I had the privilege of interviewing Wayne Dyer following his cancer diagnosis several years ago. Here is the article I wrote following the interview. As you know he was an extraordinary human being and took every struggle in his life as an opportunity for growth and spiritual advancement. Cancer was no exception! You likely know that Wayne passed away last spring but the autopsy showed no sign of cancer in his body! The article gives us some insights into how he viewed and healed from his cancer.
“I never use words like kill or attack or fight or win when it comes to cancer.” Wayne Dyer explains his shift from initial disbelief; to a place of deep love that affects the way he lives his life everyday.
A few years ago Wayne Dyer, the internationally known author, motivational speaker and spiritual guru was told he had cancer. He has CLL - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, which is a cancer of the white blood cells. There is no cure for this type of cancer and no treatment is suggested for early stage diagnosis, which is basically followed using a ‘watch and wait’ approach. For those of you who know a bit about Dr. Dyer you know that he is not a likely candidate for cancer. He exercises for at least two hours a day (including yoga, hiking, swimming in the ocean and walking), meditates everyday, watches what he eats and over the years has been reaching ever-higher levels of consciousness. So how is it that he got cancer?
I was fortunate to be able to speak with Dr. Dyer last week about his cancer experience. He shared with me some very personal and inspiring thoughts regarding his journey. My own feeling is that part of the reason he got cancer is to help the world establish new ways of viewing and healing from cancer.
“My first reaction was, you better check again because I don’t do Leukemia.”
After the initial shock, Dr. Dyer said that within a day he was treating it like every other setback in his life. He believes that every big spiritual advance in life is preceded by some kind of fall or struggle. The low moments provide us with the energy and a new perspective to help propel us to a higher place. It is this fundamental belief that helped him move quickly to a state of acceptance, free from the normal reaction of anger, frustration and questioning - ‘why is this happening to me?’. Dr. Dyer says that he never uses words like fight or attack because he believes that everything we fight weakens us and everything we support empowers us.
Dr. Dyer has faith that, on some level, cancer is the healing response of the body. In certain cases, the body may need to heal on a deep emotional or energy plane. In his case, he has been told that the healing is related to deep psychological trauma experienced as a result of feeling like he has failed in relationships in his life. He freely admits to experiencing many difficult relationships in his life; with both his mother and father that abandoned him and with his three ex-wives. He claims that he was on the same vibrational frequency as his cancer and, I suspect these difficult experiences may have had some influence on that. Fortunately, our energy frequency is constantly changing based on how we think, feel and act. Also, as we move towards higher levels of consciousness and experience our true essence, our vibrational state can shift.
“I am well. I am perfect health.” 
Part of Dr. Dyer’s daily practice is the repetition of these two mantras. For mantras to become powerful healing tools, you have to truly believe in them and assume the feelings of the desired end-state before it has materialized. For him, these words are based on a deep-seated belief that the body has perfect wisdom, the body knows what to do. His advice is to trust and believe in the invisible, infinite healing power of the body.
Fundamentally, he suggests that we need to change our concept of our self. To do this involves letting go of any inner dialogue like; I am depressed, I am weak, I am sick and replacing it with your own desired, future state. This becomes your personal mantra and affects your feelings, energy and actions.
Having taught the art of manifesting for years he believes that the same principles can be used to help people heal. The general premise is to put your attention on what you intend to create and live from there. Living from there, means not only at an intellectual level but more importantly at the level of feeling. You need to bring the feelings of your wishes come true into your energy field. This helps change your energy or vibrational frequency and subsequently facilitates healing at the level of the physical body. The good news is you don’t have to understand how it works for it to work!
At the same time, he invites us to remember that we are not our physical body. At our core, our essence is pure love. To truly heal, we need to recognize our own magnificence and live from a place where we feel our own infinite resourcefulness.
One of the major changes Dr. Dyer talks about on his cancer healing journey is the awakening of the desire to serve, to be more loving and generous, without the ego related needs of being thanked or appreciated. He describes it as “letting the divine grow within you”. From this place, forgiveness becomes automatic and serving becomes more important than what you receive. His focus has shifted to how he can serve people in his everyday life, from a neighbour he meets on the street to a stranger in need of some advice. By increasing the attention he gives to these random acts of kindness Dr. Dyer has discovered newfound joy and feelings of abundant energy in his life.
After his diagnosis he said he slowed down for a while and felt tired. Now he is back on his daily routine of exercise, meditation and spreading love. Living with cancer for him means living from a place of pure, unconditional love and gratitude. This new perspective is a big part of what Dr. Dyer feels his cancer has brought him and what he can now share with the world. Pure love is likely his most powerful healing tool and he claims he looks and, more importantly, feels better than he ever has.
“We have infinite possibilities and all we have to do is remember that.”