Terrain Ten Highlight: Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

One of the most foundational pillars within the Terrain Ten of the Metabolic Approach to Cancer is mental and emotional well-being. Emotional health profoundly influences the body’s ability to heal, respond to treatment, and maintain lasting wellness.

Trauma, chronic stress, adversity, emotional awareness, and mindset all shape our physiology and our capacity for healing. Unfortunately, this aspect of health is often overlooked or minimized—by both patients and their medical teams. In my oncology practice, I have seen again and again how vital it is to healing cancer and bringing the body into balance. Emotional well-being can be the very factor that shifts someone from a disease state into healing—or the very thing that blocks that healing.

Mental and emotional stress don’t just stay in the mind; they manifest physically. Our bodies "listen" to our thoughts and feelings and respond accordingly. Often, the body believes it’s protecting us by focusing on the perceived threat or stressor. But chronic emotional stress weakens the immune system and fuels inflammation—both of which can contribute to the progression of cancer.

If you want to dive deeper into how the mind influences the body and its biology, I highly recommend these books:

• The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton

• Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

• The Biology of Trauma by Amy Apigian

  
  

So how do we approach this area of healing?

The first step is identifying where imbalances may lie. Emotional stress often shows up in blood labs, symptom patterns, and health histories. Tools like the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Score can shed light on early life trauma. Other useful assessments include personality and love language tests, heart rate variability (HRV) testing, adrenal function testing (through hormones or functional exams), and more.

Sometimes, where cancer or illness manifests in the body can offer emotional insight. For example:

• Right side issues may be linked to male figures, fatherhood, or children.

• Left side issues may be associated with femininity, the mother, nurturing, or sexuality.

Traditional Chinese Medicine also connects specific organs with particular emotional states:

• Liver – anger, depression, irritability, repressed emotion

• Lungs & Large Intestine – grief, sorrow, unresolved loss

• Kidneys & Bladder – fear & anxiety

• Heart – overexcitement, mania, emotional intensity

Community and connection are equally vital to our health and well being. Emotional health thrives in supportive relationships. On the flip side, loneliness and isolation can increase the risk of cancer or chronic illness.

Tools for Emotional Healing

There are many ways to restore emotional balance and support healing. Some effective approaches include:

• Mindfulness and meditation – to calm the nervous system

• Tapping (EFT) – to release emotional blocks &

  calm the nervous system

• Humming or singing – to improve vagal tone

• Family Constellations – to resolve hidden relational dynamics

• Music therapy & dance – to process and express emotions

• Volunteerism or gratitude practices – to cultivate joy and fulfillment

• Acupuncture, energy work, massage, hugs, and intimacy – to boost oxytocin and support well-being

• Trauma-informed therapy, journaling, and support groups – for safe emotional processing

• Time in Nature- to calm the nervous system and reduces stress

  
  

While emotional healing may be the most difficult—and often the most confronting—part of the Terrain Ten, it is absolutely essential. We cannot separate the mind from the body. They are in constant dialogue, and true healing comes when we address both.