Holistic healing for women with breast cancer through a mind, body, and spirit self-empowerment program

Abstract

This article reports results of an integrated mind-body-spirit self-empowerment program for breast cancer survivors. Fifty-one women at various stages of breast cancer completed a series of eclectic lessons offered in a support group format. The program followed an integrated and cumulative lesson plan that progressively and systematically introduced multiple strategies for creating a balance among mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. The program's goals were to enable participants to experience a reduction in distress, improve perceived quality of life, reach a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life, and experience a greater sense of perceived wellness. Self-assessments were obtained on four well-documented measures relating to both pre- and postprogram participation. Differences in pre- and postscores showed statistically significant improvement and large estimated effect sizes on all four measures. Participants' written comments provide examples of the scope and benefits of the program.