There is so much to be grateful for as we start a new year, and so many ways that this year can be better than last. I’m grateful that Healing Journeys is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and I appreciate the support we have received from you. Thank you!

We are celebrating our 25th anniversary with a one-day Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ free conference, in Sacramento, on September 8. But before that, we are offering a one-day workshop in the Oakland area for people who want to learn how to access their inner compass to navigate their unique healing journey.

In the 25 years that Healing Journeys has been offering programs for anyone touched by cancer, I have seen an exponential growth in the number of alternative and integrative treatments that are offered. In addition to the chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery offered by Western Medicine, there are now hundreds of treatment options vying for our attention, time, and money.

A couple of years ago I attended a three-day Integrative Cancer Conference in San Diego that included dozens of speakers and hundreds of exhibitors, each claiming they had a “treatment” that could possibly “cure” my cancer. I was overwhelmed.

Many cancer patients feel confused when attempting to sort through and choose from the vast array of healing modalities available today. It can be very frightening not to know which options to pursue when one’s life is on the line.

How are we to choose from so many alternatives? Some of us try to do them all, which is of course impossible, not to mention exhausting. Many of us have a niggling belief that there is “one right way,” if only we were smart enough to figure it out. And then we are hard on ourselves because we can’t. Since each healing journey is unique, it is also not possible to copy anyone else’s plan. This confusion, fear, and self-criticism inhibit healing and add stress to an already difficult situation.

Dr. Kelly Turner’s research on spontaneous remissions identified nine factors that were consistent for all of the survivors she interviewed. Her best-selling book, Radical Remission, lists and describes these strategies for healing. Two of them are 1) Taking charge of your own healing; 2) Accessing and strengthening your intuition.

Many people need assistance, encouragement, and support to muster the courage to take charge of their own healing, and to learn how to tap into their inner wisdom. Each of us possesses internal wisdom that guides us to our highest and best path for healing. There are articles and stories on the internet that promote many different healing modalities. There is no one nutritional plan or treatment that helps everyone. One size does not fit all.

Terri Tate, author of A Crooked Smile, and I are creating Accessing and Trusting Your Inner Guidance, a workshop designed to assist participants in accessing their inner wisdom so they can craft an individualized healing plan. Terri and I have lived as cancer patients/survivors for a combined 54 years, so we have abundant experience in navigating the treatment and lifestyle decisions required along the way.

No single approach is right for everyone, and the sheer number of options can create stress. To that end, we want to help participants find the methods which will best serve them. It is our hope that learning tools for accessing one’s inner wisdom will take some of the stress out of the selection process, and will help people receive maximum benefit from the choices they make. This doesn’t just refer to choosing cancer treatments; it can apply to any of the myriad decisions we make in our lives every day.

We are planning the pilot workshop for Saturday, May 5th, in the Oakland area. We will let you know when registration is open.

Wishing you increased clarity and a deeper trust in your intuition in the coming year.

As always, I welcome your comments; to reply please click here.

In the Spirit of Healing,

Jan Adrian, MSW
Founder and Executive Director