The Ebbs and Flows of Cancer Treatment - Snapshot 8

What doorway could help me remain strong throughout the process?

Living my values

The metaphor of waging war against cancer can be a source of strength for many, but it didn’t resonate with me. Maybe it’s because one of my core values is nonviolence, which I extend to caring for my body. So, instead of approaching treatment as a battle, I began to wonder whether there was a different doorway to approach.

It turned out that my doorway was a teaching by the late Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Buddhist monk and nonviolent social activist. His teaching was about imagining that you are inviting “an issue” over for a cuppa. Before my surgery for bowel cancer, I had practised this teaching. It felt strange at first, but I found it helped settle my nervous system. Back then, that doorway was incredibly useful.

However, chemotherapy was a different matter, and I once again toyed with the waging war metaphor. Yet, I couldn’t go there. So, when the side effects weren’t too intense, I once again chose to imagine inviting the chemotherapy in for a cuppa and thanking it for enabling me to carry on with life. Then, during the toughest days, I focused on easing the symptoms as much as possible and then practised acceptance. My mantra became, “short-term pain for long-term gain.”

My nonviolent doorway for remaining strong— 1. the imagery of sharing a cuppa, 2. easing the symptoms where possible, 3. practising acceptance.