How cancer forms and 7 things your own body can do about it

It comes as no surprise to know many people are deeply scared by cancer. For many, just about everything about it is one big scary mystery.

Yet science can tell us a good deal about why and how cancer develops, and better still, tell us about the multiple defenses our own bodies have against it. Great information on which to base a personal prevention or treatment program.

So this week, how we can work with the body to prevent or recover from cancer. Great information – please share and in doing so, reduce the fears and help raise confidence in our own bodies, our own capacities to prevent and recover from cancer.

This blog comes amidst the series of posts related to my personal retreat these past 3 months; next week, the next exciting episode! But first

            Thought for the day

Basketball is an intricate, high-speed game 
filled with split-second, spontaneous decisions. 
But that spontaneity is possible 
only when everyone first engages in hours 
of highly repetitive and structured practice
- perfecting their shooting, dribbling, 
and passing and running plays 
over and over again
- and agrees to play a carefully defined role on the court.

            Spontaneity is not random. 

                                  Malcolm Gladwell


Cancer genesis
Cancer cells form in the body after normal cells undergo damage to specific genes called oncogenes. When a cell in the body reproduces itself, it is the oncogenes that determine whether the new cell will become a healthy one or a cancer cell.

All cell lines – such as skin cells, breast cells, prostate cells and so on, have their own specific oncogenes. There are usually 2 to 4 of them and it takes a series of damages to convert a healthy oncogene into one that will cause cancer.

The causes of cancer
Research tells us that most of what causes this genetic damage is related to our lifestyle – what we eat, whether we smoke or not and so on. More details are in You Can Conquer Cancer. Obviously, avoiding the causes is the key to cancer prevention.

Our body’s defenses
However, even when oncogenes are damaged and activated, clinical cancer is not always the result. Many scientists are of the view that this genetic damage is occurring on a daily basis in everyone's body and the most conservative view is that potential cancer cells form at least 40 times during our lifetime.

Clearly, not everyone develops cancer and this is because the body has its own series of defenses that are designed to recognize potential cancer cells and destroy them before they become a problem.

Genes that repair genes
One of the first ways the body does this is that it has genes that actually have the job of repairing damaged genes.

Front line defense
Next, the immune system is the body’s front line defense system. It has many responsibilities including recognizing unhealthy tissue within the body, destroying or removing unhealthy tissue and restoring health.

Camouflage
With cancer, this is much easier when potential cancer masses are quite small, as one thing cancer does as it grows is to coat itself with what is effectively a camouflage layer that makes it difficult or impossible for the immune system to recognize it as a problem. Anything that disrupts this “camouflage”, opens the cancer to direct attack from the immune system.

Angiogenesis
Another critical issue for cancer to grow and become larger is that it needs to develop its own blood supply. This process is called angiogenesis and anything that disrupts it weakens the cancer. If angiogenesis is halted, the cancer is starved of nutrients and dies.

Metabolic disruption
Once cancer has developed into a significant mass, it has its own metabolic needs. Anything that disrupts this metabolism can weaken the cancer and if the disruption is severe enough, it will kill it.

A useful metaphor here comes from the garden where plants have their own preferences. For example, camellias thrive in acid soil and are severely weakened or die when planted in alkaline soils.

In much the same way, changing the milieu in the body, manipulating the metabolic environment in the body through things like therapeutic nutrition can have a direct influence on cancer cells.

Many of the ways in which therapeutic lifestyle approaches influence cancer can be explained by how they influence the above factors.

New biologically elegant treatments target the above factors, for example:

1. A great deal of research is going into how to reverse oncogene damage and switch the oncogenes back to normal.

2. Treatments aimed at enhancing immune function have been around for many years and continue to be actively researched.

3. Promising research has found a major protein that builds the cancer’s camouflage and targeted immunology offers the possibility of removing it, laying the cancer open to be recognized and attacked by our immune system.

4. Anti-angiogenesis agents are called angiostatins and some of these are already being used clinically while further research continues.

5. Many new targeted therapies aim to disrupt cancer’s metabolism.

Application through 
guided imagery

An understanding of how cancer develops is also very helpful for people aiming to use guided imagery and this is a large and exciting topic in its own right.

