Oncologist Dr. Rob Rutledge reviewed the book Radical Remissions: Surviving cancer against all odds by Kelly Turner, PhD, and the nine key attitudes and behaviours found in people who have undergone a spontaneous remission. Though not promising a cure, Dr. Rutledge shows there is much wisdom in adopting this proactive approach to a cancer diagnosis which can profoundly improve one’s health and happiness.

1. Radical Remissions: What we can learn from
remarkable cancer survivors about how to live
Dr. Rob Rutledge, Oncologist
Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
HealingandCancer.org

2. Goals of people who have been given
a cancer diagnosis
• Maximize the chance of recovery
• Feel better emotionally
• Think more clearly and function better

3. What is Complete Cancer Care?
(Integrative medicine)
• Understanding what’s happening
• Getting the best from the medical system
• Empowering body with healthy lifestyle
– Exercise, diet, maintaining reasonable weight,
sleep, relaxation techniques
• Healing skills – level of the mind
• Nurturing a spiritual life / perspective

4. Sources of Wisdom
• Bernie Siegel, MD
– Love, Medicine and Miracles
• Alastair Cunningham, PhD
– Can the mind heal cancer?
• Hal Gunn, MD
– InspireHealth.ca
• Kelly Turner, PhD
– Radical Remissions

6. 9 Key Factors shared by
Radical Remission Survivors
• Having a strong reason for living
• Taking control of your health
• Following your intuition
• Radical change in diet
• Use of herbs and supplements
• Releasing suppressed emotions
• Promoting positive emotions
• Embracing social support
• Deepening spiritual connection

7. The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People
Foster and Hicks
• Intention: they commit to being happy
• Accountability: they assume personal responsibility for their lives,
refusing to blame others
• Identification: they identify what makes them happy, not what
others tell them should make them happy
• Centrality: they make what brings them happiness central in their
lives
• Recasting: they transform stressful problems and trauma into
something meaningful and important
• Options: they are open to new possibilities
• Appreciation: they choose to deeply appreciate their lives,
experiences, and other people
• Giving: they share themselves without expectation of return
• Truthfulness: they choose to be honest with themselves and others

8. Set your Intention to Heal
• In preparation of going into any situation:
– How do you want to be in the world?
– What do you hope of yourself?
• What’s your intention for this presentation?

11. Healing Journey Program Framework

12. Title
Text

13. Alastair Cunningham’s 3A’s of
remarkable cancer survivors
• Autonomy
• Authenticity
• Acceptance
• (4th A = Action)

14. Healing Factor #2
Taking control of your health

15. Predicted and Observed Survival in
low, int. and high involvement patients
Controls
(diamonds)
on right

16. High Involvement Mentality
• “I find self-exploration really exciting . . . There is true
joy in this process along with the challenges. I welcome
the challenge, as this is where the change takes place.”
• “I do my relaxation exercises prior to my meditation /
prayer / imaging sessions, which I do each morning . .
..I have also started doing a tai chi routine at various
intervals during the day.”
• “Spiritual oneness stays with me. Anything that isn’t
done with love feels like an insult to everything. I have
deep feelings of reverence. Right now I feel better than
ever in my life.”

17. Meditation is Valuable
• “Now when I can quiet my mind and I meditate
and I’m still, what comes through is more
direction, peacefulness, a feeling of love. That
inner space is very valuable to me. I think that’s
where I connect with what’s beyond myself.”

18. Healing Factor #3
Following your intuition

19. Change the soup!
• Healing Factor #4 – Radical change in diet
• Healing Factor #5 – Herbs and supplements
– No one supplement is common in remarkable
survivors
• Healing Factor #10 – Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

22. Founders Drs. Roger Rogers and Hal Gunn

23. Emotional Healing
• Healing Factor #6 – Releasing suppressed emotions
• Healing Factor #7 – Promoting positive emotions

25. Healing Factor #8
Embracing Social Support

26. Healing Factor #9
Deepening Spiritual Connection

29. HealingandCancer.org
QUESTIONS
Dr. Rob Rutledge
info@HealingandCancer.org
www.HealingandCancer.org

30. Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
Contact Info
Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
1750 Courtwood Crescent, Suite 210
Ottawa, ON K2C 2B5
Telephone / Téléphone : 613-898-1871
E-mail jmanthorne@survivornet.ca or mforrest@survivornet.ca
Web site www.survivornet.ca
Instagram: @survivornet_ca
Twitter: @survivornetca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CanadianSurvivorNet
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/survivornetwork/