Speak the Language of Healing: A New Approach to Breast Cancer

Rejecting the pervasive medical view of cancer treatment as a ""war"" against illness, four women with breast cancer offer holistic perspectives on the processes of treatment, healing and renewal. Drawing on their diverse spiritual backgrounds (Orsborn is Jewish and a student of Eastern philosophy; Kuner studied with a Sufi teacher; Quigley has undergone 12-Step programs; and Stroup is a Christian minister), the authors have crafted a framework that allows women to view their cancer as part of an encounter with their deepest selves. They postulate five stages through which ""initiates"" travel on the journey from fear to acceptance: impact, chaos, choices, community and spirit. As each author relates her experiences--such as confronting fears of death, pain and isolation, choosing between mainstream and alternative therapies and enduring the loss of hair, self-esteem, friends and, in once case a fianc --she suggests ways to counter the prevailing view of doctors and patients that patients who ""fight back"" stand the greatest chance of being healed, that survivors are ""winners"" and those who die have lost their ""battles."" Readers at any stage of breast cancer treatment will likely take comfort from the authors' spiritual emphasis. Agent, Linda Roghaar. (Oct.) FYI: A portion of the proceeds from the books sold will go to breast cancer research.