But as just one example, we know that in hypnotherapy the mind can be trained to stop bleeding.

If that same principle were to be used to stop blood flow to a tumour (ie to have an angiostatic effect and reverse what is shown in the above diagram), that tumour would be destroyed very quickly.

Exciting possibilities…. That are at the heart of what we call "Accelerated Healing" - see the related blogs below.

RESOURCES
BOOKS
You Can Conquer Cancer , Ian Gawler - chapters on causes of cancer, therapeutic nutrition and lifestyle, and guided imagery.

The Mind that Changes Everything , Ian Gawler – details on guided imagery

CD or Download
The Gawler Cancer Program – has all the above information plus more that you can share or listen to over and over to help with understanding and confidence.

RELATED BLOGS
Accelerated Healing 101 - Part 1

Accelerated Healing 101 - Part 2

NOTICEBOARD

The last meditation retreat and more specific cancer residential program Ruth and I will present in 2015 are both rapidly approaching. Both are in fabulous New Zealand :) 

Details of all coming programs  are on our website: www.iangawler.com/events, and here are these next two:

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT
Meditation Under the Long White Cloud   24 - 30 October 2015

7 day retreat at Mana Retreat Centre, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

                 Take time out from the busyness of everyday life; spend time with your self
           Slow down, reflect, contemplate – regain perspective, vitality, balance and clarity
      Deepen your understanding and experience of mindfulness, contemplation and meditation

Full details, CLICK HERE


SPECIFIC CANCER RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM

MIND-BODY MEDICINE and CANCER    November  2015    Tuesday 10th to Saturday 14th

Five day Residential program in the beautiful surrounds of Wanaka, New Zealand
- an easy drive from Queenstown airport and very accessible for Australians

This program is open to anyone affected by cancer. Health professionals interested to learn more of this work are also welcome to attend.

While the focus of this program is on therapeutic meditation and nutrition, the power of the mind and emotional health, ample time will be given to answering any questions you may have relating to the Gawler program - exercise, positive thinking, healing, balancing medical options, successful ways of dealing with setbacks, sustaining your good intentions and the relevance of finding meaning in life to healing and recovery.

FULL DETAILS Click here

Integrated oncology - why cancer management necessitates a broad approach

This is an important post that I hope you might share with anyone you know affected by cancer. It sets out my concerns for many facing a diagnosis of cancer today; they may well be missing out on what could dramatically improve their quality of life, as well as what could even save their life.


Here is the thing. For many years I worked as a veterinarian. I loved that work.

Over the last 30 years I have worked with people affected with cancer. I continue to love that work, but let us be very clear.

A dog with a broken leg has a simple health issue to manage. It does not need to attend a support group to learn how to cope with its illness and give itself the best chance of recovery.


By contrast, any person diagnosed with cancer who does not attend an educational support group to learn how to manage their illness and give themselves the best chance of recovery is severely limiting their chances.

So this week, lets go Out on a Limb once more and examine why this is so and why an integrated approach to cancer management is mandatory, but first

Thought for the Day

                                            May you find in me the Mother of the World.

                                            May my heart be a mother’s heart, 
                                            My hands be a mother’s hands.

                                            May my response to your suffering 
                                            Be a mother’s response to your suffering.


                                             May I sit with you in the dark, 
                                             Like a mother sits in the dark.

                                             May you know through our relationship 
                                             That there is something in this world that can be trusted.

                                             Anonymous letter from a young Medical student

Working as a veterinarian, much of it was simple in the relative scheme of things. Take repairing a broken leg for example. The cause was something everyone could agree upon. Little Johnny left the side-gate open, the dog ran onto the road, the car hit the dog. Broken leg. Simple.

Diagnosis was usually simple. Maybe a clinical examination was enough; if an X Ray was needed the benefit far outweighed the risk. The cost was modest. Simple.

Then repair would involve immobilization, maybe even surgery, but again, simple.

The healing phase too was straight forward. A dog can eat just about anything and a broken leg will heal.

