Healing Is Possible

A memoir of a Buddhist teacher’s recovery from Stage IV cancer, sharing the mindfulness practices that helped him most

Diagnosed with Stage IV lymphoma, Buddhist monk Jem Fredhamn, then known as Brother Phap Ho (True Dharma Wisdom), let go of his monastic aspirations and returned to lay life expecting to die. Practicing the mindful breathing he learned as a monk to calm his emotions, he found unexpected paths to healing, and cancer became his ultimate spiritual teacher.

During his tense and frightening cancer treatment journey, Fredhamn shares how mindfulness meditation helped him overcome fear and suffering and weaves in the practices that accompanied him while receiving chemotherapy. He integrates Western medicine with Eastern health modalities such as Qi Gong, and offers various breathing practices that can help calm stress and build greater energy and vitality.

Writing this book to help others with their fear and suffering when facing a potentially terminal illness, Fredhamn’s voice is less that of a mindfulness teacher than a friend and companion offering the insight of his own experience. Even in advanced cancer cases, being lovingly aware of one’s suffering through mindful breathing is beneficial for both spirit and body. His story is testimony that healing is possible.