1. Stillness Meditation

Meditation provides the ideal first step because it deals with stress, and certainly the diagnosis of a major illness in itself is stressful. Let alone the added current Covid anxieties and hospital tensions. And this will help you to regain balance in body, mind and spirit and powerfully supports the healing process.  We recommend the Allevi8 App  and the Monday evening gatherings on zoom led by Ian, Ruth and their team. 

Meditation brings a calm and clear mind, leading to better decision-making and to acting most appropriately. If quality of life is your prime aim, begin with two or three meditation sessions of ten to twenty minutes daily, and once it is working well, maintain one or two sessions of ten to twenty minutes daily.

If you want to gain maximum benefit from meditation, begin with three sessions daily of whatever period you feel comfortable with and build as rapidly as possible to three sessions of 40 minutes, up to one hour each session. This recommendation is Ian’s and is based on the work of Dr Ainslie Meares  (direct link to it videos on our site with Ainslie Meares here) who was his mentor and teacher in his own recovery.

Ian recommends reading the book Blue Sky Mind, his latest meditation book available at Booktopia

 and that you also use the downloads in which Ian or Ruth will guide you through all the meditation practices featured in the book – Blue Sky Mind downloads.

2. Imagery Meditation

Imagery can be a useful ‘optional extra’ to add to the meditation once the Stillness meditation and deep physical relaxation is going well. Establish that meditation method first. 

The mind has 2 aspects – Active and Still, and we need some familiarity with Stillness before engaging the active aspect.  Imagery or Visualisation Meditation (using either descriptor)  uses the Active, (wilful, directive, cognitive) side of the mind. Imagery meditation engages both the conscious and unconscious parts of the Active mind. Whereas Stillness Meditation relies on awareness, relaxation and the spacious aspect of the mind. (the Still mind).

In Imagery Meditation we use the gentle, reliable methods which rely on archetypal images. These are universal symbols for healing – water and light. There are 2 main meditations :

 the White Light Imagery – (either having the light coming into the body with the breath or coming from a source above us) and The Healing Journey – introduced and led by Ian on the Mindbody Medicine  downloads and also previously referred to as the Journey of Transformation. These are also on the Allevi8 App as Healing Light and Healing Journey (direct link to it here)

If you choose to use more active and personalized healing images, make sure that you read and study Ian’s book The Mind the Changes Everything. This will add extra clarity and more understanding for how to do it. 

For this, you may really benefit from seeking qualified meditation guidance. The Allevi8 Mentor program can be most helpful for this.

3. Nutrition

 Once the meditation is becoming integrated into your day,  in a regular way consider your dietary choices. The average Western diet is high in fat, protein, salt, sugar, alcohol and refined foods; fibre and vitamin and mineral intakes may be inadequate. So, for many people going to a whole-food plant-based diet (good food) can be a challenge. However, it is frequently very important for healing. And diet needs to be addressed. However, do recognise that, dietary change has the potential to be stressful. Make friends with your food! Take some time to think the changes through, discuss them, and plan for them. Be clear on your aims and choices and take your time in preparing for the change. Meditation makes change easier. These days there are so many “expert opinions” on what is good food and many of them quite ill-informed. Be careful of the advice you follow and look into the credentials and experience of the person advising you.

After more than 45 years, of helping people with major illness, we have had much more experience than many folk who disagree. We are convinced that what we teach is the best nutrition for most people, of course there are always individual issues that need to be addressed. This is the age of too much information and too little reliability on what is presented as fact. So rely on what your body tells you (once you have had detox) and what evidence and clinical experience is actually advising you. Unfortunately most Dieticians have had very limited training and are often unhelpful for healing from major illness. Beware food has become both politically, environmentally and economically complicated.

When you are well, what you eat most of the time is what matters. When you are dealing with major illness, what you eat ALL the time is what matters.  

For full details of Ian’s recommendations, go to the Nutritions Page here.

4. Positive Thinking

Detailed on the downloads called Mind Training. 

and elaborated upon in Ian’s book The Mind that Changes Everything. 

With meditation – both Mindfulness into Stillness and Imagery Meditation,  good Nutrition , Positive Thinking completes the 4 basic ingredients of healing and wellbeing.

If you do feel depressed or negative, start by working on a creative activity- a hobby or enlivening activity. By actually doing something physical and engaging, you will set the whole process in motion. Gardening is Ian’s favourite activity as it also includes being in nature and exercise, both of which have good healing properties. Exercise also warrants being a strong priority, in its own right – aim for 30 minutes daily. It helps if you sweat a bit or are panting a bit, as this increases the oxygenation and perfusion of the bodies tissues and organs.

