Judy Erel - Dancing with Cancer: Using Transformational Art, Meditation and a Joyous Mindset to Face the Challenge

Dancing with Cancer

Judy Erel has a survivor personality and shares her experience with us. I have learned from my patients that self-induced healing is not a lucky spontaneous event. It takes courage and the willingness to change yourself and your life so your body gets the message. The wisdom and knowledge that she has learned from her experience with cancer can be our guide and coach. I could write a book just pointing out the wisdom she shares with us. She has learned what healing your life and body is about versus waging a war against cancer. She guides us and shows us the path to healing and how to awaken our body to the joy of life and understand the value and wisdom of our consciousness.

Bernie Siegel MD, Author of Love, Medicine and Miracles and The Art of Healing

I was called to see Judy in 2007, when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. From our first encounter, she was full of energy and ready to fight for her life. She had a plan. With her amazing willpower and optimism, she would replace the bad diseased cells in her body with smiling healthy cells. During her third chemotherapy treatment she developed a severe reaction and felt herself slipping away. She willed herself to life and pulled out of it. Side by side with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the help of her loving children, Judy utilized all her resources and her artistic gift and drew herself to recovery. Her book will empower travellers setting out in the not so simple and not easy journey from sickness to health.

Dr Naomi Rahimi-Levene, Haematologist and Head of the Blood Bank Asaf Harofe Hospital Haematological Institute

In Dancing with Cancer, Judy Erel weaves a unique theoretical and practical connection between mind and body that is invaluable. She succeeds in developing a powerful healing language that provides an opportunity for change and simple integration into daily life. As her story and exercises flow across the pages, the reader is taken through a process leading to the awareness of choice in life and a path strengthening the positive and the easy. A must for all therapists and anyone who wants to understand and successfully implement the magic of change.

Ruty Bar MA, Movement Therapist, Senior Trainer in Feldenkrais Method Training programs and Educational Director

Dancing with Cancer

USING TRANSFORMATIONAL ART, MEDITATION AND A JOYOUS MINDSET TO FACE THE CHALLENGE

JUDY EREL

To my beloved children, Avital, Yael and Gadi who always have been partners in my journey and always have my back And to my grandkids, Michal, Yonatan and Amit, who fill me with boundless love and joy

Dancing with Cancer

Judy Erel

First published in the UK and USA in 2018 by
Watkins, an imprint of Watkins Media Limited
19 Cecil Court
London WC2N 4EZ

Design and typography copyright Watkins Media Limited 2018

Text and artwork copyright Judy Erel 2018
with the exception of:
Mandala templates and step-by-step mandala drawing instructions on pages 1617 and 182187 copyright Eitan Kedmy 2012, 2018

The right of Judy Erel to be identified as the Author of this text
has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without permission in writing from the Publisher, except by a reviewer
who may quote brief passages in a review.

Designed and typeset by JCS Publishing Services Ltd

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78678-119-2

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Typeset in Minion Pro
Colour reproduction by XY Digital
Printed in China

www.watkinspublishing.com

Contents

List of Illustrations

Figures

Plates

Introduction

Beyond Wishful Thinking

This book is about how my life danced to the rhythms of extreme illness, conventional medical protocols and the decision to proactively support the best healing outcomes possible as I faced the life-threatening, life-changing reality of incurable, chronic cancer. My hope is that what I share here can help others find their own best healing possibilities.

My life showed me that cancer was like a roadblock on my lifes path, with a sign saying Continual disharmony straight ahead. Its time to make decisions ... or not. Although the crossroads and roadblocks may be different for each person, we are all on a journey. Each person has their own personal resources at their disposal along the way. What the journey has shown me is that facing cancer is about taking responsibility for our lives and health, and by doing so, maximizing our potential to heal. It is also about harnessing personal resources in order to actively participate in the healing process. When I speak of resources, this includes our mindset, what we learned in school, at work, through just living, what we like doing, what makes us happy, what balances us and makes us smile.

For me one facet came from studying, teaching and creating art, and another from academic studies and work experience in psychology and cognitive development. And the final piece of the puzzle, which also became the core connecting it all, was my experience as a meditation guide and my deep interest in mindbodysoul interactions, energy healing, art therapy, personal empowerment and a love of dancing.

In short, my life came together to reveal an intuitive path of action something I thought of as my golden path. I knew that if I was to survive and really thrive, I needed to honestly and fearlessly unleash the creative power of my thoughts, words and deeds. If I wanted to Dance With Cancer, I had to find the way to take the lead. At times the dance was graceful, at times quite clumsy. Sometimes my dance was rhythmic, and occasionally I danced the dance of a beached whale with excruciating slowness.

As my attention focused on ways to maximize my healing potential, I intuitively slipped into the mindset of responsibility for my cells, my body, my feelings, beliefs and attitudes. Each step of my journey filled with meaning and I felt the glow of my efforts. I deeply understood the well-known Buddhist adage that Haruki Murakami had applied to marathon running: Pain is inevitable. Suffering is a choice. I had definitely chosen not to suffer, if possible.

As I aimed my thoughts, words and ideas specifically at healing expectations, my intentions turned into practical and expressive actions that were beyond the mere wishful thinking of optimism and thinking positively. I sensed that I did things that anchored my physical world to specific, defined targets aiming as high as I could imagine as I focused on my body, my cells and the bodys innate intelligence. Unexpectedly, I found myself in the midst of a truly challenging, fascinating and extreme journey. And I felt that extraordinary feeling, that rush of living on the edge and the great joy and gratitude of being alive.

I have written this book to share this experience and in doing so, hope to help others help themselves. The book is divided into two parts:

Part One presents my personal journey from cancer diagnosis through treatment and remission and beyond. At each step, I share practical suggestions that may be suitable to incorporate into your own healing journey. I found that using a journal helped me actively talk to myself and reveal my individual path, and therefore I invite you to keep a journal, notebook or a pad of paper at hand to help you along the way. Youll find the practical suggestion sections filled with ideas of self-inquiry, creative and journaling exercises as well as guided meditations to support your efforts.