Mind Body Medicine | Patient Resources

From the tenuous bonds that connect us with one another to the ever-present vulnerability we share as humans in a chaotic world, our lives are forever saturated in the possibility of catastrophe. Bad things often really tragic things like accidents, illness, and untimely death happen to people every single day. We know this, yet we are tasked with finding ways of moving forward in a world where nothing is guaranteed. But how? Mainly, we find ways to oppose the dread of life's danger...

Storytelling is an inherently social practice, one that fosters intimacy and connection with others. Research has consistently shown that relationships are good for us and social isolation is bad clearly linked to earlier cognitive and physical decline and increased mortality. Research on the mortality risk of loneliness suggests it is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and commensurate with other well-established health risk factors, such as inactivity, obesity, substance abuse...

Here are some ideas that have helped others feel more hopeful and deal with the uncertainty and fear of cancer that doesn't go away: Be informed. Learn what you can do for your health now and about the services available to you and your loved ones. This can give you a greater sense of control. Be aware that you do not have control over some aspects of your cancer. It helps to accept this rather than fight it. Be aware of your fears, but practice letting them go. It's normal for ...

Emotional intelligence and resilience are essential skills during cancer. These are the 12 goals to reach. We can help you get there! Emotional Self Awareness is the ability to know your own emotions and their effects on your performance. Self-Regulate is the ability to keep your disruptive emotions and impulses in check in order to maintain your effectiveness under stressful or even hostile conditions. Positivity is the ability to see the best in people, situations, and events so y...

Hypnosis is an old practice and is mentioned in Hindu texts as "temple sleep" and by Avicenna (980-1037 AD) who wrote in The Book of Healing about the distinction between sleep and hypnosis. Despite its long history, hypnosis has had memorable runs of being stigmatized. One of the historical lightning-rod figures of hypnosis was Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) who theorized that the benefits of hypnotic suggestions he saw in his practice were due to "animal magnetism". He w...