If you have been diagnosed with a significant illness, you will probably have endured enough bad news already… So it is a pleasure to be able to bring you some good news – and to share some wonderful new techniques freely via the Allevi8 app.
I am one of those fortunate people who has been through some very tough health challenges, endured, survived, and learnt from it all. So in the spirit of sharing this good fortune, those of us involved with Allevi8 have added a new section to the app specifically on how to get the best from any treatment you may receive, including how best to prepare for surgery. In all, there are 8 new tracks and these are listed below... And remember, the access to all of this on the Allevi8 app is free, with a Pay it Forward option.
So this week, how to get the best from your treatment, but first
Thought for the day
Your brain has not encountered before,
It can reorganise and restructure to respond to that situation.
The more often your brain is exposed to that new challenge – like learning a musical instrument, for instance – the more it reorganises and makes that path more established.
Our brains are constantly being shaped wittingly or unwittingly – most of the time unwittingly
We are raising the possibility to intentionally train our brains to improve well-being.
Professor Richard Davidson
Consider this...
How much difference can you make to anything you do? Seems to me there is common sense in this. Clearly when it comes to healing, there is what can be done for us – and what we can do for ourselves. If we are fearful, anxious, confused, it may well be we end up working against our treatment.
So the exercises here are intended to help you to feel empowered; clear in your mind, at ease and relaxed, confident to work with and get the best from your treatment.
But first a little history. As a young veterinarian, I developed bone cancer in my right leg and it was amputated in 1975. The cancer re-appeared later that year and despite a very short prognosis, and with the help of medical and self-help lifestyle based measures (like meditation, good nutrition exercise and so on), I was fortunate to recover against the odds.
In response to many enquiries around what had helped me, I went on to co-found the world’s first lifestyle-based self-help programs for people affected by cancer and multiple sclerosis.
clinical experience.
They are well supported by a growing body of research and I have gathered, summarized and made available key research papers on the allevi8.net website.
How then to use this section of Allevi8 and to get the best from your treatment?
The first thing I would encourage you to do is to have some confidence. I have personally witnessed these techniques make a big difference in the lives of many people. I have seen many people who started treatment fearful and anxious, who quite quickly found inner peace and a clarity of conviction.
Clearly with any treatment there is a natural distribution where most people get an average response, some do not so well, and some do particularly well. It is my belief, and my experience, that using these techniques regularly can give you the best chance of getting the best from your treatment.
So what to do?
If you are dealing with significant illness and receiving treatment, the suggestion is to do two of the exercises in this section of the app daily; if you are really keen, even three.
This exercise will guide you into a deep relaxation of body and mind.
As you do relax more deeply like this, your body settles into its own natural balance.
The key principle behind all this is that when your body is in balance, all your body’s natural healing capacities come to the fore, and as such, they create an ideal inner environment in which to heal.
So this main Daily Healing Meditation is all about relaxing deeply and letting go.
Some people find it so helpful they actually do it 2 to 3 times daily.
But there are more possibilities...
In this section of the Allevi8 app, two other key exercises support this main practice. There is Relaxation with Harp (featuring Peter Roberts), and the shorter Rapid Relaxation. This latter exercise is ideal to do discretely when wanting to relax before an appointment, or if you feel tension rising through the day and want to let it go… You can experiment with both and it will be obvious to you whether they are helpful or not for you.
The remaining exercises in this section of the app involve guided imagery that more specifically engage with your treatment, including radiotherapy and preparing for surgery. These exercises use powerful principles of mind-body medicine and can act synergistically with the relaxation-based exercises.
To repeat, the spirit of experimenting is important. People are different and that is why we have different exercise on the app. Best to try the other exercises in this section of the app and notice which ones resonate; which ones you are drawn to and feel good doing. Ideally do one of these extra exercises at least once daily. Also, you may find exercises from other sections of Allevi8 helpful in your healing journey. Let your own inner wisdom guide you here.
Now a heads up…
We are in the final stages of developing a new model for those wanting more guidance and support with the Allevi8 techniques. Once released, if you join this new Allevi8 Group Mentoring Program you will have access to a monthly small group mentoring session in a group of up to 6 like-minded people. Each group will be led by one of our highly trained and experienced meditation teachers and mentors. Each of these groups will address one of the sections from the app, so it could be Getting the Best out of Your Treatment, or Better Sleep, Managing Stress, Healing and so on… So if you do have questions or need clarification, you will be able to ask there. Also, these Allevi8 Group Mentoring sessions will include a personally guided practice. You will find the link to the new program and these sessions on the app once it is released, and we will notify everyone once it is released.
Next, the Allevi8 Mentoring Program will also include access to our weekly Allevi8@8 sessions, where as many of you will know, in a larger group you will receive extra guidance and support, along with a guided practice led by one of our mentors.
These Allevi8@8 sessions are presented weekly with a highlight being the very popular Healing Meditation sessions held on the first Monday each month.
Finally, just to say all of us here at Allevi8 have a deep commitment to assisting you in your healing process. We have a deep respect for what can be done for you – and what you can do for yourself. Get the best from both – from your treatment and your own efforts – and truly remarkable things become possible.
Please do give us feedback and let us know how we can support you best.
Our wish is for you to recover quickly and fully,
That you do gain the best from your treatment,
And that you do go on to have a long, happy, and fulfilling life.
The Allevi8 tracks: Getting the most from treatment
1. An Introduction recorded on video from Ian Gawler
2. The Healing Journey – guided imagery based upon a series of archetypal healing images
3. Relaxation with Harp – the progressive muscle relaxation exercise without the step of contracting the muscles, but including the wonderfully soothing and healing harp of Peter Roberts
4. Rapid Relaxation – a short deep relaxation exercise using breath and gentle movements
5. Daily Healing Meditation – the full relaxation, mindfulness into stillness meditation practice for regular use
6. Preparing for surgery – what can help develop a positive state of mind plus how to use imagery to make the most of surgery
7. Working with my medical treatment – featuring Cathy Brown, the Allevi8 head of our therapeutic meditation mentor’s group. A series of relaxations and guided imagery pieces designed to get the best from drug treatments; and to minimize any potential side-effects
8. Working with my radiotherapy – similar to the treatment exercise, but here using guided imagery and light to work with radiotherapy; and again, to minimize any potential side-effects.
Many thanks Ian
ReplyDeleteI use the app regularly & have shared it with as many friends as possible 🙏🏻❤️