I’d like you to try this enlightening experiment. Please make sure you do both parts (designated below as “1” and “2”) in the same session; do not do only the first one. Also: this exercise need only be done one single time, no need to repeat it! (Those that should be done repeatedly will be given a little later in this chapter.)
1) When alone, either reclining in your favorite armchair, or lying in bed, think of some incident in your life that was extremely sad: perhaps the death of a parent, a painful separation from a spouse, or girl/ boyfriend – something specific that caused you a great deal of sadness.
Remember just how you felt at that time: how the situation seemed so hopeless that you could cry (and probably did); how everything seemed so “dark” and desolate…
Re-experience how you felt then, wallowing in your sorrow for about 5 minutes. The chances are that by the end of those minutes, you will feel noticeably sadder than when you started. But also, you may well find that now, you are thinking of other sad things that happened to you during the course of your life. In other words, concentrating on the depression caused by one event has led you to make associations to other events in your life that provoked very similar feelings.
“Like attracts like” is a good description of what happens when we think of something. A simple example is when you talk with a family member about some other person in your family that you haven’t seen in a long time. You begin by reminiscing about “Uncle John”, and by the end of the conversation, you are recalling all sorts of things that happened “back then”, some of which had little to do with your uncle.
This same principle works without fail where feelings are concerned: focusing on the sad event for only five minutes has not only made you feel sadder, but has brought forth memories of other depressing happenings as well.
2) Now, you are going to do the opposite. Recall an event in your life that was extremely happy: your wedding day; the birth of your first child; meeting, for the first time, the person who was later to become your spouse; winning the lottery… Choose one event, and remember how it “felt”. Bathe in the positive emotions you experienced when it happened. After a minute or so, don’t try to remember any more details of that specific incident; simply keep feeling the joy that that incident gave you. You will soon see that your mind wanders towards other happy times, and after this second five-minute time period, you are now feeling much happier!
Above, I said you should make sure you do both of these exercises in the same session. Obviously, this is so that you won’t end up depressed for a while, which could easily occur if you stop the exercise after the first, “depressing” part. Yet after the “happy memory” session, you will feel much better, and what’s more, you will have learned an essential lesson about the workings of the human mind:
What we habitually think about determines our emotional state. As we saw in the previous chapter, cutting-edge scientists like Doctor Bruce Lipton are convinced that the thoughts/ feelings/ beliefs we have can even trigger genetic mutations, such as those that lead to cancer.
I’m sure you will agree that if indeed there is a good chance that our mindset determines not only our emotional well-being, but even our physical health, then without a doubt, we should see to it that we do everything we can to think more positive, “healthier” thoughts.
***
Now that you’ve gained some clarity about how the mind works, we are going to put this knowledge into positive action.
Typically, when someone is stricken with cancer, his or her thoughts revolve around all the issues involved − different treatment methods, possible future suffering that could become almost unbearable, the emotional toll on the family, the prospect of looming death, and the like. Most probably, none of these paths of thought are uplifting; instead, they drag one down even more into a morass of negative emotion. Remember; the more we focus on the negative, the more negativity will creep into our minds, thus making a bad situation even worse.
Therefore, the first step we are should take is one designed to counteract this mental negativity by generating positive thoughts and feelings, in order to reap the benefits that they can provide.
By “positive thoughts and feelings” I do not mean lines such as this:
“Oh well, maybe things aren’t so bad after all. Maybe I will be one of those lucky cases that chemo actually cures!”
Believe me, this is not positive thinking art all, it is merely wishful thinking. The key to positive thinking is not to wish; it is to generate a dynamically positive emotional state within − one that will then propel you to take positive action to improve your situation; one that may well even cause a harmful gene mutation to change its course.
The first “mental exercise” I gave you in this chapter is meant to be done only once, in order to become aware of how the mind works. Now, I shall present you with another one, which should be done ideally every day (though it doesn’t matter if you miss a day here and there). Naturally, if you have cancer, you might wish to do it more than once a day.
As in the earlier exercise, you will be doing two five-minute sessions. However, now you will not do them “back to back”, as you did for the first exercise. Instead, they should be done at two different times of the day. For example, one upon waking up in the morning, and the other when you go to bed. Alternatively, they can be done at other moments of the day, but try to space them at least a few hours apart. (Doing at least one of them just before going to sleep could have the benefit of “programming” your mind a bit better, since you take the positive suggestions with you into the unconscious state, where your subconscious mind can continue to work with them throughout the night.)
