(from the discontinued RET Forum)
A study, presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona, is the first to examine post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time in adolescent children of cancer patients.
One of the most important findings of the study concerned how aware parents were of the magnitude of the effect the cancer had on their children. Healthcare professionals should be made aware of the prevalence of PTSS in children of a parent with cancer, Huizinga said, adding that parents, particularly the spouses of the cancer patients, may benefit from information on children’s reactions and how to seek professional help, if necessary.
My Conclusions
As an RET technician, when I become aware my client has been diagnosed with cancer, I advise them that, based on the study above, their children are at risk of developing significant PTSS (Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms) – and that it might help my client’s healing process if their children, particularly adolescent children, come in to get RET, too. Post Traumatic Stress is systemic in that if one person in a family exhibits symptoms of post traumatic stress, everyone in the family is affected directly. When something traumatic occurs to one family member, all family members are affected directly. And so, I figure all family members would do well to heal the family system with RET.