Life After Cancer Treatment: Finding Ground Again with Complementary Therapies

Most people know that complementary therapies have valuable uses during cancer treatment: easing side effects of chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiotherapy (such as nausea, fatigue, pain), providing comfort, calming stress, and lightening the emotional burden.

But once active treatment ends, a shift is needed—from coping with illness to recovery, restoration, and rebuilding. That shift doesn’t always happen automatically; it often needs intentional support.

The Unstructured Space After Treatment

Finishing cancer treatment is meant to be a time of relief. Yet for many people, it brings an unexpected limbo. The once-regular routine of hospital appointments and daily contact with oncologists, nurses, and support services suddenly slows to occasional check-ups.

Physically, the most intensive phase of treatment may be over. But emotionally and psychologically, many are left feeling unmoored.

At Richmond Park Therapies, where I support many people affected by cancer, both during and after their medical treatment, I see just how critical the “after treatment” phase can be. It’s a time when the body, mind, and nervous system need gentle recalibration: to re-establish trust in the body, process fear, rediscover calm, and reconnect with a sense of wholeness.

Complementary therapies—alongside ongoing medical care—can play a powerful role in that process.

What the Evidence Tells Us

UK-based research shows that psychological challenges after cancer are common and long-lasting:

• Even 10 years after treatment, many survivors continue to face elevated risk of anxiety. One study found they were 27% more likely than the general population to experience anxiety at least two years post-diagnosis—with the risk increasing at 10 years or more (Cancer Research UK).

• More than 50% of people diagnosed with cancer report at least one significant psychological problem (such as anxiety, depression, or distress) even a decade later (SELCA NHS).

• In the year following diagnosis, about 10% of cancer patients in England experience anxiety or depression severe enough to need specialist psychological or psychiatric support (Transform Health Partners).

• While UK-specific Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder figures are limited, international studies suggest that 3–10% of cancer survivors meet the full criteria for PTSD, with many more experiencing ongoing PTSD-like symptoms such as hypervigilance around check-up scans, intrusive memories, or persistent fear (cancer.gov)

The Gap Between Treatment & Recovery

Some common challenges people face once treatment ends include:

• Loss of structure and medical contact – regular appointments vanish, leaving many adrift.

• Loneliness or abandonment – friends and family may assume “you’re fine now” and reduce support.

• Ongoing physical effects – fatigue, pain, neuropathy, or hormonal changes that impact mood and identity.

• Anxiety about recurrence – follow-up scans can trigger dread.

• A shift in identity – from being treated as a patient to rediscovering body positivity and self-trust.

How Complementary Therapies Help

When guided by an oncology-therapy-trained practitioner, complementary therapies can bridge the gap between “treatment mode” and “recovery mode.”

Need	How Complementary Therapy Supports It
Re-establishing relaxation & recalibrating the nervous system	Lying on a warm couch, listening to soothing music, and receiving gentle massage, reflexology, or guided breathing practice allows the nervous system to step out of “fight or flight” and into deep rest. This can be the first time many people truly relax since treatment began.
Reducing anxiety (especially around scans)	Regular sessions create a predictable safe space, where anxiety can soften and clients feel supported. This consistency helps ease the dread that often builds ahead of check-ups.
Processing emotional and psychological trauma	Safe, therapeutic touch and reflective practices offer a way to process what has often felt overwhelming—helping people find words, or simply peace, around experiences of fear, loss, and identity shifts.
Rebuilding body positivity & self-trust	Therapies that involve supportive, respectful touch remind people that their body is more than medical tests and treatments—it is still a source of comfort, strength, and connection.
Improving sleep, mood, and wellbeing	The combination of physical ease, emotional support, and nervous system calm can improve sleep, reduce fatigue, lift mood, and create a virtuous cycle of recovery.

Clinical Safety & Best Practice

Complementary therapies are not a replacement for medical follow-up, nor do they treat or cure cancer. But when integrated safely, they provide meaningful support:

• Practitioners should be oncology-trained and aware of post-treatment contraindications (such as lymphoedema risk, fragile skin, or immune concerns).

• Therapies should complement medical care and be coordinated where appropriate.

• Regular, scheduled sessions (not just “when I feel like it”) are most effective in retraining the nervous system and supporting recovery.

What a Regular Program Can Look Like

A supportive recovery programme might include:

• Weekly hands-on therapy (depending on the client this might include a combination of massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, MLD) to rebuild comfort and body trust.

• Incorporating mind-body practices (breathing, mindfulness, gentle self-massage) as simple “homework” designed to reproduce the calm experienced on the couch at home.

• Suggestions for trusted local classes or teachers – such as creative or expressive groups, or physical activities like Pilates, yoga, or Tai Chi.

• Regular wellbeing check-ins (covering mood, sleep patterns, fatigue) to adapt therapies as recovery progresses.

Why It Matters

Post-treatment limbo is not the end of the journey—and post-treatment anxiety is not an inevitable “new normal.” It is a vulnerable period that benefits from care, understanding, and safe recalibration.

At Richmond Park Therapies, I see people who engage in a structured recovery programme becoming:

• More able to trust their bodies again

• Less fearful of “scanxiety”

• Better able to sleep, rest, and recover

• More grounded, calm, and emotionally resilient

• Renewed in their sense of self—beyond “patient” or “survivor”

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

If you or someone you love has recently finished cancer treatment, please know this:

• It’s perfectly normal to feel in limbo.

• Your body, mind, and nervous system have been through a huge ordeal.

• Recovery is more than being cancer-free—it’s about reclaiming space, peace, energy, trust, and a sense of self.

Complementary therapies, delivered by a trained oncology therapist, can help you make that transition gently, safely, and powerfully.

👉 Feel free to get in touch with Nina at Richmond Park Therapies to discuss how she can support you on your recovery journey: richmondparktherapies@gmail.com