The dog’s emotions seem to be of no concern to the healing process; and what is going on in the dog’s head, its thoughts, just like its spiritual life – no problem. In fact, it is all simple!

Best of all with a broken leg, the final outcome is generally good. They nearly always heal. Well.


In fact, it is common knowledge that as broken bones heal they often over-compensate so that the part that was broken often ends up stronger than the original bone. This fact spawned the New Age healing saying “We get stronger at the broken places”.

Contrast all of this with the complexity involved when a human being is dealing with cancer.

When it comes to the cause, cancer is known to be a multi-factorial, chronic degenerative disease. People commonly ask after diagnosis “Why me? How did this happen to me?” While much is known in answer to the basic question, for the individual concerned, the full story it is usually far from simple.

Then there is diagnosis. Often complicated. Often expensive. Sometimes there are contradictory test results. Interpretation is not so easy. Sometimes diagnosis is missed or delayed.




When it comes to treatment it is a sad fact that most current cancer treatments are quite tough on the person involved, and by extension, their families and friends.

Most are becoming incredibly expensive.

Clearly too, not everyone survives a cancer diagnosis. Around one third die in the first 5 years.


Far from simple.



Then when it comes to the healing phase - that phase that accompanies and goes on after any medical treatment - just about everything you can think of has some part to play. What someone eats influences outcome. Exercise. Sunlight. Emotional health. Mental state. Accessing the power of the mind. Spiritual life. Mind-Body Medicine. Just about everything warrants attention.

For some, the choices they make in this arena can truly make the difference between life and death.

Then there are other things to consider. Complementary therapies. Alternatives. How family and friends are coping. How they can be helpful rather than a hindrance. Financial issues. Finding meaning. Life after cancer. Reconciling death. And on and on.

Clearly, every aspect of cancer management is complex.

If someone diagnosed with cancer were to concentrate on just one aspect of the disease, like the medical treatment, they would be missing so many other important aspects. If someone diagnosed with cancer was to attempt to sort out all the complex issues on their own, how could we possibly imagine they would succeed?


Management of cancer demands an integrated approach. This means approaching the significance of the disease, its personal meaning, and its recovery by considering the body, the emotions, the mind and the spirit.



An integrated approach also involves working with an integrated team of health professionals as well as giving a pre-eminent place to consideration of what the person can do for themselves.

Attending to the latter effectively, learning what to do for yourself, is most effectively accomplished in a group setting. Residential programs are ideal as they provide the opportunity to withdraw from day-to-day life, to find genuine hope, to experience the recommended lifestyle changes such as the therapeutic foods and meditation, to learn from peers, to be inspired, to learn and to make good choices.

Sometimes I do miss the simplicity of my old veterinary days when treating broken bones was a simple delight. But actually, working with people amidst the complexity of managing cancer, seeing how well people do in body, mind and spirit when following this integrated path, helping to sort out the complexity, finding peace of mind amidst all this; being a part of all this is even more extra-ordinary – and wonderful.

RELATED BLOG
The Cancer Council, the survivors and the book
This is an important post that chronicles the Cancer Council of Australia’s position statement on Complimentary and Alternative therapies. If you have not seen it already, it is must reading and it may help inform discussions with some medical staff – if they need reminding of what their guidelines are. Another vital post to share with those in need.

RESOURCES
BOOK
You Can Conquer Cancer This is an ideal introduction for anyone affected by cancer who is interested to know what they can do to help themselves, or how they can help the one they love.

CDs or Downloads
The Gawler Cancer Program: Outlines how cancer develops and how this self help approach can help the healing.

What to do when someone you love has cancer: Essential listening providing clear guidance for those supporting people affected by cancer, whether family, friends or health professionals.

PROGRAMS
Ruth and I really enjoy leading specific cancer residential programs together, as well as the much more general meditation retreats we present.

In 2015, we will be presenting two follow-up 5 day residential cancer programs for the Gawler Foundation plus another in New Zealand for Canlive. We will also present one full 8 day program (also in New Zealand for Canlive) that will be well suited to anyone who has not done a program with us before – see more details below. Australians are welcome in NZ and vice-versa!