5. Healing Emotions

Detailed on the download called Emotional Health 

Relationships frequently require as much healing as the physical body. Make peace, and find ease, with as much as you can. Use the imagery technique of forgiveness detailed on the the download Inner Peace Inner Wisdom once your meditation is working well. 

On Allevi8 we recommend the power of Gratitude meditation under Finding Meaning and Purpose in Challenge the drop down menu titles.

Your immediate family may need revision of these healing principles just as much as you do. Often it is “the patient” whose physical symptoms reflect a malaise involving one or several other closely associated people. Often patterns in relationships do need to be reviewed and updated. Encourage your family to support you and to join you in as much  as possible, particularly the big three: meditation, eating well and positive thinking. You may well find it easier to do than they do. Don’t be put off by their resistance to change!

6. Pain Relief

Ian introduces the theory and leads the pain relief meditations on the download Effective Pain Management. There is also a good presentation on the downloads page, explaining the mindset with pain.

The knowledge that we can improve our own pain management skills has been a source of relief, empowerment and deep comfort for many people. For many, it has actually transformed their lives. Learning and practising these pain management exercises  starts with learning Deep Physical Relaxation and then being aware of the other possibilities outlined in You Can Conquer Cancer and in the book Meditation : An In-Depth Guide.

7. Consideration of Death and Dying

Detailed in the download of Understanding Death and Helping the Dying. 

Perhaps paradoxically, the experience here, is that the better prepared we are for death, the easier it is to live well; and it may well be, and the more likely we are to recover! So this is another vitally important issue that is best acknowledged, contemplated, discussed and then used as inspiration to live well, and to live fully with the limited precious time that we all have.

These downloads are excellent to listen to with those you are close to, and then to use it as a catalyst for meaningful discussion. These downloads are also very useful for health practitioners – doctors or nurses helping those nearing the end of life. And in fact Ian’s work in this has directly influenced the whole way death is currently approached by the hospices and palliative care teams in Australia.

There is something we call a “good death” and when the time comes, we all want that.

Having a good death is usually possible when one prepares for it well. Do be reassured, with fears confronted and allayed, many people who have followed this path, when their time does come, do have a good death. 

Read the chapter on this in the book You Can Conquer Cancer or listen to You Can Conquer Cancer – Unabridged Audiobook – it is often the chapter people skip, not realising the importance and impact longterm of going through the fears and thinking about it.

It happens to all of us eventually and preparing mentally, and in other practical ways, makes good sense. Not just for you, but also your loved ones. It gives them permission to be more open and have a better psychological resolution of their grief.

8. Spiritual Development

For most people this is challenging as we live in a mostly secular culture, but this is another essential for finding meaning and purpose in the challenges of recovery. And when recovery does not happen this can be vital for finding real inner peace. Recognise that our endeavours in this area may be the most important of all.

Religion – Follow your own preferences and inclinations here. Very few people change their religion through an experience with disease, but many find their convictions challenged. For some this leads to newfound strength. For others a feeling of being let down. This may well be a time to explore your spirituality in more depth, as it can be such a source of power and strength.

Reflection, Introspection, Contemplation – Highly recommended as long as they are not associated with guilt or other destructive emotions like shame. Seek to understand your self and your past. Get help from someone professional if you are stuck in blame, resentment or bitterness. These feelings can be very obstructive to healing physically, emotionally and spiritually. Accept your present situation and commit to improving your health and wellbeing. Do this as joyfully as possible, knowing there are always more choices than we first realise. Seek to really understand your own personal path to a happier, healthier tomorrow. 

Belief system – Your belief system can either limit your horizons or leave you free to soar above most situations with a smile on your face. Spend time reading, thinking, in contemplation, and in evolving your own theories. Open yourself to the many possibilities

Spiritual Healing – This may be catalysed by others, but often it comes with personal, inner experience. 

Learning to know and appreciate your own spiritual essence, is an integral part of  finding self-love, enduring peace of mind and working out what is actually in your best longterm interests. Becoming more familiar with this leads to a love of life and flows on to other people. Once you can whole-heartedly love yourself, you can more clearly recognise the best in others. Then you can see when they too are seeking to be free of limitations and to express themselves. You become easier to “get along with”  and naturally more at ease.  Along with this, you can realise that it is not enough to dwell in spiritual ideas, it needs to be realised in your actions and values. And your body needs to given due consideration

Healing is complete when harmony is found in body, mind and spirit.