One-Day Cancer Education Workshop

Harmony Hill's cancer programs are provided at NO COST to participants. The "Thriving" one day workshops focus on special issues around living fully despite the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges of cancer. They were designed in response to requests made by participants who had attended our core Harmony Hill cancer programs, but who wished to experience additional topic specific workshops, but they are now open to those who have not attended a previous retreat as well. As each offering is unique, qualified individuals can register for as many of these workshops as they wish in a calendar year.

We recommend to registrants that they participate in at least one of our core offerings (Tools for the Journey, or an extended cancer retreat) prior to attending these workshops. However, if you have not had the opportunity to participate in a Tools workshop or extended retreat, but one or more of these topics resonate with you, we welcome you to register.

The workshops are held at Harmony Hill's twelve-acre facility on Hood Canal, offering a tranquil retreat environment of gardens, nature trails, and spectacular mountain and water views.

Our cancer program is designed to serve as a supportive adjunct to medical treatment, and does not provide medical care.

Many cancer caregivers experience serious health conditions as a result of their nonstop caregiving responsibilities. This one-day workshop will address the challenges of caring for a loved one with cancer while maintaining your own health and well-being. Participants will receive support, empowerment and practical skills in a caring, nurturing environment. With an enhanced understanding of your particular challenges, and new knowledge of resources and tools, you will be able to provide better care for your loved one with cancer, yourself, and your family.

This is one of our "Thriving beyond Cancer" series of one-day programs offered in response to requests by those who have attended a Harmony Hill cancer program. It is open on a space-available basis to all those who are caregivers for those living with cancer.
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A diagnosis of cancer can create trauma and an avalanche of emotions and feelings that can sweep a person away. This workshop is designed to create a safe place: a place for grounding, a place to share one’s story, a place to open to one’s sensations, feelings and emotions, a place to explore ways of expressing all our experience, even those that words cannot reach. It is also designed for each person to carry away with them skills and tools for responding to feelings and emotions.

This workshop is for healing, and a large part of healing is about living fully, which means that we feel and express the whole spectrum of emotions from joy to sadness, from fear to love and beyond.

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In healing the trauma of cancer "Expression" in its many forms is an important tool and resource. This one-day workshop will play with various shapes of expression, from gentle movement (Qigong) to sound, to story, to creating simple materials. This workshop is not about making an art project or performing, but about exploring our own unique ways of sharing; and in our "expression" finding healing.
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A diagnosis of cancer brings chaos and trauma ~ a storm ~ to one's life and loved ones. With the experience of cancer there is hopefully a process of learning: moving from chaos and trying to figure out "what's happening" to survival and then beyond survival to meaning. Marion Woodman reported that cancer made her sadder and wiser ~ prepared her for death and brought her present into her life as never before. But does cancer do this for everyone?
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Cancer survivors know more than most about deep, to-the-bone emotions, thoughts and physical sensations that can come with the terrain of life-threatening illnesses.

Embracing time to share your stories and develop skills for self-expression through words, images, relaxation and labyrinth walking can enhance your life...physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Research has proven, beyond a doubt, that journaling improves immune system functioning and lowers blood pressure. The release of emotions and the enhanced connection with one's own power decreases both chronic and acute pain. Throughout this workshop, we'll explore stress reduction techniques including breathing for health and self-massage for tension and pain relief.

This workshop, developed for cancer survivors, is rich with time to create a collage of self-healing, journal about thoughts and feelings from the collage and walk Harmony Hill's labyrinth. A sacred confidential and safe space will be created for sharing stories of challenges and successes. The workshop's pace is slow and gentle with time to "be."

You'll return home with new skills developed through journaling, collage and relaxation techniques, handout material regarding research covering the health benefits of journaling and a new appreciation of your own internal resources.
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