Breast cancer is one diagnosis no one wants to hear. Not the woman, not her family, not her friends. The word breast cancer strikes fear into the strongest heart. It is a tragic history that breast cancer sufferers face. It is that the diagnosis attacks the most visible and basic of our concepts of self. What is clear is that when the world abruptly leaves a woman facing this perilous physical threat, she needs the faith and breast cancer encouragement from her family, friends, and community as much as she needs modern medicine. She often needs psychotherapy to help cope with the after-effects of her mental health and cancer.
Many people are familiar with the concept of faith healing through religious practices, such as in Jesus’ healing of the blind, the lame, and lepers. Islam, too, has a form of faith healing known as Ruqyah. Buddhism preaches that a balance between a healthy mind and body provides a pathway to healing.
People in various cultures believe that traditional faith healers were chosen by their creator to heal the sick through prayer or by making signs of religious symbols over the affected body part. In some modern churches, faith healers lay hands to facilitate the healing of parishioners. Christians also offer prayers for the healing of other people.
Studies show that faith and breast cancer encouragement improve a patient’s general health, help them function better, and alleviate breast cancer symptoms. At the very least, faith can help lighten a patient’s mood and improve fatigue.
How Faith Healing Helps Breast Cancer Sufferers
A serious diagnosis, such as breast cancer, leaves patients feeling more vulnerable than at any other time in their lives. The patient is in unfamiliar emotional territory. Patients worried about mental health and cancer seek stability and solid support in a very wobbly world. Faith healing provides comfort and solace that a person’s mental health and cancer will turn out ok.
Patients facing a severe diagnosis often have heightened sensory perceptions about life in general and about the evils of serious illness. Faith, in a sense, restores perspective by reminding patients, in a historical context, that other people have faced adversity and overcome frightening, sometimes overwhelming odds.
Prayer itself offers comfort, consolation, and secures a connection to others. Prayer circles are one way a community offers prayer for ailing members. Familiar prayers take our memories back to childhood, to families, and memories of other long-standing relationships. Prayer reminds patients of the impressive healing powers experienced by others and the great mysteries embedded in the familiar faith precepts.
The faith community is a powerful ally in the fight against breast cancer. The faith community surrounds the patient with people who care about them. Faith leaders confirm the patient’s understanding that the creator cares about them. Breast cancer patients experience comfort through prayers and meaningful rituals designed by their religious practices for those suffering illness.
Hope During Breast Cancer
Breast cancer patients find hope during breast cancer in the following ways:
- Keeping up with medical advances in treatment
- Practicing self-care (eating right, sleeping regularly, exercising regularly, getting outside for fresh air
- Setting future goals beyond treatment
- Relying on the support network of family and friends, in not withdrawing
- Connecting with the faith community
- Connecting with groups who can provide emotional support and practical information
- Keeping up on the latest ways to manage the disease and improve quality of life.
The above practices combine faith and breast cancer encouragement to sustain the self through a turbulent time and keep focus on the future.
Mental Health and Breast Cancer
Breast cancer treatments require fortitude of spirit as well as body strength. After the treatment ends, it is time for the patient to live life after treatment. It is time to decide what that life will be like.
Sadly, many breast cancer survivors feel lost and alone. They may struggle with an uncertain future and fears of recurrence of the illness they just conquered. Breast cancer survivors need to understand they are not alone. They need reassurance that others have not only come through the process, but they have also thrived.
Several reasons exist for the cause of the uncertainty and fear after treatment ends:
- Life’s structure suddenly changes – again. While treatments were ongoing, life had a definite structure comprised of appointments, treatments, surrounded by medical personnel, and the setting of goals for each stage of treatment. When treatment ends, survivors may feel abandoned, unmoored, or set off course.
- Ongoing worries about health. Survivors may still have residual physical issues or emotional trauma from cancer or from the treatment that needs to be proactively addressed by mental health professionals.
Strong mental health shapes breast cancer recovery. Cancer survivors must address mental health issues with the same vigor that they faced the physical cancer treatments. Strong mental health can help the cancer survivor heal by:
- Resilience – strong mental health helps survivors face whatever challenges may come their way in the future.
- Physical Healing – if survivors reduce stress levels, it can help the body heal.
- Relationships – emotional healing can improve personal relationships with family/friends.
- Empowerment – facing emotional struggles head-on breeds self-confidence that the patient has self-control over life.
Finding the Best Therapist for Your Journey
Each breast cancer patient must diligently research and identify the best therapist who will secure their emotional well-being throughout the cancer diagnosis and treatment. Each cancer patient’s story is unique. Therefore, it is imperative to find a therapist who tailors treatment plans to meet the specific needs and mental health goals of the individual.
Refinery Counseling Services, LLC (RCS), founded in 2020, is proud of its woman-minority-veteran-owned professional status. Our licensed therapists, who have years of experience in clinical therapy, form the backbone of this premier private psychotherapy practice here in Georgia.
Our counselors support the mission to provide compassionate care to everyone in our care and to engage the appropriate community for each client. Our stated mission is to empower every client to grow into the best version of themselves that they can be and to heal their mental health at their own pace. Our therapists commit to supporting each client in their mental health journey and to aligning them with the resources they need to succeed.
RCS provides a wide selection of services, such as:
- Individual psychotherapy – popularly known as talk therapy
- Group psychotherapy – a small number of clients meet to share their personal experiences on a specific topic and learn from each other
- Family therapy – strives to bring family relationships back into harmony
- Child and adolescent therapy – supporting young minds traumatized by violence or sexual assault
- Couples therapy – sorting out divisions in fractured romantic partnerships
RCS therapists provide emotional support in the mental health journey for patients dealing with the following mental health challenges:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief counseling
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Stresses related to cancer diagnosis and subsequent losses
- Suicide survivor support
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) emotional distress
- Veteran post-service mental health issues, such as re-entry into civilian life, combat trauma, and sexual trauma
We Have Your Back in the Cancer Health Battle
Rest assured that RCS is on your side in your health journey. We make it easy to reach out to us at your convenience by contacting us today. Our friendly and efficient staff will gladly schedule a free, initial consultation for you with one of our experienced psychotherapists.
During the initial consultation, your counselor will assess your current mental health, review your personal history, and ask you to describe the most important needs and goals for your unique mental health journey. Your counselor will gladly answer any questions you may have about your therapist’s educational level, the counselor’s clinical experience, or questions about session scheduling and payment arrangements.
RCS counselors want to make you comfortable with the practice’s atmosphere and the counselor’s personality and style. We also want you to trust the safe space we create for you, intended to make you comfortable in sharing your sensitive information and personal goals.
Before the initial consultation, we suggest you take some time to reflect on the type of mental health services you think you need. Think about the kind of environment that makes you comfortable. Identify the goals you want to achieve and the pace at which you want to accomplish those goals. If at any point you become uncomfortable with our services, you are free to find another therapist.
Before you start your mental health journey, we invite you to read our September 4, 2025, article entitled “Faith, Mental Health, and Suicide: Where God Meets the Struggle.”
For Additional Reading
You may also want to read our August 28, 2025, article entitled “Grief and Grace: Supporting Yourself Through the Long Road of Healing.” We invite you to look for other articles of interest as well on our website’s Refined by Grace blog.
We hope to hear from you soon. We look forward to showing you how RCS can help you be successful in your mental health journey.
