‘The HEARTS process’ by Ann Carter and Peter Mackereth

A brand new book outlining a process to help cancer patients achieve a state of relaxation and calm has been launched at a special event at St Ann’s Hospice.

By News Team on August 13, 2019

Peter Mackereth, Tina Dennett, Ann Carter and Jonathan Benevides at the HEARTS book launch event

‘Combining Touch and Relaxation Skills for Cancer Care: The HEARTS process’, by Ann Carter and Peter Mackereth, outlines ways in which patients, health care professionals, complementary therapists and carers can develop an understanding of touch, aromas and the sound of the human voice to aid relaxation and reduce anxiety.

The HEARTS Process is one I developed more than a decade ago whilst working at The Neil Cliffe Centre. HEARTS – which stands for Hands-on, Empathy, Aromas, Relaxation, Textures and Sound, is a therapeutic approach in which I’ve been training other therapists for several years. I wrote the book with my co-author Peter Mackereth, and we hope that its publication will lead to even more patients benefiting from its approach. Relaxation and calm is so incredibly important when it comes to the wellbeing of people with a life-limiting illness such as cancer, and the book outlines simple steps that can be followed to help patients and carers achieve just that. Ann Carter

Ann has trained therapists in the UK and Ireland to run courses for their colleagues and other therapists and help to increase awareness of the process.  Practitioners are also working with patients in Holland, Norway and as far afield as Hong Kong to educate them in how HEARTS could benefit them.

The book was launched at a special event at St Ann’s Hospice’s in Heald Green.

It seemed fitting that the launch was held at St Ann’s, especially as the process was actually developed with local patients in their Neil Cliffe Centre site at Wythenshawe Hospital. It was a pleasure to see so many health care professionals gathered together to find out more about the book and ways in which HEARTS might help their patients. Huge thanks to everyone who came along. Ann Carter

The book is published by Singing Dragon, and can be purchased by visiting www.singingdragon.com