Mind-Body Healing After Breast Cancer

Breast cancer survivors face more than just treatments in their journey toward thriving. Once treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are over, survivors go through a period of physical healing. That can include mental and emotional ups and downs, anxiety and fear about the future.

It’s more common than some might think for breast cancer survivors to experience anxiety, depression and insomnia. In fact, studies have shown a marked increase in survivors reporting these symptoms than what is present in the general population.

In a 2021 study published in the National Library of Medicine’s archives, researchers estimate approximately 25%, 10%, and 28% of cancer patients suffer from clinical depression, anxiety, and insomnia, respectively, which is roughly double the rates of the general population.

Researchers attribute the higher prevalence to the shock caused by a cancer diagnosis, the burden of cancer treatment and the correlations between these symptoms and fatigue and pain.

Medication and Emotional Recovery

If you’re a breast cancer survivor that has been through treatment, you may know that many doctors appropriately treat anxiety, depression and other psychological symptoms pharmaceutically. The drugs they prescribe can help a patient find emotional and mental stability and help curb symptoms like anxiety, depression and insomnia.

At the same time, medications can also bring side effects such as gastrointestinal discomfort, weight changes, sexual dysfunction, or emotional blunting. With long-term use, certain medications may increase health risks for some individuals. For these reasons, many survivors explore additional, non-pharmacological supports alongside or after medication.

Mind-body therapies offer one such supportive pathway.

Why Mind-Body Therapies Help

Mind-body therapies are techniques that help synchronize the mind and body functions, promote relaxation and increase overall wellness.

Studies show that the daily practice of these techniques can change the way your body responds to stressors, like the shock caused by a cancer diagnosis and the burden of cancer treatment. Mind-body therapies can also help with:

• Procrastination

• Indecision

• Inefficacy

• Mood Swings

• Fuzzy Headed Feelings

• Anxiety-related physical symptoms like upset stomach

  
  

Studies also show that mind-body therapies can help reduce anxiety and depression as well as insomnia because they fundamentally change the way your body responds to stressors.

Basically, daily practice of mind-body therapies train your mind and body functions to work together toward homeostasis and wellness instead of existing in a reactionary state.

Mind-body therapies help change the body’s reaction to stressors by doing the following:

• Creates a physical relaxation response that combats stress

• Generates positive thoughts, which research shows boosts the immune system

• Opportunity for social support, which studies show is beneficial for wellbeing

The Power of Routine

The key to mindbody therapies is discipline, dedication and devotion. You have to do the work regularly, weave these practices into your daily life and allow the magic of routine to change your outlook and inner chemistry.

If you’re anything like me, you’re laughing right now. That’s because being consistent isn’t easy. And some symptoms that can occur alongside anxiety, depression and insomnia are a decrease in motivation and inattention. Many breast cancer survivors struggle with maintaining a routine. Dedicating time, attention and energy to any kind of daily practice requires grit. It’s hard, and for many people it doesn’t come naturally.

Instead of focusing on outcomes, it can be helpful to approach these practices as ongoing processes—something you return to, rather than something you master.

Dopamine Bonus Points

Concentrating on goal accomplishment can be a great addition to your mind-body therapy toolbox, though. Dopamine is naturally released when you accomplish goals – a chemical that is connected to memory and attention, pleasure and reward. Use that concept as another way to achieve small wins and combat depression, lack of motivation, anxiety and insomnia.

Incorporate activities that naturally increase dopamine into your daily routine by:

• Gentle movement

• Eating a balanced diet

• Listen to music

• Drink green tea

• Get natural sunlight

  
  

Meditation and yoga have also been shown in multiple studies to support dopamine regulation.

Ancient and Modern Practices

Mind-body therapies draw from ancient traditions that emphasize breathing, movement, awareness, and relaxation. Practices such as yoga, qi gong, and tai chi strengthen the mind-body connection—something we experience every day, whether as butterflies before an important moment or a bodily response to stress.

Meditation is one of these techniques that has been scientifically studied and shown to create several beneficial physiological responses. Benefits include reduced levels of stress hormones, reduced heart rate and breathing rate, as well as blood pressure.

Newer Techniques

Most newer techniques are remastered versions of ancient practices like yoga and meditation. Take, for example, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Training. This eight-week course was created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts in 1979. It teaches how to use meditation for reducing stress levels and anxiety. MSBR courses have been shown effective for chronic pain, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR) is another exercise used to alleviate anxiety, insomnia and other emotional symptoms. It’s a two-step relaxation technique that reduces stress and helps build awareness of muscle tension. The practice involves tightening and loosening different muscle groups, alongside coordinated breathing.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or tapping is a relaxation method that involves using your fingers to tap gently on the body’s acupuncture points along the meridian lines, mentioned in Chinese medicine. This is usually self-administered but can be performed in a group setting with a leader, like in a yoga class.

Five MindBody Therapies To Try

• Gratitude Practice –

• Take 5 minutes every morning to list as many things you’re grateful for as possible. Sometimes it is helpful to assign each gratitude to a physical object, like a bead or small stone and transfer each bead from one container to the next while concentrating on each thing you’re grateful for until the five minutes have passed.

• Breathing Techniques – Focus on deep breathing by using one of a many number of breathing techniques that quiet your mind and reduce stress hormone levels.

• Meditation – Use ancient meditation techniques, which are generally paired with breathing techniques, to reduce anxiety, insomnia and stress.

• Mindful Movement – Yoga, qi gong and tai chi are all mindful movement practices that can help reduce anxiety, depression and stress levels. The social aspect of exercise classes can also improve wellness.

• EFT Tapping – Use your fingers to gently tap along the body’s natural meridian lines with this technique to find relief in the moment from anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Healing the Whole Person

Cancer treatment can disrupt a sense of safety and equilibrium. It is normal for anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties to continue even after treatment ends.

You are not broken—you are healing.

Mind-body therapies are not about forcing recovery. They are gentle, supportive steps that help restore trust in your body and steadiness in your nervous system as healing continues.

Sources

Metin, Z.G., Karadas, C. Izgu,N., Ozdemir, Umut Demirci, U. (2019).

Effects of progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation on fatigue, coping styles, and quality of life in early breast cancer patients: An assessor blinded, three-arm, randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, (42), pp. 116-125.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2019.09.003.

Elizabeth Boath, Rachel Good, Anna Tsaroucha, Tony Stewart, Sheila Pitch & Adam J. Boughey(2017). Tapping your way to success: using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce anxiety and improve communication skills in social work students,Social Work Education,36:6,715-730,DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2017.1297394

Ningsih, S.F., Karim, D., Febriana Sabrian, F. (2016). The effectiveness of emotional freedom technique (EFT) therapy to anxiety of breast cancer patients stage II and III. Repository of Universitas Riau. https://repository.unri.ac.id/xmlui/handle/123456789/7761

Zuraida, N.Z., Booth, S., Huppert F. A. (2013). The efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction on mental health of breast cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

Psycho-Oncology (22)7, 1457-1465