Also, The Gawler Foundation (where I am no longer on full time staff) presents regular cancer residential programs that are world class (in fact I doubt that there is anything to reasonably compare with the quality of what is being presented by the Gawler team!) Link here


NEWS

The world lost one of its bright flames recently.


Many who read this blog will have come to know Jess Ainscough, The Wellness Warrior in some way. Jess is featured in the related blog linked above. I was fortunate to know her over the years and was deeply saddened by her death.


It has been even more saddening to read some of the ill-informed commentary on her life choices and her influence since she has died.


Those of us who had the good fortune to know Jesse well knew her for what she was – an incredibly bright and positive person who made considered choices in the face of her own very difficult circumstances, and who inspired many with hope in a well measured way.

Jane Treleaven has written a wonderful piece on her own reaction/ response to Jess’ death; it is highly recommended. LINK HERE


NEXT SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS
CANCER and BEYOND

May 2015   Monday 4th at 11am to Friday 8th at 2pm

Five Day Residential Follow-up Program at the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley 

This program is specifically designed for those with cancer or in remission, along with their support people who have attended a previous Gawler Foundation program or equivalent such as with Sabina Rabold, CSWA, Cancer Care SA, CanLive NZ, or with the Gawlers

A unique opportunity to meet with like-minded people once again, to consolidate what you already know, to learn more from the combined knowledge, have a real rest, to reaffirm your good intentions, and to go home refreshed and revitalised.

FULL DETAILS Click here 

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING

Eight day Residential Program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome with a diagnosis or in remission; attendance with a partners and support people welcome.

This program will guide you through all the self-healing principles:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. Getting the most out of conventional medical treatments and minimising side-effects
. Being most effective as a support person/carer, and to looking after yourself in the process.

I will be leading most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live-in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here

Has Ian Gawler retired?

This is going to be a somewhat personal blog. Fairly regularly I’m being asked - “Are you retired?” The short answer is no, but maybe the question is coming as I recently passed 65 ? Maybe some people know it is now over 5 years since I did retire from my full-time job at the Gawler Foundation.

And yes, I did stand back for a year after leaving the Foundation and did very little but speak with people who had good ideas, reflected, contemplated, meditated and worked in the garden.

Now, with some new clarity and vigor, I am back doing many things, several of which are pretty extra-ordinary (as in : out of the ordinary). Definitely not retired but doing some different things to years ago, so thought it time for an update.

Also, following on from Paul Kraus’ story last week of surviving mesothelioma comes more good news with a great article in the Melbourne Age recounting Scott Stephens’ recovery from melanoma. Check it out below.

I first met Scott at a Foundation cancer residential program 8 years ago. Now, after a couple of early relapses and perseverance and sustained meditation, good food and smart thinking, Scott has been cancer-free for 6 years and he regularly meets with and inspires cancer groups at the Foundation and elsewhere.  Did you see him on that excellent Mind-Body Medicine documentary called The Connection???

Good news to share, but first




            Thought for the day

              I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

              I awoke and saw that life was service.

              I acted and behold, service was joy.


                                Rabindranath Tagore









In stepping down from the Foundation I had worked in for nearly 30 years, the intention was to make way so that the Foundation could establish itself in its own right, free of this founder; and to give me space to re-think what I had been doing for so long and to consider whether there were other ways to be more helpful.

Retiring from the Foundation when all was going well was a huge personal step, but being very conscious of the limitations of habitual thinking, the retirement was actually more an act of principle than of any necessity.

It would have been easy, comfortable and hopefully worthwhile for me to continue working for the Foundation. But when you have worked in one area of expertise, with one group in a similar way for nearly 30 years, there is a danger of a rut developing.

Personally, I like the idea of keeping the “beginners mind” active, stepping back from the norm regularly and considering what can be done to be most effective, most useful.

Also, sooner or later I was bound to leave the Foundation; either because I was too old, or the proverbial bus came to visit. So there seemed real value in having a new association with it in a well-planned, measured way.

So what is the current state of play?


Speaking personally
Ruth and I have been married 15 years now. Wow! What a treat that is being. Just held my fifth
grandchild, Tucker, son of Peter and Kerrielee. The garden is thriving and abundant and we are currently resurrecting the cottage on our property - countering old termite and water damage.

