Day 933 - New York August 7, 2009 - 13.15 hrs

We are back in New York.
Nicole and I participated in a workshop at the Simonton Cancer Centre in Santa Barbara, California. This workshop trains cancer patients and their support person to deal with cancer. It proposes methods to change our beliefs and thoughts so that we can influence our emotions. Our emotions in turn have an effect on our body.
The workshop introduced us to cognitive behavior therapy, which allows us to examine our beliefs and thoughts, "identify if our thoughts and beliefs and the resulting feelings are healthy or unhealthy". If they are unhealthy, then we replace them with healthy beliefs and thoughts.
"We are not upset by things, but the view we take of them." is the statement made at the workshop.
We were introduced to the ABC's of Emotions:
A. The activating event and your perception of it, (what you see, hear, physically feel, etc)
B. Your sincere thoughts (only the ones you BELIEVE) about your perceptions.
C. Your emotional feelings, i.e. the response to your thoughts.

We were thus able to examine our beliefs and given exercises to do to change those beliefs that are not healthy. The purpose is to develop greater emotional competence.
Dr Simonton's work is based on the belief that our emotions have a great influence on the working of our immune system. When we experience healthy emotions, our immune system functions at its best and is able to defend our body from infections and fight illness. Thus it is important that we change our unhealthy beliefs in order to experience healthy emotions, which in turn will assist our immune system. Dr Simonton also believes that the human body is by nature healthy. We have to trust our inner healing ability. Healing can only happen in the present moment. Our body is healing itself now, not tomorrow not in the future. Thus if we are peaceful and calm now, we enhance the healing ability of our body.

We were asked to make a conscious decision to become well, if one is ill, or to stay healthy, if one is not ill.

The workshop introduced us to the use of mental imagery, imagining desirable outcome, to assist our body healing ability to heal itself. We did a series of exercises that we now practiced many times daily. We learned about "conscious breathing" to relieve us from stress. The one important take away from these exercises is the detachment from the outcome.

We were also introduced to the experience of "PLAY", activities that allowed us to relax, have fun and laugh. Laughter is indeed the best medicine. The workshop also made us to deal with "Death" and enables us to see death differently. The workshop enables us to plan to live for a long time but be ready to die today.

Finally we were asked to make a 2 year personal plan.

The workshop leader was Dr. Mariusz Wirga.

Both Nicole and I came out of this workshop, more confident in our ability to deal with cancer, but more importantly, we feel we are living life more fully.
Based on our experience, we recommend attending the workshop.

Dr Carl Simonton died on June 18, 2009.