Dr. Nuria Blanco, a psychologist specializing in oncological therapy, explains what this method consists of as part of cancer treatment.
How should one deal with the news that one has cancer?
The diagnosis of cancer is always a negative, difficult and hard experience that forces the person who receives it to suddenly face the potential end of his or her life. This experience is the necessary beginning of a process of adaptation, which will affect both the patient and his family. In this way, everyone must face the fear of the disease, the lack of knowledge, the suffering and even death itself in order to conclude that the daily life of the oncological disease is not only what the head fantasizes.
And when it is a family member who suffers from it?
At the time of diagnosis, the patient’s time must be respected. The patient should be allowed to express his fears and anxieties, but he should also be encouraged to search for solutions, to cling to the present moment and to the reasons for facing the disease. We cannot pretend that emotional suffering does not occur with such a diagnosis, since it implies a rupture with all the vital expectations of the person who receives it. Even so, the objective for both the patient and the accompanying family member will be that both the patient and the others do not stop living and enjoying every day of their lives. That is to say, to fight for the disease to be a nuance of the vital stage faced by the patient but not the center of his or her life.
What position should the family occupy during the whole process?
When a cancer is diagnosed, the disease always reaches a family. The normal functioning of the family is destabilized and also has to be redefined. One of the most useful and effective tools for the adequate coping of the disease in the family is clear and open communication, in which emotions are not hidden and open expression of these is allowed. Always looking for the redefinition of fear and suffering and never to coerce the patient, since this will lead him/her to isolate him/herself.
When should the help of a professional be required?
At the moment when it is observed that the emotional suffering is such that it blocks the patient and prevents him/her not only from facing the disease and its different stages, but also from continuing to develop and enjoy the other aspects of his/her life such as family, friends, etcetera.
What process is followed in oncological psychology?
For each patient there is a process. One word that could define this process is “accompaniment”. Globally speaking, intervention with the oncology patient requires addressing many existential aspects related to the meaning of life: personal identity, fear of suffering and death, among others. These more philosophical interventions, so to speak, are combined with other more concrete ones focused on problem solving, redefining situations, etcetera.
What stance does the psychologist take to help the patient?
The main stance is unconditional acceptance. The psychologist must be able to support without judging and guide the person always towards life, stimulating him/her to coexist and to experience with the highest quality the day to day, every moment of his/her life trajectory, including the end of it.