I am planning to go to France for a secluded 12 week meditation based retreat in July this year. It feels like the right time to do something more personal and intense.





1. The  Gawler Foundation
Ruth and I have a great relationship with all at the Foundation and we are really impressed with the services they provide and the manner in which they provide them.

Actually, I rather do hope they will change the name of the organisation to better represent the actual work they do, rather than their origins, but I am no longer involved with their management, so that stuff is all up to them.

Ruth and I presently lead the residential cancer follow-up programs at the Yarra Valley centre. Targeted for people who have done an initial “Gawler” program, either at the Foundation or elsewhere, and it is good for us to be doing a few less retreats each year so we can prepare extra thoroughly for these programs.

2. Working with Ruth – the retreats we present together
It is such good fortune to be able to work creatively and closely with your partner. Ruth being a doctor, with her special interests in Integrative Medicine, psychotherapy, meditation and yoga is such an asset to our groups. And there is always the feminine perspective……. We balance each other well. What a delight!

We do 2 types of retreats

a) Meditation retreats
For those becoming more serious about their meditation, or for those who already are, there is
nothing that deepens the experience of meditation more than going on retreat. So it is a pleasure to lead retreats regularly!

Our retreats are very much styled along the lines of what we would ideally like to attend ourselves. Middle intensity – enough meditation to have real effect, but not too much that you need a holiday when you get home. Enough stimulation via teachings to satisfy the intellect, but the emphasis is on the experience of meditation itself.

Then plenty of free space to contemplate, reflect, do some yoga or Chi Gong, go for a walk, rest and regenerate. Add in good company, great locations and excellent food. Bloody good combination really!!!

Each retreat has the recurring elements of  lots of practise and time for discussing personal meditation experiences/questions; but then each retreat also focuses on a particular theme.

For example Meditation in the Forest is the annual Pre-Easter meditation retreat we hold at the Foundation, and this year the focus is on understanding just what the stillness of meditation really is and how to experience it more directly and more reliably.

Later, in November, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in New Zealand will focus on contemplation where we learn how to think things through more completely, to overcome confusion, develop clarity and certainty in decision making; and more – how to access insight, intuition and inner wisdom.

I must say contemplation is probably the most important “add-on” to basic meditation and we particularly love doing this presentation! Actually, we really love doing all the retreats.

b) Specific cancer programs

There are 2 types of these
i) The complete, integrated program for anyone affected by cancer and their partners. We call this Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing. Here we give good attention to living well with cancer, but there is a big focus on Accelerated Healing and what helps recovery – along with minimizing treatment side-effects and getting the best results from any medical or other treatments.

We will only lead one of these programs in 2015 and it is in New Zealand in May, organised and supported by Stew Burt and Canlive.

ii) The cancer follow-up programs. As explained, these are for those who are further down the track and we present them either at the Gawler Foundation Yarra Valley centre, or in Wanaka in New Zealand for Canlive. These too have their own specific themes and are designed so that people can attend them regularly and maintain their momentum.

3. Seminars, workshops, conferences
We have presented many of these in the last couple of years, but just for 2015, we decided to limit them. Aimed for zero, but saying no to some people is not easy, so the day or evening seminars we are presenting this year are for an inspiring and diverse bunch of people.

It occurred to me that if we could get our hosts together for a meal, it would lead to quite some conversations. There is Lionel Fifield - founder of the Relaxation Centre of Queensland and while well into his 70s, still totally dedicated to providing access to, and support for personal growth. Then Ani Rinchen Wangmo - a Tibetan nun working for a Buddhist centre in Cairns; Greg and Dawn Fitzgerald – passionate South Sydney naturopaths intent on curing all people of all things; and Rabbi Laibl Wolf – who supports Spiritgrow a Jewish community centre in Caufield that has a major charter to foster good physical and mental health and wellbeing. Would be some dinner!

