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Counselling, healing, hypnotherapy, massage, meditation, reflexology, and relaxation & visualisation
(R & V) are offered as one-to-one sessions at the Centre. Some therapies are offered as a block of four, six or eight sessions but there is the opportunity for one-off or "taster" sessions.
Some people find that they get all that they need from one therapy while others find it helpful to explore a few at one time or one after the other.
People who use these services need to become a member of the Centre and to have an initial interview which introduces the Centre to them. We welcome a donation towards the services received but this is voluntary and no-one will be refused a therapy because they can't afford a donation.
To find out about becoming a member of the Centre, please call us on 020 7924 3924 and we will tell you all you need to know. We can also send you a membership form.
Below are details of all the 1:1 services provided at the Centre. Click on the link and you will be taken to the description
A diagnosis of cancer, a course of treatment, the illness or death of a partner or friend can all create shock, fear and confusion. Established ways of doing things, strong emotional ties, familiar patterns of coping and old certainties may be disrupted.
While some people are fortunate and get the support they need from family, friends and community, others feel isolated. Even those surrounded by supportive and loving well-wishers often feel deeply alone. People are often encouraged to "be positive" by their families when they want to express the difficult feelings they have.
Counselling with its combination of understanding, concern and neutrality can help people in this situation. Like a good friend or partner, the counsellor is warm and caring. However, the client doesn't need to worry about overburdening the counsellor, as they might with a friend or partner.
Since the counsellor is not involved in the client's life, this enables him or her to bring an objective view to issues, which the client may urgently need. The open-mindedness and impartiality of the counsellor can help the client to explore thoughts and feelings without inhibitions. The client may also need to release bottled-up emotions such as anger, guilt or helplessness.
The benefits of counselling include:
alleviating feelings of loneliness
increasing the ability to communicate, improving relationships
promoting the deeper understanding of emotions
increasing a sense of control
providing a fresh perspective and tapping into creativity
reducing tension and stress
putting people in touch with their resources of imagination and intuition
helping people to find meaning in what is happening to them
Hypnotherapy is well-established as a supportive therapy for people with cancer.
Sessions start with an explanation of hypnosis to ensure that the patient appreciates that it is simply a way of relaxing the conscious mind (and also the body) so that the unconscious mind can receive beneficial suggestions.
Once the patient has experienced a hypnotic trance they are taught self hypnosis, to be followed by:
guided visualisation
motivation to develop their inner resources and stimulate their immune system
help with building a positive attitude towards any medical treatment in order to reduce unwanted side-effects
encouragement to improve their quality of life.
The spiritual healing given at the Centre is not aimed at curing illness or producing miracles. No faith or belief is needed on the part of the client, only an openness to the healing energy which the practitioner channels to them.
Healers work in different ways. The client lies on a couch, fully clothed, closes their eyes and relaxes. Some healers work through a laying-on of hands while others work around the body, moving their hands over each of the main energy centres. A sensation of heat is often reported, together with a feeling of vibration passing through the body. People may also see colours.
The healing energy gives the client whatever they most need, and counterbalances states like tiredness, depression, hyperactivity and sleeplessness. A healing session usually lasts an hour. Afterwards clients may feel calmer, more at peace, or have more energy. Sometimes relief from pain or other symptoms occurs. Often a shift of thinking has taken place, so that problems can be seen from a different perspective.
Our experience of massage at the Centre shows that it is a simple, versatile and extremely effective support for people with cancer at all stages of the cancer journey.
Its benefits include:
creating a sense of well-being
improving self-esteem
soothing and alleviating pain
allowing people to give voice to their thoughts and feelings
A diagnosis of cancer can alienate people from their bodies. People can feel that their body has failed them or that they have no control over it or the disease. Sometimes cancer treatments radically alter people's bodies in a way they can't accept or people come to experience their bodies solely as a source of discomfort or pain.
Massage has shown itself invaluable in helping people to:
accept their body as it is
regain confidence in their body
become aware of their body in a positive way
remember what it feels like to find pleasure and enjoyment in their body
Massage can be adapted to suit each person. Just having a face and head massage can bring as many benefits as a more extensive treatment.
