A Workshop on Fear, Acceptance, and What Matters Now
A cancer diagnosis can turn life upside down — not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. Many people find themselves overwhelmed by fear, uncertainty, self-blame, bewilderment at a medical system they experience as harsh, frightening and complex, and pressure to cope well or stay positive, while struggling inside.
This workshop offers a safe, grounded space for people living with cancer to explore the emotional impact of illness alongside a better understanding of medical care.
Blending medical insight with structured self-inquiry practices (The Work), the programme supports participants to gently question the thoughts and beliefs that can intensify fear and distress — without denying the reality of their illness.
Through focussed medical sessions, guided inquiry, and reflective exercises, participants are supported to:
· Understand common emotional responses after diagnosis
· Work with fear, uncertainty, loss of control and acceptance
· Reduce mental stress caused by unhelpful thought patterns
· Reconnect with a sense of self beyond diagnosis
· Better understand the complexities and shortcomings of current medical care
· Engage on a more equal footing with their healthcare professionals
This is not a promise of emotional resolution or cure. It is a practical, respectful approach to living with more self-awareness and groundedness alongside uncertainty.
Suitable for adults living with cancer at any stage, or their loved ones — newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, or in remission.
Dr Brendan O’Shea has been a General Practitioner in Co Kildare for over 30 years, providing personal medical care to individuals and their households. He has been extensively involved in both medical education and research in the area of overweight and obesity, successfully completing doctoral research on childhood obesity at Trinity College in 2015. He is Assistant Adjuvant Professor at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin, and has previously acted as Chair of the National Clinical Advisory Group of the HSE National Obesity Programme.
Dr Nadine Ferris France A regular contributor to Seminars.ie workshops, we are delighted to welcome Nadine back to give this workshop. Nadine is a Certified Facilitator of the Work of Byron Katie and holds a PhD on internal stigma and shame. She gives workshops and retreats and facilitates individuals and groups all over the world. She specialises in working with beliefs and thinking that keep us stressed or hold us back from achieving our full potential. With an unusual background in international development Nadine, originally from Dublin, spent 20 years living in the Global South, and continues working with communities on issues of stigma, HIV, gender-based violence and global health.
More about Nadine here: www.nadineferrisfrance.com
To know more about them, both Brendan and Nadine have TEDx Talks available:
The Journey from Self-stigma to Self-worth
Whose death is it anyway ? How we die matters - seven steps to a good death.
Early Bird price before 30 July €120
After 30 July €150
Student/unwaged €80