How to Harness Helpful Mindsets After Cancer
Updated: Aug 18
Updated August 2026 with additional resources from Dr Lauren Heathcote and our related podcast episode on our relationship with our body after cancer treatment.
Learn about the emerging science of mindset and how it can support emotional wellbeing after cancer treatment.
A 4-Minute Guide on How to Harness Helpful Mindsets After Cancer
In this expert-led video, Dr Lauren Heathcote (Associate Professor of Health Psychology), will discuss the emerging science of ‘mindset’ and how it can be helpful for living well after cancer.
What You'll Learn in This Video:
What mindsets are and how they differ from wishful thinking or toxic positivity.
What the science is telling us about which mindsets are helpful for life after cancer.
Practical strategies for harnessing helpful mindsets for life after cancer.
Listen to our podcast with Dr Lauren Heathcote
In our podcast, Dr Lauren Heathcote joins Steph and Stephanie Thomas to explore how cancer can change the way you see your body, and why that can shape everyday life after treatment.
Stephanie shares what it felt like when her body didn’t respond in the way she expected after treatment, including physical changes, early menopause, and the slow process of rebuilding trust in herself again.
Dr Lauren discusses research showing that many people hold two beliefs about their body at the same time - that it worked against them, and that it helped them get through cancer - and how these beliefs can shape how safe or unsettled someone feels in their body.
More from Dr Lauren Heathcote and King’s College London
You can also explore further research and resources from Dr Lauren Heathcote and her team at King’s College London:
1. EMBODY - the research Dr Heathcote shared during the workshop, exploring beliefs about the body after cancer.
2. ENTRUST - videos and resources exploring trust in the body after cancer.
Learn more about mindset
If you’d like to learn more about mindset, Dr Lauren Heathcote recommends these resources from her collaborator and world-leading mindset expert Dr Alia Crum.
Looking for more support after cancer?
If you found this guide helpful, check out our expert-led workshops. Designed to support you in navigating life after cancer treatment, our free events offer practical tools, peer connection, and expert guidance. Check out our events.
Join the Life after Cancer Community and stay connected by subscribing to our mailing list. Receive the latest news, upcoming events, and essential resources designed to support you in rebuilding your life after cancer.
About Our Expert:
Lauren Heathcote (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Health Psychology at King’s College London. She is also a two-time cancer survivor and an advocate for bridging medical research with lived experience to improve cancer survivorship care around the world.
Dr Heathcote has published over 100 scientific papers and leads a research team at Guy’s Hospital, where they conduct basic research and clinical trials into interventions to support young people and adults in their lives after cancer.
Dr Heathcote received extensive research training in the UK (University of Sussex, University of Oxford) and in the US (Stanford University School of Medicine), leading to her innovative research programme which sits at the intersection of psychology and medicine and brings a mind-body perspective to supporting physical and mental health after cancer.
For more expert workshops to help you navigate life after cancer treatment, check out the Life after Cancer events page or sign up to join our mailing list for all the latest news.
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