Stress reduction is almost always beneficial and has been demonstrated to improve the body's defences. M ost physicians will have had direct experience of the incredible power of the individual to heal themselves. The application of the intellect and the will of the patient to the evolution of their treatment and its results is a positive way to respond. I n a matter so serious, most Doctors encourage the patient to be active in the management of the totality of their illness and its care. There is some variation in the style adopted by each Doctor.
Some patients prefer to be more passive than others.
Th e crucial point is to communicate your requirements, honestly. Self deception is a common human response that we have all adopted to problems at one stage or another. Your need for support and companionship will vary, both individually with time and between different individuals. Your intellect can be directed to that problem as usefully as to any other. No one else will know your requirements so well.