Gort Cancer Support launches mindfulness course for cancer survivors

Gort Cancer Support in County Galway launched a new Mindfulness for Cancer programme on January 15, 2026, aimed at people living with cancer and those recovering after treatment. The community-led offering brings clinically informed mindfulness practice to local survivors and people in active treatment, focusing on anxiety, fear of recurrence and the disorientation many feel when treatment ends.

The course is facilitated by Hilary Smyth, a clinician with palliative-care experience who tailored the sessions to common post-treatment concerns. Organisers described the programme as evidence-informed; it pairs accessible breath awareness and present-moment practices with practical discussion about how to re-enter work, family and social life after cancer care. Sessions emphasize working with the present moment - noticing breath, body sensations and immediate experience - as a strategy to interrupt rumination about the future and reliving traumatic memories from treatment.

Participants frequently report feeling lost once active treatment finishes, a gap the programme aims to fill by building simple daily practices and peer support. In group settings, attendees learn short grounding exercises that can be used at home, at clinic appointments or during scans, turning mindfulness into a practical toolkit for moments of heightened fear or uncertainty. The structure is deliberately low barrier: practices are brief, language is nontechnical and the facilitator’s clinical background allows integration of mindfulness with coping strategies relevant to palliative and survivorship care.

Local availability is a key benefit. Offering classes in Gort keeps supports close to home for people who may face travel, energy or scheduling constraints. The programme also serves family members and caregivers who accompany people through diagnosis and recovery, helping households regain routines and communication patterns disrupted by illness.

To register or get more details, contact Gort Cancer Support in Gort, County Galway. The programme is open to people currently in treatment as well as those in recovery, and organisers encourage anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis to enquire about suitability and session times.

This initiative plugs a practical gap in survivorship services by combining clinical experience with community access. For local residents, it means a steady, evidence-informed option for learning how to work with the “now” and reclaim everyday life after cancer; for the community, it strengthens the network of supports available as more people seek scalable, skills-based approaches to long-term wellbeing.