Testimonials
Some Comments from Participants in Previous Behavioural Medicine Groups
The book Tipping the Scales (1997) and pilot studies in behavioural medicine under the same name provided the basis for The Key Model published in 2004. We asked participants from previous programs for comments on their experience and the following is a sampling of what we received.
"I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who is health challenged. It demonstrates interventions and techniques that will help you cope with the stresses of illness and the treatments and it helps bring you back to health. The interventions are scientific, rational and practical. With a little organisation I incorporated them into my working day. I found the philosophy of the programme very good. Attending alone gave me a lift. It set me up for developing my own programme and sticking to it...." L.M., Dundalk.
"I would say that reading the book and doing the programme was the biggest life-changing experience I had. The programme helped me to live with my illness minus the struggle. It taught me how to make choices to benefit my day-to-day living and gave me new energy for life. A.H. Wexford
"The programme taught me the practice of new strategies and skills to deal with day-to-day managements of my thinking and emotions, i.e. it taught me to analyse my emotions more deeply, the real causes of them and how to address them through meditation, visualisation etc."
"The programme offered me the time and space to be with myself, to have a definite awareness of 'me' and perhaps to learn how to be gentle and caring to 'me'."
"I learned the importance of positive thinking with the constant bombardment of my subconscious, teaching it how well I really am."
"The feeling of support and compassion was very helpful and healing within the group. V.H., Co. Laois
"Great to hear from you both! Delighted to hear about future programme. I am feeling very well both mentally and physically - almost seven years well! T.G. My whole living of my life has utterly changed, I value and appreciate so much. I continue on a daily basis to practise "my skills" learned during the programme. I looked at my 5-year plan recently and was very pleased with my projections! I play golf, swim twice weekly. Our eldest boy got married a month ago."
"I felt very relaxed, able to cope with the cancer which I had overcome much better than before. I was diagnosed additionally with cancer of the breast while on the programme. Because I had learned how to do self-hypnosis and how to deal with pain, this cancer operation seemed so much easier than the one before. Talking to people who had the same illness helped greatly, and the people who supervised the course understood the fear we all felt. N.C. Dublin
"I now have no cancer after having had three operations. I take time out to relax for at least twenty minutes twice daily. I have changed my eating habits and am coping very well."
"Being involved in the programme helped me to keep focused and committed to actioning behaviour that would help my recovery. Talking to other participants and listening to Sean's and Rhoda's talks were also encouraging and reinforcing. I also found "Tipping the Scales" was a terrific help and still consult it from time to time, so much so that I have given it to some seriously ill people and their families and recommend it to others." J.R. Dublin
"The programme helped me in facing my condition and to develop a positive attitude. The contact between members of the Group gave me support and encouragement. All of this was made possible by the facilitators, Sean Collins and Rhoda Draper". B. O'S.
"I benefited greatly from the emotional support I received from the sympathetic style of leadership and teaching by Sean Collins at a time in my recovery from cancer when I felt most vulnerable. Practical ways of handling stress, many of which were new to me, were also beneficial. I was also encouraged by the personal contributions from individuals in the group which I could relate to, and I appreciated the confidentiality that was always emphasised. J. McC. Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
"I look forward to the new book and would be happy to recommend it to any of my friends who might be facing similar medical and emotional challenges." J.
"The Tipping the Scales programme is so helpful because it offers the person dealing with a life-challenging illness the tools to copy positively with the diagnosis. Knowing I had choices regarding how I would live with my illness gave me much needed hope. I was to set goals for a future I didn't believe in; that exercise turned despair around. Having to image where I would be five years ahead made the possibility that I could be alive real. It's a life-saving programme." C.W. Dublin
"I found the yoga very good for my movement and flexibility. I found the meditation very good for my mind to slow down. One thing at a time good for stress and time management. I found the interaction with the others interesting. I learnt a new way of being and a new pace of life. I saw through pain one can still live and adapt to change, finally learn new ways of being." A.G. Co. Dublin
"I was sceptical embarking on the programme, but am now an advocate having completed it. It confirmed to me that a positive but realistic 'mind-over-matter' attitude will benefit the health of any individual. The programme gave me techniques to look at my stressors from different perspectives and took me through a number of options and methods of successfully dealing with them. C.H. North Dublin.
