are in Finland.
• monitor the pH of your urine and chart it, bringing your results to the next meeting. Discuss how you noticed it change, depending on foods and supplements.
• encourage each women to design an annual detoxification program to be followed for life. It should be tailored to her needs and lifestyle. Write it down and mark it in your calendar. Discuss them with each other. Seek supervision from a naturopathic physician.
• choose what you would like to focus on in the next session.

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Session Six: Lymphatic Cleansing

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• comment on your liver and intestinal cleansing, pH taking, sauna detox.
• do drawings of the different components of the lymphatic system and direction of flow of lymphatic fluid
• reinforce the benefits of dry brush massage. Practise dry brush massage daily over the next month.
• reinforce the benefits of contrast showers. Integrate them into your routine over the next month.
• practise the exercises for lymphatic cleansing together in your group session and at home as much as is possible for you.
• discuss your feelings around the wearing of bras, and about when each woman is comfortable or uncomfortable wearing one. Assess which brand names of bras allow for the best lymphatic circulation of the breasts. Figure out how you can improve the lymphatic circulation in your breasts by wearing a bra less often.
• review the herbal lymphatic cleansers for the breasts; discuss how you are using them
• consider bringing your rebounders in as well as some great music and follow the rebounding session outlined in the book or make up your own exercises. You might also choose to do the exercises with The Healthy Breast Kundalini Yoga and Rebounding Video produced by Sat Dharam Kaur, N.D. Rebound daily at home for a specified amount of time depending on your ability.

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Session Seven: Activating Immunity and Using Visualization

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• discuss your progress with dry brush massage, contrast showers, rebounding
• review the supplements and herbs that strengthen the immune system and which of those you use.
• do a drawing outlining the components of your immune system and include how your various supplements and treatments are impacting your immune system.
• talk about your use of shitake and other medicinal mushrooms
• talk about your use of Chinese herbal formulas for breast health, or of acupuncture or Chi-kung.
• develop a particular visualization to maintain breast health – review the components of effective visualization. Write out your script during the session. Read it to a partner, suggesting improvements based on the guidelines in the book. Make a tape of your own at home from your script and listen to it regularly over the next month.
• share other visualization or meditation tapes in the group that you have found helpful.
• choose what you would like to focus on for the next session.

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• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes.
• report on the effectiveness of your visualization.
• review the qualities of passive, aggressive and assertive behaviour.
• identify situations in your life when you need to act more assertively; role play with a partner, acting assertively while they are on the receiving end. Switch roles so that the partner is able to act assertively in a hypothetical situation that is important to her.
• choose three situations over the next month where you will attempt to act assertively.
• allow each person in the group to discuss where in her body she holds anger. Have each woman walk around the room in turn pretending to be angry and notice where in her body she expresses it. Tell her.
• allow each woman to talk about anger she may be holding against another person and ask what is required for her to release and let go of it. Do not try to fix the situation for her, just witness her feelings.
• over the next month, attempt to release old anger and move along the continuum towards forgiveness.
• notice over the next month when you feel anger but hold it in. Write these situations down. Over time, be more direct with expressing your feelings.
• choose what you would like to focus on for the next session.

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Session Nine: Living with Joy, Purpose and Prayer

• check-in with each member of the group: how she has been feeling in the last month; what she needs support in; successes
• discuss the outcome of your assertive behaviour
• discuss what you noticed about how you held anger in your body and whether you were able to forgive.
• make a list of the things that bring you joy and meaning and of those things that you feel passionate about. Share them with a partner or with the whole group.
• identify the times in your life when you have felt connected to your soul. What were you doing? Share these with the group.
• make a list of your gifts, talents and capabilities. Share them with the group.
• create destiny statements for yourselves and read them out loud to the group. Have the other group members repeat them back. Notice how it feels to have your destiny statement affirmed.
• bring magazines, markers, chalk pastels, large paper, scissors and glue to this session and create your meaning mandala as outlined in the book. Share them with one another. Put it up at home and focus on it daily, perhaps while you rebound. Add to it as you think of other things you want to include on it.
• talk about your daily process of inner listening – how do each of you do it or what would work for you? How can you improve your relationship to your soul? Talk about what you feel is your calling, or what your soul wants you to do or be. Support each other in these endeavours.
• make a commitment to letting go of those things in your life that no longer serve your new-found self. Tell the others in the group what you will attempt to let go of before the next session.
• talk about what prayer is and the types of prayer that exist. Share your own personal experiences with prayer. Write three personal prayers that you can use at different times or for different occasions and read them to one another. Use them daily at home and notice how you change because of it.

After the ninth session, return to session one but focus on slightly different aspects. You can choose different exercises that fit into the theme of each month. Be creative and make it fun. Take turns in the leadership role or let one person assume this.

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