When a dear friend's husband was recently diagnosed with seemingly 'incurable' cancer, we all pitched in to help find any and all information that might lead to, if not a full recovery, at least a better short term prognosis. One of the first books I found was 'Getting Well Again', and I'm glad it came early in the search. While it'd be easy to dismiss this as 'think your way to health' nonsense, the author is much more realistic than that. He advocates traditional treatments and therapies, but also confronts the emotional/mental side of confronting cancer as your body begins its fight. There are a lot of 'visualizations' and other exercises offered, meant to get to the root of emotional & mental blocks that might be keeping valuable positive energy back when your body needs all the strength it can get. Without being preachy, the book advocates working through these blocks to find a sort of self-love, and, with any luck, a better chance at really living. Anyone diagnosed with cancer, or any chronic illness, really, should give this book a try.

O Carl Simonton pioneered visualization to cure cancer patients. I have not read this book but it’s next on my list. He proved scientifically that meditation and visualization works for health problems. In this book, he teaches self-awareness, a guide to positive thinking and healthy living strategies. He is part of a world-famous cancer center in California and Italy. He is an oncologist, author, filmmaker, and author internationally. His method evolved from the concept that beliefs, feelings, attitudes and lifestyle are important factors affecting health. His video/film is in nearly every hospital in the U.S. and several other countries. The book covers techniques to enrich your life and promote health, relaxation and creative thinking exercises. You learn to explore the importance of gentleness and the role of stress, and other contributing factors to disease. The issues of recurrence and death are also examined. This would be a great book for anyone dealing with a chronic illness, cancer and other health problems. FYI, he’s also a Silva graduate.