5 Spiritual Tools That Helped Me Through My Cancer Journey

Here are the emotional and spiritual practices that I found most helpful during my yearlong cancer journey:

As a psychologist, I believe that allowing yourself to feel and process difficult emotions is an important part of recovery. And there is no "right" amount of time to grieve. My ultimate goal was to eventually come to an acceptance of my diagnosis, no matter how long it took.

Research shows that meditation can be beneficial for many types of mental and physical ailments such as anxiety, pain, depression, stress, and insomnia. In my case, meditation allowed my body to relax, and I was better equipped to heal from this relaxed place. While there are many ways to practice mindfulness, I found great comfort in listening to Bernie Siegel, M.D.'s guided meditations.

When I was receiving radiation, I would visualize a golden healing light entering my body and filling every cell with a healing vibration, while the cancer cells withered and died. Not only did this practice give me a sense of control, but it also helped me to relax through my treatments.

During the year that I was undergoing treatments for cancer, I would repeat every day, "I give thanks for my full recovery and perfect health." Even though it often seemed like full recovery and perfect health were way beyond my reach, I spoke those words each day as if they were already true. This helped me shift my mindset and perspective.

I am happy to report that I'm currently cancer-free. I still put these tools into use in my everyday life and am so grateful for all they have given me.