PAC
PAC
WHYbemindful eight-week mindfulness course
For people living with and beyond cancer and their carers, family members and friends
WHYbemindful - Self-Care for Living with Cancer
Scans, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy all work with the physical symptoms. But what about the mind, our mental health – is this simply left to chance?
The ‘What if’s’ about the future?
Living with the fear or recurrence?
Triggered by a news story, throwaway comment or anniversary?
WHYbemindful is a skills-based course rather than counselling or therapy.
Whybemindful 2024-2025 Course Dates
Forthcoming course dates:
Week Date Session Title
1 30th Oct Automatic Pilot
2 06th Nov Dealing with Barriers
3 13th Nov Befriending the Breath and Body in Movement
4 20th Nov Learning to Respond
5 27th Nov Gently Being with the Difficult
6 04th Dec Thoughts are not Facts
7 11th Dec Taking Care of Ourselves
8 18th Dec Going Beyond Fear
"It was very nice hearing other’s difficulties, knowing that you are not alone with your feelings and anxieties."
Cancer is the common connection within the group, but it is not the focus. We don’t discuss the type of cancer, stage, treatment or diagnosis. We do discuss how cancer plays on the mind, or how we distract ourselves from the ‘what if’s’. We do discuss when we are triggered by a throwaway comment, a news article, or an upcoming appointment. We do discuss how mindfulness can help us live more skilfully in our day-to-day reality.
"The course has been transformative. I feel much better equipped to use the techniques that help me be ‘present’ and change patterns of thinking that are unhelpful or negative in some way. It is something that I feel will be part of me and my life from now on.Thank you so much.."
Physical and Mental Health
We have grown up in a society which emphasises physical health: brush your teeth; don’t smoke; eat 5-a-day; exercise; wear suncream… all placing physical health at the top of the agenda! However, the mind and body work in tandem. Neglecting one will ultimately impact the other.
Thinking about your daily mental health and hygiene may feel like an alien concept - just like the phrase mindfulness, which itself, is wrapped up in so many misleading stereotypes. We may even go as far as labeling it as selfish. “How can I take time for myself, when so many others depend upon me?”
"WHYbemindful made me feel less guilty about concentrating on myself and putting myself first for a change, giving myself some space, also helped me to control myself and any feelings better ."
When you are triggered, the key question is… What happens next?
When you are triggered by a situation what do you do?
· Avoid it, try to block it out, distract yourself, keep it at arms length at all costs.
· Engage, research and solve – ‘there simply must be a solution, or at least a better way!’
· Get angry, frustrated, dejected, tearful – emotions which are all natural and normal, but often leave us feeling alone and isolated.
In WHYbemindful, we hear each other, and we are heard – but crucially, nobody offers advice, nobody is trying to ‘fix’ us. But we do see/notice/say, ‘this is how it is right now’… and we do ask – ‘what would be helpful?’
"It has made it easier for me to stay focused on the present moment and calm down when difficult feelings arise."
WHYbemindful was something I could do for myself…
Cancer patients often describe treatment as happening ‘to them’: Appointments, scans, treatments, check-ups, meetings – days and times prescribed, a conveyor belt that suddenly stops when in-patient treatment comes to an end. At this time, family and friends naturally conjure up in their minds, the ‘all clear’, ‘life can go back to normal’, or ‘cured’.
One patient described the impact of their diagnosis as like having given birth – afterwards, life will never be the same, a permanent change, however much others wish it to be otherwise. They liked that the course had given them some ‘tools in the toolbox’, which were now available to them, all day, every day. They said it helped with…
The ‘what if’s’ about the future.
A loss of trust in the body, for some hypervigilance to any unusual sensations, fear of recurrence.
Engaging with others’ expectations, work, family, or friends, now life is ‘back to normal’.
It is human nature to want to be in control…
Regaining a sense of control is something that all humans value. Learning a new skill set to work with the difficulties that a diagnosis brings us can feel liberating. We are doing it for ourselves: a growing sense of independence and ownership of our recovery.
With the support of the teacher and crucially the group, we learn a broad range of skills in each of the eight sessions. We take these newfound skills into our daily life for the next 7 days. This is where the learning really takes place!
Over time we tailor these new skills to suit our circumstances and what works best for us as individuals - as unique to us as our DNA. This is essential, as it is in our life, that we are going to use them, day in-day out.
"I was heading to a stressful place due to the workload and the course was very timely and massively helpful in reframing and being with potentially catastrophising thoughts.."
When is the best time to attend WHYbemindful?
Attempting the 8-week course during active treatment typically does not work. Appointments restrict attendance, treatments impact energy levels and the ability to focus, and the daily home practice can easily get squeezed out.
Typically, people attend Whybemindful when the treatment is over. Some will have counselling first, others come to Whybemindful first. Some will join the course only months after treatment, for others it will be several years. There is no hard and fast rule. As and when it feels welcome, is a good starting point.
What is essential is an open and curious mind, and a willingness to dedicate 30 minutes to home practice every day. Checking the diary to see if you can attend all course dates is the first step as each session builds upon the previous.
“I was struggling to deal with the fact that all the medical interventions had finished but I still had thoughts and feelings which prevented me from leading a ‘normal life’. I now have a toolbox.”
Next steps if you are interested…
Please get in touch with We Hear You by phoning 01373 455255 or emailing info@wehearyou.org
Chris’ Biography
Chris Barker is a registered mindfulness teacher who graduated from The University of Exeter in 2020. He has successfully led 9 WHYbemindful courses since joining the We Hear You team in 2021. He also leads on mindfulness for the National Centre for Integrative Medicine, based in Bristol, as well as a national support group for other mindfulness for cancer teachers. His main mindfulness work is with those living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis.
Originally a PE teacher, Chris discovered in 2012 how transformative mindfulness can be when he was a stressed Head of Department in a large secondary school. Seeing how much it had changed his life he also now teaches school children mindfulness and leads international training courses for other schoolteachers to do likewise.
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