This book is for cancer survivors: those in treatment and those who have completed treatment and are wondering what to do next. Both would benefit from a support group that is grounded in healing themes, mindful meditations, and community.

Writing and Healing: A Mindful Guide for Cancer Survivors (with accompanying CD) serves as a guide for support groups in using expressive writing as a therapeutic experience. The sessions in the book help to release stress and encourage positive feelings, offering a way to support treatment and move forward after treatment. The book is also full of stories, drawings, and vignettes, inspiring survivors to explore their own healing path.

Within the book is a step-by-step guide enabling others (such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, or ministers) to lead these groups. This includes ways to gather the creative materials and instructions on how to lead the opening, closing and exercises of the twelve sessions. Alternatively, cancer survivors may prefer to gather on their own and take turns leading the group. For those who want to use the book on their own, Writing and Healing also includes a CD of the meditations and suggestions for how to follow the exercises on one’s own.

The twelve sessions in this book are full of cleansing and hope, and the sort of writing, sharing, and listening which occurs is a strengthening act.