“Hair loss (alopecia) is visible evidence of your battle with cancer, and it may be more difficult to deal with than your breast surgery. Hair loss can further compound your struggle with body image changes caused by surgery and further diminish your sense of femininity. Hair loss, most often, can be an emotionally draining experience.”

“In EduCare Focus Groups, women who had been given chemotherapy and lost their hair were asked which was more emotionally painful--their surgical experience or the loss of their hair. The answer was, overwhelmingly, hair loss-74 percent said hair loss was more difficult; only 26 percent said that their surgery was more difficult emotionally.”

“When you lose your hair, people may try to offer you consolation and support by pointing out how insignificant hair loss is compared to battling a life-threatening disease. As well-meaning as this is, most can say this because they have never lost their hair.”

“The unexpected diagnosis of breast cancer can serve as a threat to yourself self-esteem, body image, sexuality, social life and career. That’s a lot of unexpected threats and changes to deal with after diagnosis. During this time, you may experience many confusing emotions-things you may have never felt--as these threats are individually worked into your life. After receiving a cancer diagnosis, the biggest surprise for many women was the struggle they had emotionally-they thought dealing with treatment would be their biggest challenge, but they found that the hardest part was dealing with their fluctuating emotions. The problem they had dealing with their anxiety and depression threw them a curve ball.”

Excerpted from Judy C. Kneece, RN, OCN, The Comprehensive Patient Navigation Guide 9th Edition, Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook.

“The Role of Emotions in Healing & Health cannot be overstated. Basic emotions are fundamental powers of the human body and mind and have key roles in determining mental and physical health…”

“Neuroscience was basically the first scientific discipline to prove that emotions are primary in the human condition. Emotions are core enablers and participants in the crucible of thought and action, of self and other, of person and environment, and biology and culture. We cannot strip them away or isolate them out.”

“Truly emotions are at the core and not the periphery of healing.”

“Emotional healing involves not just feeling one’s disowned emotions and feelings through the body but also creating effective regulation of those impulses, feelings and emotions. Emotions are used to heal and repair, to grow and to learn, and to connect to others as part of the social nature of our being.”

“Neuroscience has established the basis for the framework by which there is bi-directional communication between the brain and the body and the role of the [Autonomic] Nervous System (ANS) in this process. The body, brain and mind are interconnected at levels never before understood by science.”

Richard Boyd, The Role Of Emotions In Healing And Health, retrieved January of 2024, from https://www.energeticsinstitute.com.au/emotions-in-healing/

“Poorly-managed negative emotions are not good for your health.”

“Negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can create chronic stress, which upsets the body's hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals required for happiness, and damages the immune system. Chronic stress can actually decrease our lifespan. (Science has now identified that stress shortens our telomeres, the “end caps” of our DNA strands, which causes us to age more quickly.)”

“Dr. Fredrickson has spent years researching and publishing the physical and emotional benefits of positivity, including faster recovery from cardiovascular stress, better sleep, fewer colds, and a greater sense of overall happiness. The good news is not only that positive attitudes—such as playfulness, gratitude, awe, love, interest, serenity, and feeling connected to others—have a direct impact on health and wellbeing, but that we can develop them ourselves with practice.”

Karen Lawson, MD, How Do Thoughts And Emotions Affect Health?, retrieved December of 2023, from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu

“Self-image is important because how we think about ourselves affects how we feel about ourselves and how we interact with others and the world around us. A positive self-image can boost our physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. On the other hand, a negative self-image can decrease our satisfaction and ability to function in these areas.”

Fostering A Positive Self-Image, Cleveland Clinic, retrieved December of 2023, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org

“According to Ray (2003), both what we think and believe can have a significant impact on our overall health. The reverse is true as well, because our physical functioning and health will also impact our emotional functioning. When considering people with mental illness, the benefits of integrating mind-body treatments are integral, given that people with mental illness are at a higher risk for developing significant physical health problems. As such, physical health and interventions which promote positive physical wellness should be considered as an integral aspect of one’s personal recovery plan, treatment plan, and daily life.”

Joseph Galasso, PsyD, Integrative Healing: Linking Emotional And Physical Wellness To Recovery, Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital October 1st, 2008, retrieved November of 2023 from https://behavioralhealthnews.org

“Nowhere is the relationship between mental and physical health more evident than in the area of chronic conditions.”

“Experts have found that good mental health can have a direct and positive effect on physical health. The opposite is also true – poor mental health can have a negative effect on physical health.” 

“The physical needs to interconnect with mental, emotional, and spiritual for total health and healing.”

Murray "MJ" Blehart, Health and Healing Are More than Physical: The physical needs to interconnect with mental, emotional, and spiritual for total health and healing, retrieved November of 2023 from https://aninjusticemag.com/health-and-healing-are-more-than-physical-c7dcf2616034

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World Health Organization (WHO) says, “there is no health without mental health.”

Retrieved September of 2023 from https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/theme-details/GHO/mental-health