CANCER BREAST\FINDING SUPPORT: RELIGIOUS RESOURCES
All over the world, when the trauma of serious illness strikes, many people instinctively turn first for guidance and solace to their own religious group, whether the traditional, institutional type, or some newer, hybridized variety. If you are a member of a church, mosque, or synagogue, you will probably seek the counsel of your own clergy, with whom you already have had a prior relationship. Many, if not most, professional clergy have had training in the area of pastoral counseling and will know how to listen to your fears and concerns and/or those of your husband, partner, or close friend. What both of you want is to be reassured that your feelings of confusion, anxiety, anger, and terror constitute a normal, usual response at this time. Your clergy member will want to reassure you and may also feel the need to tell you that everything will be all right. Please note that although on one level you want desperately to be told that, indeed, everything will be all right, on another level, you will be suspicious of such a message, since you know that no human being—clergy or physician—can truly guarantee this.
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