USING MEDITATION AS PART OF YOUR SURGICAL JOURNEY

March 19, 2016

Very often I have been asked, “how do you integrate meditation and conventional medicine?” For me there is absolutely no conflict at all because it’s not one modality over another. They both have a role. As a urologist, many of the surgeries that I perform are for cancers of the prostate, kidney and bladder. They are all major surgeries and naturally result in a lot of stress. We all react differently to stress. Some patients “take it on the chin” and just get on with it, whilst most have a huge amount of anxiety about the surgery, concerns about pain, and worries about the recovery.

This is where the mind can play an enormous role. The first step with any major treatment is acceptance. I always try and help my patients reach a state of acceptance of the treatment that I have recommended. As the surgeon, it maybe very clear in my mind what the best treatment is such as the removal of the bladder for a muscle invasive bladder cancer, but it’s even more important that my patients reach a level of acceptance in a timely fashion before the surgery.

Having accepted the need for surgery, there are a huge number of ways that the mind can be utilised. Here are a few:

  1. handing over– this is basically accepting and handing over to the specialist doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who are trained to deal with these cases every day. Trust, surrender, patience are all qualities that go along with handing over. It’s hard, but so important. We are there to help you get better.
  2. settling preoperative nerves– gentle abdominal breathing, visualisation of a good outcome, and music to help stay relaxed are all helpful. There are many “apps” that can be sued to help relax the mind. Try 1Giant mind or Smiling mind.
  3. post operatively– staccato style meditations interspersed through the day, with visualisation of the intended outcome are more useful than trying to meditate for long periods of time. Aim for 5-10 minutes 5 or 6 times per day.
  4. intraoperatively– you can discuss with your anaesthetist if you want to have a certain music playing whilst you are asleep. Music has a very calming effect and why not use it during your surgery? If I don’t like your choice, then we can always give you headphones!

hospital

If you’ve got a minor or major surgery coming up or you have a tendency to nerves then now’s a great time to learn meditation.

Hope that helps

In Health and Wellness

Ranjit