| Spirituality and Healing So much has been written about Spirituality and Healing and we felt that it was our responsibility to bring credible information about this topic to residents of Western NY. Daemen College and the Cancer Wellness Center are co-sponsoring a program on an ongoing basis that will explore spirituality and its influence on the cancer patient. Dr. Charles Sabatino and Dr. Cheryl Nosek are the speakers for the program. We find that not everyone is interested in attending a support groups, however, because our program is educational in nature we are reaching those people that have not attended a support group. Because of the audience participation the program results in significant support for everyone there. Our regular meetings will address a different topic each time. The response from this program has been overwhelming. To date, more than 200 studies in the U.S. have investigated the relationship between Spirituality and Healing and in most the results have shown that a spiritual inclination can improve a patients quality of life. (The Breast Journal Sept/Oct. 2001) The experience of life threatening illness such as cancer raises a number of questions. It can cause patients to question the meaning and purpose of suffering and of life. The experience of illness make the struggle to deal with these questions in a satisfactory way both urgent and difficult and we are happy to offer a program that brings comfort and better understanding those who are ill. The spiritual dimension of life is distinct from religion although for some of us it is expressed in part through religious experience. These questions are not new and they have been approached by a number of authors over the past few years and recently by such as Victor Frankl’s, Mans Searching For Meaning, or Mitch Albom’s, Tuesdays with Morrie. Meaning can best be defined by the words of “Victor Frankl’s classic 'Mans Searching for Meaning'” Meaning, or having a sense that one’s life has meaning, involves the conviction that one is fulfilling a unique role and purpose in a life that is a gift; a life that comes with responsibility to live up to one’s full potential as a human being, and in so doing, being able to achieve a sense of peace, contentment, or even transcendence through connectedness with something greater than one’s self”. The relationship between body and spirit has been known for a long time. In 460 B.C. Hippocrates said: “the natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well”. Only now are we rediscovering the relationship between mind and body. Dr. Harold Koenig from Harvard Medical School had reported that religion and medicine have been closely linked for over 8000 years, and only within the past 5% of recorded history have they been separated. Thanks to the help of Dr. Charles Sabatino and Dr. Cheryl Nosek, the program creates a series of opportunities for cancer patients and their loved ones to explore this relationship. The program addresses various issues such as: What is Spirituality, Understanding fear and suffering, The Science of Prayer, How to Communicate, How to overcome the stress of relationships. The comments of the program are fantastic. People come away feeling renewed and connected. We have several Cancer Coaches present at each program so that people can connect. This connection results in a continuum of support. Comments from past programs were: it gave me great strength, helped reduce my fear, information was very encouraging, came away feeling hopeful and positive. For more information on the this program, please call (716) 694-1395 |
