Accepting being sick, taking a step back, talking to loved ones… Psychotherapy is a treatment in its own right during cancer.
In a few seconds, at the time of the announcement, the lives of people with cancer are turned upside down. Faced with the earthquake, the support of family and friends is obviously essential. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t need psychological support from a professional. A way to face this difficult period as calmly as possible, even – but it should not be an obligation – to use this hard blow to get to know each other better.
“Before the disease, I thought that a psychologist was for those who mightn’t manage on their ownremembers Sophie Roosens, an insurance account manager, struck down by breast cancer at the age of 48. But, in the end, these sessions were a real help that allowed me to relieve my loved ones. » Angélique Bosc, a kindergarten teacher, is also recovering from breast cancer. She draws the same conclusion. “I realized that we necessarily need it, even if we think we are strong”she summarizes.
find the words
Psychotherapy enabled this 40-year-old to accept the disease discovered during a routine screening. “Initially, I was in a phase of dissociation. I had no symptoms, didn’t hurt anywhere, and didn’t feel sick at all. It was difficult for my body and my mind to meet. The psychologist helped me get on this path “, details Angelique Bosc.
This mother of three then staked out her year of appointment treatments with her practitioner, especially during key milestones. These interviews allowed her to find the right words to announce her cancer to her family, while she will go back to see her psychologist before returning to work. Her youngest son, aged 9, also consulted.
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Support the patient
“We offer a space where people with cancer can submit their fears, their emotions, their anxieties, their questions. These exchanges facilitate taking a step back to think regarding things other than from a purely emotional angle. This is valid for sick people as well as for caregivers, themselves impacted by what is happening to their loved one.explains Sophie Cros, clinical psychologist within the League once morest cancer.
Rather than providing answers, these professionals represent “support for the person to accompany their psychological, social and emotional journey, in the face of the losses that the disease might confront them”, continues Sophie Cros. His colleague, Agnès Petoin, insists on the radical upheavals caused by the diagnosis: “We support the patient in his search for new points of support, internal and external, to face cancer and also following illness. »
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Psychological reconstruction
This follow-up very often continues beyond the physical treatments. “For many, this is an opportunity to begin a personal work of psychological reconstruction. This crossing of the disease indeed shakes up the internal landmarks and comes to question the meaning of its existence as well as its relationship to the surrounding world., continues Sophie Cros. Agnes Petoin completes: “We are also here to support people in their desire to rethink their lives following this ordeal. »
This change of perspective, Sophie Roosens experienced it. “The psychologist allowed me to ask myself questions. And to realize, that deep down, I didn’t love myself and that I was putting a spoke in my wheelsshe remembers. It took me a cancer to give me a big slap in the face and accept me as I am! »
