The perfect work in the history of cinema, “The Shawshank Redemption”, the male protagonist Andy was unjustly imprisoned and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent twenty years silently fulfilling his wish for a perfect self-redemption, saying: I have only one simple wish, either to be busy living or busy dying. There is a saying: No one is your savior! Doctors, family, and friends are not the only saving grace for breast cancer patients. From a psychological point of view, every hurdle and problem in life requires a correct perception, change of wrong views, and trying to change yourself by yourself.
The journey that every breast cancer patient goes through affects the early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of the disease. It is necessary for both doctors, family members and cancer patients themselves to understand this process of psychological reactions in order to make behaviors and comfort that are beneficial to patients’ treatment.
I. The five stages of psychological changes of breast cancer patients
The first stage: nervousness and anxiety.
When you are told or guessed that you have cancer, it is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, and you will have panic, tension and anxiety. Severe difficulty in moving and eating. In terms of psychological defense mechanism, this mechanism has both advantages and disadvantages. When a person’s life is threatened or feels pain, anxiety is originally a good warning signal, which is a corresponding defense response when a person faces threat or pain.
However, long-term, severe anxiety can cause endocrine disorders, which in turn destroy the body’s defense system, and this emotion goes from defense protection, to a disease, which of course affects the treatment.
The second stage: from denial to recognition
Many cancer patients, after learning that they have breast cancer, immediately deny the fact, thinking that something must have gone wrong. Some insist on denial, visit multiple clinics and repeat multiple examinations to deny the bad news. Denial is like a buffer that can soften the impact of the bad news and make the person less stressed. Only when the patient comes out of denial, slowly accepts the reality, and shares the feelings with family and friends, will he or she be able to calm down and cooperate with the doctor in treatment.
The third stage: aggression and resentment
When going through the anxiety and denial stage, this is the time when she feels that the big picture of her cancer is settled and accepts the reality after a lot of mental struggle. She thinks of coming to the end of her life when she is still young, of her parents, of her family not being able to stay with her for a long time, of not being able to lose her job, of the blow to her family’s income, of her many ideals not being realized yet. It was painful, why me? Why is it happening to me? Other people are healthy, working, studying and living, while I am only in the hospital bed. Patients will lose their temper and look at everything in a bad way. At this time, family and friends should be more understanding and doctors should be more understanding and communicate. Patients should also pay attention to their own behavior and exercise a little restraint so as not to damage their defense system.
The fourth stage: disappointment and struggle
When patients go through a series of treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc., or experience a long time of changing medication, inaccurate efficacy or fluctuating disease, they will feel hopeless about their future and lose confidence in life. Long-term illness review, etc., the guilt of accompanying family members and financial worries inevitably lead to negative emotions of disappointment, depression, frustration and loneliness. Despite the active treatment plan of doctors and the company of family members, patients still have complicated feelings, on the one hand, they gather courage to fight against the disease, on the other hand, they are at a loss and struggle with despair.
The fifth stage: obsession with death and acceptance of death
For death, when everyone is healthy, they never think about it and don’t want to face it. However, cancer patients will soon have to face or have to face this problem. Some people think of the life and death with their loved ones, some think of the panic and desolation of being alone towards death, and some feel defeated in the battle with death and have to accept it. Many people are able to accept the advice of family members and the comfort of doctors, climb out of despair, regain confidence in life, do not complain about God, do not give up on themselves, no longer fear death, live with a calm mind and look forward to the miracle.
II. Self-psychological salvation of breast cancer patients
(I) Personal aspect
Deepen the understanding of the disease, communicate with the doctor, cooperate with the treatment plan actively, and trust the doctor is the prerequisite.
(2) Psychological aspect
Communicate more with family and friends, listen to their positive advice, look for the positive and sunny side, mind determines emotion, emotion affects disease. Know how to adjust your emotions.
The following is the ABC theory of rational emotion therapy by Albert Ellis (Ellis), a famous American psychologist in psychology.
A is the cause of the matter
B is the view of the matter, explanation
C the consequences of their own emotions and behavior
Psychologists believe that it is because we often have some unreasonable beliefs that cause us to produce emotional distress, and if these unreasonable beliefs exist over time, causing physical and mental illness.
A is finding out that she has breast cancer.
B’s view on this matter can be different for everyone, different views, causing different emotions. Some people are cheerful and optimistic to face it correctly, participate in outdoor activities, make friends and enjoy themselves. Some people think about facing the matter of death every day, painful, causing emotional barriers to themselves.
C thoughts cause consequences.
Usually people think that it is A that causes C. In fact, A is only an indirect cause, while B (the attitude and interpretation people hold about the matter of breast cancer), is what causes the person’s emotion and the cause behind.
Different B (your view on breast cancer, your emotions and thoughts change, change your thinking, there is a saying: death is the best gift from God to human beings. Everyone has to face it, live actively in the present and be happy every day).
Third, socially participate in some activities of anti-cancer association, or find some sisters with common experience to discuss and exchange.