Particularly, when others expect ‘life to go back to normal’ now that the ‘treatment is over’ and you are ‘cured’. Our experienced teachers of this specialised 8-week Mindfulness for Cancer course have heard these stereotypical phrases many times. Participants have shared how undermining and insensitive they can be, even though they are often meant as well-meaning.

“I was heading to a stressful place due to the workload and the course was very timely and massively helpful in reframing and being with potentially catastrophising thoughts.”

Life will never be the same again. Living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis, is a new reality. Connecting with others, who are not family and friends, provides a safe and supportive space to explore the impact emotionally, physically and cognitively (thoughts). Mindfulness allows us to do this in a non-invasive way: this is not counselling; this is a skills-based course.

“I now feel I have a better range of tools to deal with strong emotions, particularly negative ones like stress, frustration and anger.”

What am I committing to?

An 8-week Mindfulness course is not a light undertaking but the rewards can be life-changing.

“The course has been transformative. I feel much better equipped to use the techniques that help me be ‘present’ and change patterns of thinking that are unhelpful or negative in some way. It is something that I feel will be part of me and my life from now on. Thank you so much.”

Committing to two-and-a-half-hour sessions, once a week, for 8 weeks requires dedication. Add to this the requirement of completing 30 minutes of home practice over these 56 days, the task becomes considerable. However, the rewards can be life-changing.

Mindfulness for Cancer – Course Content

Week 1 Automatic Pilot
Week 2 Dealing with Barriers
Week 3 Befriending the Breath and Body in Movement
Week 4 Learning to Respond
Week 5 Gently Being with the Difficult
Week 6 Thoughts are not Facts
Week 7 Taking Care of Ourselves
Week 8 Going Beyond Fear

“It has made it easier for me to stay focused on the present moment and calm down when difficult feelings arise.”

When is a good time for me to do the course?

Past participants have sometimes expressed regret when dropping out of a course. Typically, this is because of hospital appointments, side-effects of ongoing treatments including fatigue or brain fog that can make it very difficult to attend or focus during sessions.

Accordingly, the time when in-hospital appointments have ceased and medication has either finished or does not impact on ability to focus, is the best time to take the course. With 4 online and 4 in-person courses spread across 2024, there are many options available.

“Mindfulness has given me the tools I needed to deal with the negative thoughts that crowded my mind. I can now enjoy the present and take time to appreciate all that is positive in my life.”

Am I eligible for this free course?

NCIM are able to offer this course for free thanks to a Cost of Living Grant that we were awarded.

The grant stipulates that we can work with communities living within a BS postcode, which covers Bristol City, North Somerset (including Weston-Super-Mare, Axbridge, Banwell, Cheddar, Clevedon, Wedmore, Winscombe), and South Gloucestershire.

For the online courses, we are able to offer a free space to anyone living within England (not Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland).

As part of the enrolment process, we will need to gather data that the participants have been impacted financially by the cost of living crisis. These are non-intrusive self-declaration questions we ask you to answer.

If you feel you do not meet these criteria, please do register your interest nonetheless. Two weeks prior to the start of the course any remaining places may be allocated to those who do not meet the criteria. We would much rather see places occupied than going to waste!

Questions, more information and how to register my interest

To find out more information, or to register your interest, please contact our enquiries team on enquiries@ncim.org.uk, or call 0117 370 1875.

You can also register your interest by pressing the BOOK NOW button at the top of the page.

Prior to the course, all participants will have a 45-minute pre-course meeting with one of our teachers. This is to explore how this course can best help you and to check it is a safe time for you to commit to it.

If you would like to speak with our teaching team ahead of registering for a place to better understand your situation or ask any questions – please do get in touch. No question is a silly question!

Course Tutor 

Chris Barker
NCIM Mindfulness for Wellbeing Lead

Chris is a registered Mindfulness Teacher who graduated from The University of Exeter in 2020. He leads Mindfulness at NCIM as well as a national group supporting Mindfulness for Cancer teachers. His main Mindfulness work is with those living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. This includes family / carers also impacted by the diagnosis. Originally a PE teacher, Chris discovered in 2012 how transformative mindfulness can be when he was a stressed Head of Department in a large secondary school. Seeing how much it had changed his life he now teaches school children mindfulness and leads international training courses for other schoolteachers to do likewise. Chris has undertaken further training through Oxford University and the Mindful Eating Training Institute in California. This includes ‘Mindful Eating’ for those who experience yo-yo dieting or emotional / binge eating episodes as well as courses aimed at the over 55’s who want to shift from languishing to flourishing in later life.