4. The net and IT
Some know when I left the Foundation that my computer skills made IT troglodytes seem nerdy. So learning about all this stuff has been the big personal step forward. Blog. Facebook. Webstore. I even own and can use (to some degree) a computer. Still keep the old mobile phone – no Smart phone distracts me as yet!

But also there has been development of the high tech online meditation program, Mindbody Mastery that goes way beyond simply providing meditation instruction online; it provides on-going support via daily emails, weekly SMS and comes with a whole range of other fancy features.

Putting that together with my business partner in the IT adventures, Saurabh Mishra, has been such fun. So much to learn. So much benefit from the “beginner’s mind”. I ask all the dumb questions, and if it can be explained to me and if it works for me, then anyone can do it!

Now Saurabh and I are near to completing the development of a meditation app that will do way more than “just” run Mindbody Mastery (MBM), as many people these days tell us they want all the MBM features via app.

Also we recognized that students at many meditation schools would benefit from having direct access via an app to the specific teaching, practices and support of their own group. Problem is that developing an app that can do all that is a big deal. That we do know!

So, we have developed an app that makes it easy for individual meditation schools to upload their own material and provide their students with all the benefits of a very high tech app for little cost. No doubt there will be more on this soon as it comes to complete fruition – not far away.





And of course there has been development of the Pearl range that provides meditation for stress relief, better sleep and pain control via a mini MP3 player - ideal for personal use or a meaningful gift.







5. Corporate mindfulness and meditation
Recently there has been the opportunity to get to know Rasmus Horgaard from Denmark who runs the Potential Project. In my view this is by far the best corporate program of its type and yes, sharing more on that too soon; also having a small role around the edges of some corporate mindfulness projects has been very rewarding. The response has been very gratifying.

6. Writing
To be direct, with all else going on I have been doing my best to resist committing to another book, but I suspect this will not last much longer. There is one very exciting idea that has been brewing for some time and maybe more on this soon.

So if anyone is still reading after this particular diatribe, it has at least helped to sort out what is going on in my own mind, and no, I am not retired.




RELATED ARTICLE


Scott Stephens story of overcoming melanoma in the Melbourne Age, written back in November 2012 by Sarah Berry, LINK HERE





2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Full details are on the website, click here

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT
Meditation in the Forest        March 27th to April 2nd  2015

During this meditation retreat, we will be focusing upon the deeper stillness of meditation. We will explore the theory, but moreso, the actual practices that help us to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind into a more direct and profound experience of the still mind.

Deep, natural peace. A calm and clear mind. So many possibilities follow…..

FULL DETAILS Click here

NEXT SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS
CANCER and BEYOND  May 2015   Monday 4th at 11am to Friday 8th at 2pm

Five Day Residential Follow-up Program at the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley

This program is specifically designed for those with cancer along with their support people who have attended a previous Gawler Foundation program or equivalent such as with Sabina Rabold, CSWA, Cancer Care SA, CanLive NZ, or with the Gawlers

A unique opportunity to meet with like-minded people once again, to consolidate what you already know, to learn more from the combined knowledge, experience and wisdom of Ian and Ruth, to reaffirm your good intentions, and to go home refreshed and revitalised.

FULL DETAILS Click here 

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING
Eight day residential program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome; attendance with a partner/ support person is ideal but not essential.

This program will lead you through all the self-healing options:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. How to get the most out of mainstream treatments and minimize side-effects
. How to be most effective as a support person/carer, and to look after yourself in the process.

I actually lead most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here

What happens when an oncology nurse attends a cancer self-help program? Kathryn's story

Over the years, many doctors and nurses have attended programs Ruth and I have presented. Recently we led our first Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing residential program in New Zealand and it was a real treat to have Kathryn Deacon attend – an oncology nurse with a deep passion for helping the people she cares for. Kathryn has a growing interest in the principles and techniques of Integrative Medicine, and she has kindly offered to share something of her experience as a guest blog.

Also, a reminder Ruth and I will be speaking twice in Sydney soon – July 3rd and 6th, and Katoomba on the 5th. More details below, but to book for these and the other East Coast tour events - CLICK HERE.

