Chemotherapy and Spirituality

by Jan Toomer

When I was a teenager, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though we didn’t really get along, I was beside her after she came home from surgery and cheered her on through her exercises.

Throughout the years I have had friends, family, and acquaintances that have had cancer and went through chemotherapy. This is when I began to see a pattern, which I will share with you today.

I noticed that during chemotherapy sessions or treatments, as the chemicals worked on destroying the cancer cells, the individual often times felt disconnected from their higher self and/or their spirituality.

So the individual was not only having to deal with chemotherapy effects, the cancer, and the emotions tied to both, many were angry because they felt completely cut off from the spiritual aspect of themselves.

Please know that for those of you going through chemotherapy or radiation treatments, you are not cut off from your spirituality; you are however very physical–based so that you feel out of touch with the spirituality.

For example (and this is no way in comparison with chemotherapy treatments): if you have ever had a broken bone, given birth, or have another trauma to your body and you think back to that, you will notice that you had been 100% physical, and you stayed that way until your body started healing from the trauma.

When there is a trauma to the body our energies are needed 100% on the physical to help heal the physical body. When you were dealing with that, did you ever stop to think, “Oh my! I lost my spirituality!”? No, you concentrated on getting better; spirituality was not forefront in your mind.

Chemotherapy and spirituality do co-exist; so for those of you who are receiving chemotherapy – please remember your spirituality is not gone, your energies are focused on healing the body. You are never alone – your higher self, guides, family, friends, your medical team (both physical and metaphysical), Source, etc. are still there and supporting you.