Index of contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: David's Story

• The problem child
• Happy birthday David
• Epiphany on the mountain
• The long-term non-progressor
• The prodigal son returns
• PNI and you

Chapter 2: What is PNI?

• Psychosomatics
• The emergence of PNI
• Your body
• Cells and chemicals
• The immune system
• The mind-body connection
• The basic finding of PNI
• What PNI is not
• Can psychological factors affect the immune system?
• Passive and active applied PNI methods

Chapter 3: Mind-Body Connections

• Some important terms and definitions
• The 'P' part of PNI = psycho (mind)
• The 'N' part of PNI = neuro (brain)
• The endocrine system of glands and hormones
• The 'I' part of PNI = immunology
• Autoimmune and suppressed immune system illnesses
• The role of hormones in immune functioning
• Connecting the dots: P + N + I = PNI
• The SAM system - fight or flight
• The HPAC system - 'I am wounded'
• Internal or external threats and wounds
• Perception of control
• Short-term versus long-term stress

Chapter 4: Where do I start?

• Become informed about your disease
• Category 1: Suppressed immune system illnesses
• Cancer
• HIV/AIDS
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
• Category 2: Autoimmune diseases
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Theumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE)
• Your relationship with your doctor
• Complementary treatments
• The Placebo Effect
• Nutrition
• Conclusions

Chapter 5: Small things that matter

• How 'special' do you have to be?
• Be a rebel
• Illness is not a punishment
• Response-ability: 'Yes, I can!'
• Assignment 1: Building Internal Confidence
• Personality Hardiness
• Assignment 2: Challenge
• Assignment 3: Commitment
• Assignment 4: Control
• Assignment 5: Building hardiness

Chapter 6: Life: Why bother?

• Good and bad motivation
• Towards & Away from motivation
• A compelling future
• Exercise: what you don't want, What you do want in your life
• Assignment 1:
• Step 1: Increase the simple pleasures in your life
• Step 2: Find beauty where you are
• Step 3: Let something go, and let something new in
• Step 4: Get your affairs in order
• Step 5: Now, what do you want?
• Is it what you want, or is it what you don't want?
• How specific is your goal?
• Step 6: Be prepared for criticism (from yourself and others)
• Step 7: Action!
• Step 8: Make space in your life for what you want
• Step 9: Confront your doubts and fears
• Assignment 2: A letter from the future

Chapter 7: Releasing stress from your past

• The 20-second dip
• The reticular activating system (RAS)
• Links with the past
• Associations: the past is a package deal
• Chronic Stress
• Good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress)
• The two-year loss-to-symptom syndrome
• Low-grade chronic stress
• Where to look for trigger events
• Identifying loss events
• Loss assessment: The major stressful events of your life
• Your pregnancies and fertility, births of your children
• Your childhood
• Death of loved ones and others
• Pain caused to your loved ones
• Violence towards, and violation of, your body
• Pain through social agents
• Work-Career-Ambitions
• Finances
• Friendships
• Intimate relationships and sexuality
• Education and Ambitions
• Health and Accidents
• Assignment: Releasing decisions made during loss events

Chapter 8: Effective and ineffective coping methods

• How should people support you?
• Your coping habits (Shadows Assessment)
• What is more important: To be 'right' or happy and healthy?
• Assignments for each Shadow

Chapter 9: Dealing with fear

• The power of confronting fear
• Types of fear
• The biological mechanism behind fear
• Common sense required
• The illusion of safety
• Levels of fear
• Assignment 1: Confront your fears of death and dying
• The confronting of fears method
• Assignment 2: Confront your Shadow fears
• Fears concernign illness
• Assignment 3: Deal with fears concerning your illness
• Fears concerning getting well again
• Assignment 4: Square analysis
• Assignment 5: Fears of being sick and well
• Fears related to necessary changes
• Additional suggestions

Chapter 10: Get it out of your body!

• What are emotions?
• DO something with your emotions!
• Suppressing emotions
• The price of being 'nice'
• The fear behind being 'nice'
• Escape from the 'nice' trap
• Dumping (or releasing) emotions
• Guidelines fore dumping emotions safely
• When you really have to say it to someone
• Assignment 1: Emotional honesty
• Assignment 2: Body Awareness
• Assignment 3: Dump some anger
• Assignment 4: Clear close relationships
• Assignment 5: Process Shadow emotions

Chapter 11: A little talk might help ...

• A dialogue with youre disease
• Writing to Mr Cancer
• Assignment: Talk to it

Chapter 12: Personal stories

• Doug - Cancer
• Sharron - Chronic Fatigue

Bibliography