                          
                        Thought for the day

                                      I am not young enough
                                     To know everything

                                                    Oscar Wilde 








Kathryn writes:
It always amazes me the way synchronicity plays out in our lives.  Or as the cliché goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. It was synchronicity that led me, a Registered Nurse, to Oncology.  I never had any plans of getting into this specialty, let alone staying for these past 9 years. Then, last year a colleague handed me a book, “The Dragons Blessing”, Ian’s biography.

And so began the chain of events that took me to the Gawler Foundation’s conference in Melbourne last November. Then in May I joined the 8 day “Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing” retreat Ian and Ruth were presenting in Auckland; the first of these cancer programs they had led in New Zealand.

Although it was primarily for cancer patients and their support partners, Ian and Ruth allowed me to attend in the capacity as student and observer. To be immersed for 8 days in this new found passion of supporting the cancer patient from a place of wellness, was for me the most incredible learning experience.  Strip away the clinical environment, the uniform, the time demanding tasks, and I learnt as much from the other participants as I did from Ian’s teachings.

For some time I have dabbled with meditation, mindfulness and diet, while having a fairly regular Yoga practice, so on a personal level it was a way of kicking my own lifestyle up a notch. But I was there primarily to learn how holistic practices can empower the patient by fostering a lifestyle of wellness as they travel through their cancer journey of conventional medicine.

Ian and Ruth, with their two facilitators Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt, provided the most nurturing of environment’s and guided us with humor, integrity, love and the utmost professionalism.



A daily diet of vegan and almost entirely organic food starts the natural detox of the body.  I loved Ian’s analogy of a sinking ship, jettisoning all the unnecessary cargo to lighten the load.  And it is the same with our bodies; when we fast a little or purify our diet, it begins to rid itself of toxins that are stored in our systems.





Now, you must understand that I am not a morning person so it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that a bell would be waking us up at 7.15am so that we could all get to our morning meditation session at 7.45am. However, the reward for getting up at this time was a warm lemon drink prepared each morning by Stew.

This was followed by a wonderful meditation session led by Ruth, Liz or Ian.  The huge fireplace was crackling and giving out its warmth while we all sat or lay and learned how to scan our bodies, notice our thoughts, let the thoughts go and return to our ‘silent’ space.

Breakfast was next, and there were always herbal teas available and Dandelion tea which for some, replaced coffee.  I have to admit that for me, Dandy tea can never replace my morning latte!

Another brief meditation before commencing our morning workshops with Ian.  The sun would shine
though the stain glass windows while the leaves would float down from the Oak tree outside the door. We would all be listening to Ian share his wealth of knowledge that spans many years of personal and professional experience.

After lunch we would have down time, a space for resting, journaling, chatting, or a bit of laundry.
Then, as optional extras, Ruth ran Yoga classes; Liz held Qi Gong and Stew led walks through the surrounding bush.

Another work shop took us into the early evening when after our vegan dinner, we would have topic related movies, a question and answer session or speakers. These amazing people, who came to share their stories, had a profound effect on my own learning from both a personal and professional perspective.

One of the presenters, Dr Robin Kelly, said “You can learn a lot by listening”.  Never a truer word was spoken, which was why I learnt so much from the other participants. Just having the opportunity to really listen to what they felt, their wants, needs, wishes, ideas and experiences, held so much learning for me.

When I first arrived at the retreat, I was feeling very self-conscious.  I am blessed with good health and I was not there in the roll of support partner. I was there as student.  However, my feelings were unfounded as the group embraced me and what I was there to do. On my last day, a participant gave me the most heartwarming hug and said “Thankyou for being here, it gives me hope that a nurse like you is wanting to learn about this and use it to support people like me”.  It was incredibly humbling.

I went to this Retreat with an open mind and an open heart and feel my life has changed for the better.  I feel my career path has also changed. I do not know how it will all play out but I am sure synchronicity will play a part as it has in the past.

Oh, and I am still meditating every day and continue to eat a vegan diet.  However, I do still enjoy my morning latte, but with soy milk!

Kathryn Deacon
June 2014

My hunch is that many who read Kathryn’s account and find themselves in hospital, will be hoping to be cared for by someone of her ilk. Integrated Medicine is nothing new. It is what good medicine always was; always will be – it takes account of the whole person – body, emotions, mind and spirit, and it works collaboratively with a full health team. Natural really!