The purpose of these exercises is to gradually improve your thinking/ feeling patterns, in order to make you a happier person. Let there be no doubt: sadness and depression are weakening factors, and can harm your immune system, whereas happiness and joy strengthen you in every respect, and are thus extremely powerful transforming agents in one’s life – ones that can well lead you out of illness into a state of full physical and mental health.
As a matter of fact, these exercises can be used by anyone, healthy or not, for just about any area of their lives they wish to improve. For instance, I myself used them to completely overcome stage fright when playing music in public. (I wrote a book about how I achieved this; anyone interested can see it here.)
Now, as for the exercises: there are two of them, each one to be done for about five minutes. No need to time yourself: a little more than five minutes, or a little less, will also be fine. It doesn’t matter which one you do first on any specific day, though as already mentioned, they should not be done back-to back, but rather, at different times.
***
First exercise: re-programming the “thinking” (conscious/ semi-conscious) side of your brain (the left side in most people).
Create a sentence that contains only positive words (i.e. do not include words like “bad”, “sick”, “cancer”, “not”, etc.), and that expresses the goal that you wish to obtain.
Here are some examples. If you so desire, you may use any one of these sentences, or else you can create your own. However, at least for a couple of months, you should stick with the same sentence, although you may modify it somewhat if you feel it will thereby become more effective.
Examples:
1) “My health is getting better by the day, as I am determined to do everything I can to strengthen my immune system. I am feeling happier as each day passes, for I know I am getting stronger, and will soon be in a state of full health.”
2) “Every day, my attitude is getting better and better, for I know that my health is being restored by all the positive things I am doing for myself. Life is beautiful, and I will be around for many years to live it to the fullest!”
3) “My life is improving rapidly, and I notice how I am getting stronger, happier and healthier from day to day.”
Of course, during the first few days, you will want to read the suggestion you choose, until you know it my heart. And this shouldn’t take long, because now, when you have your session, you shall:
When alone – seated comfortably, or lying down – you will simply repeat your suggestion (1, 2 or 3 above, or a suggestion of your own construction), again and again. No need to try to imagine anything. Simply repeat the suggestion for the length of the five-minute session. If you wish, you can vary the speed: say it a few times slowly, then at normal speed, then quickly. Or perhaps you can say it once in a normal voice, then, upon repetition, more loudly, then softly, etc. The only important thing is that you repeat the sentence(s) again and again for five minutes.
This constant repetition will gradually implant these extremely positive ideas into your subconscious mind, where they will take root, and begin to transform your mind, inspire you with confidence and with the belief that things will go well, and move you to take all the steps necessary to fully restore your health.
To sum up: in this exercise, all that is necessary is that you repeat the suggestion again and again for a period of approximately five minutes. Should someone else be in the house, and you don’t want them to hear you, no problem! You can, if you wish, repeat the suggestion to yourself (i.e., in your mind), without vocalizing. Nonetheless, if you have the chance, it is probably better to actually say the words, since that way, they will seem more “concrete”. Another possibility is to vary: on one day, you can say them aloud, the next day, in your mind.
I said you should do them when alone, but this was mainly so that no one talks to you during your exercise. However, there are many situations where others might be around, yet we are largely undisturbed. For example, waiting in line somewhere, riding the bus, etc. There’s nothing wrong with doing this exercise at such times – although naturally, it will be best to opt to do them “in your mind”, and not aloud, lest others think you don’t not have all your marbles!
***
Second exercise: Reprogramming the “imaginative” side of your brain
In most people, this will be the right side of the brain, and is associated with our subconscious minds. The goal here is to implant within your subconscious mind a clear vision of yourself as a happy, healthy, fulfilled individual, who has totally recovered from illness, and is now poised to enjoy life for years to come.
In this second exercise, you will not repeat anything at all. Instead, you will do this:
Imagine yourself, smiling, happy, healthy, and with a great zest for life and all the wonderful things it has to offer. Bask in the warm, joyous feeling you experience as you envision yourself in all your marvelous, vigorous splendor, and delight in this experience for five minutes.
OK, I can hear what you are thinking:
“But how in the world should I do that, David? After all, the truth is, I am not a happy person, and haven’t been in years. And what’s more, now I have cancer, for God’s sake! How do you expect me to imagine that I am happy and healthy?!” I hear you, but I say your objections are completely unfounded. Why?
Well, by way of explanation, let me ask a somewhat personal question.
Do you ever have sexual fantasies? You know, where you “do it” with someone you recently saw on the street, or perhaps with an attractive movie star? Or maybe, that you have sex with three or four people at a time?
If so, then I ask you: “How can you imagine such things, since they are almost all totally unrealistic! Do you really thing you’d have any chance at all of even meeting that movie star, let alone getting intimate with her (or him)?”