"As I said at the summing up after the programme, I felt I had been given a tool and shown how to use it, a tool I never knew existed before, which was exactly the tool I had been searching for and needed. Dr. Anthony Sharkey's meditation exercises and breathing was that tool for me and I'm still using it to great advantage! M.G. Co. Dublin
"I started the programme at the end of cancer treatment. I felt I needed some "rite of passage" before fully resuming my former life. The programme provided this. To other people, perhaps it would provide support, information etc. So, in talking to a friend, I would describe all the possibilities & not just what it was for me. P.D. Dublin
"I want to be an active participant in my health care - the programme encourages this. Conventional medicine treats the patient "in parts". Your programme is holistic - I liked this. If I can help in any way feel free to get in touch with me..... "
"The course has given me a confidence which, up to the time of my illness, I lacked. I also feel less guilty if I make a mistake, enabling me to indicate that I did make a mistake and take the consequences" O.C., Sligo
"I do hope to return to full work soon. More importantly my health is good (no recurrences!)".
" ... (the programme) greatly increased my understanding of myself and led to being relaxed with a feeling of wellbeing. No return of malignancy. I learnt skills and tools for managing stress and stamina.... "
"A maturing and human experience" J. F. C., Dublin
"The programme enabled me to think about my illness at a deeper level, in that it helped me to understand the incredible emotions I had to deal with on hearing I had cancer, e.g. denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. I was able to take back the power that lies deep within me and recognise I could play a big part in healing myself - which I did!" P. McM., Dublin
"I am, thankfully, leading a very healthy life and regularly practice meditation and yoga which is very rewarding".
"My participation in the Behavioural Medicine programme gave me a sense of self-esteem which I found very beneficial. I also found that participation in the group situation was very helpful and encouraging. R.B., Co. Dublin".
"I really enjoyed the "Tipping the Scales" programme. I still use some of the techniques and exercises we learned. The emphasis on being positive and proactive about one's health stayed with me. The programme sparked off a huge interest in healing and alternative therapies. I also feel privileged to have met such courageous, talented, inspirational people, on the course, who were determined to live their lives in spite of very serious illness." M.D., Co. Louth
" ...best of luck with the book. Would like to buy a copy - Mention Tipping the Scales very often when talking about healing. Hope you are both well...
"I would say that the programme was really fantastic, that it gave me incredible strength to get through all my treatment, and that it has had a long-lasting positive effect on my life. It definitely played a huge part in my recovery and it was empowering above all - and I am grateful to have taken part in it" H.M. Co. Wicklow
"My illness was "quality-of-life"-threatened rather than terminal. For a time after diagnosis in early 1997, I attended a support group which, though well-intentioned and excellently run, tended to emphasise the negative aspects and possible downhill spiral of the condition. Consequently, I made little progress. In January 1998 I began the first 'Tipping the Scales' programme under the guidance of Sean and Rhoda. As we worked through the various aspects of the wellness programme each week, I gained new insights, tremendous knowledge and, especially, hope that the illness could and would be conquered. The emphasis on the positive and the "can do" mentality will be my abiding memory of this programme. Heartfelt thanks to Sean and Rhoda ". M. O'H., Co. Dublin.
... I was able to resume full-time work in late 1998. I wish you and Sean every success with your new book and look forward to buying a copy when it becomes available. We would also love to join in the group sessions if possible. "E. sends his best to you both... ."
" The programme introduced me to the most basic measures of self care of my body, mind and soul. It did this in a gentle, firm and very credible way. It was thoroughly satisfying - of practical use (to this day), great comfort and delivered with humour and love (in my opinion!). The content was always relevant; the message always clear and non-negotiable. It was a wonderful and excellent skills-based road-map to healthier heart and soul - even (and especially) if the body was out of sync." N.G. Dublin.
" ..... am practising, practising, practising... doing well and learning - overdoing and
learning (mostly!). Taking and enjoying much greater pleasure in the life I have..."
(Note: Original correspondence on file.) |