RELATED BLOGS
Cancer survivors? Cancer thrivers!

RESOURCES
BOOK You Can Conquer Cancer

CDs and Downloads : The Gawler Cancer Program

What to do when someone you love has cancer

NOTICEBOARD

1. IAN’S EAST COAST TOUR – HEALTH, HEALING and the MIND – from JULY onwards

Only a few days now and Ruth and I will in Sydney for the first of our series of speaking engagements up the East Coast.

Thursday July 3rd we are in Sth Sydney for an evening public talk.

Saturday July 5th it is Katoomba for a day workshop.

Sunday July 4th Sydney again – this time centrally at Camperdown for another day open to all.

Then we head for Pt Stephens on Saturday 12th, before continuing up to Cairns, across to Mt Isa and Alice Springs, then down to Adelaide. A road trip with a difference, giving talks along the way.

Hope to see many of you along the way. There will be the chance for a refresher, to help get back on track if needed; but also exciting new information and the opportunity to meditate together and to deepen the experience of what meditation really is.

A good opportunity to share what we do with family, friends and colleagues.

FULL DETAILS – CLICK HERE  and please do share the link.

2. Meditation in the Desert : August 29 – September 7 

Still a few spaces available, so come, join Ruth and myself along with like-minded people for 7 days of meditation in the extraordinary atmosphere of the Central Australian desert, followed by several days of close contact with senior local indigenous leaders.

Secure your place with a deposit. For details CLICK HERE

Cancer healing residential programs with Ruth and Ian Gawler in 2014

Ruth and I are very excited to announce that we will personally lead 3 residential cancer healing programs this year. We are asking for your help to inform people who may benefit from attending - maybe via an email tree, website, social media or personal contact - or maybe you would even like to attend yourself?

The first program, entitled Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing, is in May, and will be held on a beautiful property on the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand. This 8 day residential, will be ideal for anyone affected by cancer - including partners of course.

More details follow, but first



Thought for the day

A hundred times every day 
I remind myself that my inner and outer life 
depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, 
and that I must exert myself 
in order to give in the same measure as I have received. 

                       Albert Einstein








During the 8 day residential Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing we will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, with the emphasis on what people can do for themselves – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

This cancer recovery program is evidence based, highly experiential and frankly is the product of over 200 groups like this that I have presented along with the 50 years of combined experience in this field that Ruth and I carry.

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

Ruth and I will also present 2 follow-up cancer residential programs for people who have already attended one of these “Gawler” style programs – maybe with the Gawler Foundation itself, maybe with CanLive or the Aratika Trust in New Zealand, groups like those presented by Sabina Rabold in Sydney or Cancer Support WA in Perth, or with Ruth and myself directly.

The first of these follow-ups, Cancer and Beyond, will be presented for the Gawler Foundation at its centre in Victoria’s Yarra Valley during June. The other, Mind, Meditation and Healing will have a somewhat different content and will be held later in the year during November at Wanaka in Southern New Zealand for CanLive.

We are hoping to make these programs widely available. Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing is the first full cancer residential I have presented for some time and I am very excited by the prospect. There is so much good experience and information – both old and new – to share. Between us all I hope we can make a tangible difference in the lives of quite a few people.

Many thanks in anticipation of your help with this,
Ian and Ruth

RELATED BLOGS
You Can Conquer Cancer

Cancer survivors? Cancer thrivers!

LINKS FOR THE CANCER RESIDENTIALS with Ruth and Ian Gawler

1. Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing – Auckland, May 16 – 23, 2014
The starting point for anyone on the cancer recovery path that would like to work on their healing and wellbeing directly with Ruth and myself.

For full details, LINK HERE

For a briefer pdf that could be downloaded as a flier, LINK HERE

Then, cancer residential retreats for people who have already attended a previous “Gawler” style program:

2. Cancer and Beyond – Yarra Valley, June 23 – 27, 2014

3. Mind, Meditation and Healing - Wanaka, November 10 – 14, 2014