And yet the truth is, we all have fantasies of some sort or another, don’t we? No matter that they are “unrealistic”: we can lose ourselves in such fantasies, and enjoy the pleasant sensations that they give to us.
So now, back to our exercise. It does not matter whether or not you think the imaginings I am suggesting are “realistic” or not: Do the exercise, enjoy the sensations, and experience how, over the course of the days and weeks, they will begin to transform you, your life, and your health!
I repeat: in this exercise, you will imagine yourself – smiling, happy, healthy, and with a great zest for life and all the wonderful things it has to offer. You may envision yourself in different settings, if you desire: with friends, having a wonderful conversation; with your loved ones, enjoying a walk in the park; at the beach, taking in the sun, and feeling so nice and warm… But no matter what the scenario, during this exercise, always imagine that you are smiling, truly happy, content in all ways, and that you feel physically strong, vigorous and healthy.
The first time you do this exercise, you may run into what you may think is an obstacle. After just a moment of bathing in these positive visions, you may start to − laugh!
Why? Well, strange as it may sound, many of us begin to feel almost guilty when we “dare” to imagine ourselves as being so wonderfully happy and healthy. It’s almost as if we have trained our minds to think negatively, to see clearly only the unpleasant things in our lives (and precisely this could have been a factor that contributed to the development of cancer). Now, when we envision ourselves in such a positive light, visualizing the “perfect you”, it almost seems embarrassing, as if you had no “right” to see yourself that way.
So what to do if indeed you start to get somewhat embarrassed, and even laugh? No problem! Laugh all you want. But afterwards, return to the exercise, and sink once again into the stunningly beautiful vision of yourself as a joyously happy, completely fulfilled, and soundly healthy individual, knowing that you have a lot to live for, and totally convinced that you will soon be completely healthy, and will live happily for many years to come.
Once again: It does not matter whether right now, you see this as “believable” or not. Do it, and experience it as a “fantasy”. You will soon see that after a couple of weeks (or even a few days), you will actually begin to feel better in every way: your confidence will grow; you will begin to think that yes, you will conquer the disease that has afflicted you; being inspired to live, you will find it easier and easier to do anything and everything to strengthen your immune system, and restore your health to the point where you will be even stronger, and more resilient than you were even before cancer entered your life.
Yes, this is possible. And if you truly wish to live, you can make it happen.
I understand that you may be skeptical after reading this chapter. Yet I tell you plainly: it is only logical that you do these exercises. What? You don’t see the “logic” at all? Think harder. And now, allow me to spell it out for you.
There are cases where cancer – even late stage – disappears entirely. Some say these are simply the unexplainable, “miraculous” cases. Yet there is no need to believe in miracles. I am convinced that when such “miracles” occur, it is because the person made some essential changes in his or her life, changes that promoted the full restoration of health. These changes could have been in diet, or giving up bad habits; they could also have been changes in one’s mental outlook, or emotional expression.
And now for the logic:
1) If you wish to belong to the group of people who completely recover from cancer “miraculously”, it is only logical that you do anything and everything you can to restore your health.
2) As we have seen earlier, there is very good reason to believe that negative mental states – depression, discontent, anger, etc. – have a weakening effect on the immune system.
3) Therefore, anything you can do to eliminate these negative mental/ emotional factors from your life will contribute to strengthening your immune system, and will thus contribute to the restoration of your health.
4) Positive suggestion – as employed using suggestions such as the ones present in this chapter – can go a long way in “re-programming” our patterns of thought and emotion.
5) Ergo, it is only logical that you do these exercises daily, in order to reap the benefits that they can, and most probably will, have in your life.
Am I saying that they will “cure” you? No, not exactly. I never speak of cancer “cures” (or “causes”), but rather, of contributors to a cure, and contributors to cancer. (See the chapter “’Causes of’ − or Contributors to? – Cancer” for more on this). But what I am saying is:
1) These exercise are free, and in no way will they hurt you.
2) Everything we do has some effect on us; therefore, doing these mental exercise will affect us in some way.
3) If the effect they have cannot be harmful, then it can only be helpful.
4) Ergo, they should be done on a regular basis.
There: was that logic plain enough for you?
So now: choose the suggestion you would like to use, and begin with either one of the two exercises ASAP – right this moment, if you can! Then, later, do the second one. Do them tomorrow, the next day, the day after that... Before long, doing these daily mind exercises will have turned into a habit. As you will see for yourself, it will be a wonderfully positive habit, which will have noticeable and lasting effects on your mind, and on your general outlook on life as well. And not to forget: they could well prove to be an important contributor to your full and complete recovery from cancer!