The most common response from a client after a massage is "I feel great and so relaxed". For many clients, having a massage is the first time they actually feel a sense of well-being since the onset of their illness, having had both physical and mental tensions stroked away.
One Centre member has written: "after having an amputation, I was devastated. I felt really low and lost confidence in myself. Massage helped me to put myself back together again."
The meditation methods used at the Centre represent a coming together of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. The idea is to assist people to find clarity of vision for their own way forward.
Meditation is based on the principle of focusing the mind to release us from everyday preoccupations. Our attention is commonly distracted not only by the demands of daily activities but also by our thoughts, feelings, doubts and anxieties.
Meditation uses mental focus, together with the intention of our heart, to relieve us of these concerns and to help us, by degrees, to come to a stable core within ourselves.
This core is experienced as peace, harmony and stability. Having inner peace is a common desire and meditation is one way to reach this state.
There are many different meditation techniques so it is important to choose the one that is most suitable for each person. Techniques range from watching the breath and just being silent for a time to using a special sound called a mantra. Once the technique has been chosen, people are taught how to use it properly.
They are encouraged to practise with an upright, relaxed posture so that the body is quiet and unmoving. Usually the eyes are kept closed. The best results are obtained through regular practice - normally two periods a day, starting with a just a few minutes.
Follow-up consultations allow people to discuss the progress of their meditation as well as deal with any problems that have arisen.
In addition to bringing a sense of inner peace, the other benefits of meditation include being more in touch with one's senses, having increased self-confidence and having a more optimistic view of life.
Reflexology is a type of massage usually given to the feet, although it can also be given to the hands. The whole body is seen as mapped out on the feet - the right side of the body on the right foot and the left side on the left foot.
The organs or tissues in a particular body zone are linked to reflex points on the feet (or hands) and massage of these points treats the corresponding part of the body.
For example, the liver corresponds to a reflex point towards the outer side of the middle part of the sole of the right foot, and the spleen corresponds to a similar point on the sole of the left foot.
There are differing views as to how reflexology works. One view is that gentle massage helps to improve blood circulation and stimulates the body's immune system. Another is that the body's natural energy flow is blocked by illness or stress, and the reflexologist can feel a change in a particular reflex point that corresponds to the blocked part.
Massage to this area can remove the blockage so that energy can flow freely again. A possible effect of reflexology is that massage encourages the body to produce its own painkillers (endorphins), which could lead to fewer painkilling drugs being needed.
Reflexology is very popular with clients at the Centre and they all say it really helps them to relax.
Relaxation and visualisation is based on the human ability to direct thought towards wholeness and healing. As a complementary therapy used in relation to cancer, relaxation and visualisation offers a way for a person to use their imagination and will to help their health and well-being. It gives clients a means to be part of their own treatment and care, and also helps them to develop compassion for themselves.
Relaxation and visualisation exercises are tailored to clients' needs and interests. There are many different exercises available which can be useful in:
reducing fear
preparing for treatment
helping pain control
stimulating healing
increasing energy
increasing well-being
Clients are helped to become deeply relaxed, using the breath and focusing on the various muscle groups in turn. This brings both body and mind to a state of peace and stillness. A suitable visualisation may then be introduced. This can include images of cancer cells, of the treatment itself or of their body's immune system. The image is chosen by the client.
The visualisation is extended to include the person's goals for the future. They are encouraged to imagine themselves having the health and wellness needed to achieve their goals.
If someone is having difficulty visualising, they are helped just to hold a sense of what is being suggested, or to simply stay with the words being spoken to them.
It is most important that the person leaves the session settled in the here and now, awake and aware. The realms of the mind visited through the relaxation and imagery work continue to be available to the client and can be accessed at will. Additional sessions can be arranged to review and expand the practice.
One Centre member has described her experience: " I have used the visualisation techniques that I was taught. When I had the first chemo, it gave me the strength to cope. I have now had 5 lots of chemo with no nausea or vomiting, although the dosages are high, and I am still working.
Apart from losing my hair, I show no signs of undergoing treatment. The GPs and nurses are surprised at my good health and positive attitude, but I am determined to beat this ."