A cancer diagnosis is always a life-changing event. From one moment to the next everything changes, the ground is pulled out from under your feet and everything you had previously relied on, the plan you had in your head for yourself and your life has fallen apart. Suddenly you are standing in front of this seemingly insurmountable mountain, full of fear and with the big question "How am I supposed to do it?". Our mind tries to climb this mountain all at once, and one falls into a feeling of stress, panic, despair, and helplessness. The carousel of thoughts spins faster and faster and an incredible amount of energy is wasted in worries and fears, energy that is urgently needed in the here and now. 

Again and again I experience - also in my work in the oncology department of the Katharinenhospital Stuttgart - that Zen is a great tool in these turbulent and frightening times. Both, the theory and the practical exercises provide anchors, help us to find our way back to the here and now.  We learn that everything can be done step by step, that we can always cope with this present moment, even if it is sometimes very painful and difficult. Zen and mindfulness offer help for both physical and mental/spiritual stress in acute situations and in later processing. Our mental attitude has a major impact on how we deal with uncertainty, unpredictability and physical suffering. 

I support cancer patients and their relatives on their way through the disease and help them cope, using the wisdom of Zen and practical exercises. I will help you to find mental strength, even and especially in very difficult times. 

I also support those who have completed their treatment. Often people feel like they are in a deep hole after coming out of treatment. You may feel like you cannot really find your way back into life and have no tools to help you come to terms with the illness and the trauma afterwards. Such a disease changes everything and leaves traces. The emotional effects and injuries linger long after treatment is complete. This phase is often particularly difficult because you may also feel a certain pressure of expectation (from inside and outside) that everything should be fine now, although the mental injuries are far from healed.

I also support relatives whose lives are changed significantly and sometimes permanently by the illness of a loved one. Due to the focus on the sick person, the needs and concerns of the relatives often recede into the background. I can support you on the way through the phase of illness and treatment of a person close to you and in processing what you have experienced afterwards.