Dear Janne,

At first I was concerned that sharing my thoughts about your latest Instagram posts…

I don’t believe that cancer comes from the sun. I believe that all, and I mean ALL every single dis-ease and physical injury I have is a manifestation of something emotional. I grew up as a kid stubbing my toe and having my mom holler over a blue green algae smoothie, “Look up what Louise Hay says about toe.” And I’d thumb through the inbox and read aloud “worrying about the small details of the future” and then sit and think about what I was worrying about. If you haven’t bought the book “How to heal your life” by Louise L Hay stop reading this and go order it now. At a point where I was feeling incredibly indecisive and not trusting my gut my teeth started to be sensitive and hurt. Looked up teeth and read “represents ability to be decisive.” ? The cause of depression in her book is feeling hopeless and trapped and being consumed by an anger that you do not believe you have a right to have. The way to break hopelessness is to realize we always have a choice and when we execute choices in our life we realize how powerful we are. Suicide is “seeing things in black and white”. I’ve worked with clients and have broken them out of situational depression due to feeling trapped in areas of their life—these choices freed them. So back to the big one, that’s triggering for ALL of us—cancer. Louise says, “Cancer is caused by deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds.” So, I don’t believe we get cancer from the sun. I actually believe there’s so many sunscreens out there that probably could CAUSE cancer with the crap in them. I think cancer is emotional and here’s why I’m a little brown olive and am not getting it—I do my work emotionally. I’ve been actively working at my development for the last ten years in a BIG way. I analyze each inch of my soul curiously and am emotionally a walking talking open faucet sprinkling my bare spirit on this world. I don’t believe the sun causes cancer, and I know this is gonna tie some panties in some knots but it’s my truth. ?

A post shared by Janne Robinson (@jannerobinson) on May 30, 2018 at 10:06pm PDT

What if cancer wasn’t caused by the sun and it wasn’t a genetic disease? I believe that every dis-ease and injury is a physical manifestation of unresolved trauma and emotion. Louise L Hay says that cancer is caused by deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds. So, what if it wasn’t genetic? I believe trauma is passed on generationally when we DON’T do our work AND that when we do our emotional work that it heals not only ourself but backwards and forwards—our mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, daughters, and sons. There are studies that prove in the womb and sperm as children we adopt trauma from our both our parents before we are born. (So, basically don’t worry about it—you were fucked before you even began). So what if cancer was emotional and what if instead of it being genetic, it was undealt with anger/guilt/resent passed on through generations? What if cancer we have now is from our great great great grandmother? And what if we had the ability to break the chain of cancer BY doing our emotional work to heal these wounds? Big thoughts right? Louise L Hays book “How to heal your life” focuses on the “Okay great it’s emotional, but now what? How the fuck do I heal it?” part. Louise talks about the healing forces of affirmations specifically geared towards the emotional beliefs that heal them. Each dis-ease has an affirmation. You’re meant to look at and reflect and do the therapy and self development work around pin pointing where you hold anger and resentments and letting them go. How beautiful that in doing our work, we free the generations behind and in front of us? Affirmation for cancer is: I lovingly forgive and release all of the past. I choose to fill my life with joy. I love and approve of myself.

A post shared by Janne Robinson (@jannerobinson) on May 30, 2018 at 10:37pm PDT

 

Fully discussing my beliefs around dis-ease and cancer being a physical manifestation of unresolved emotions tonight. What if cancer is an unconscious manifestation of unresolved emotions we bury? And maybe that our mom buried, or our great grandfather buried—that aren’t even ours? This is part lll: Abraham Hicks also commented to this in a podcast I listened to recently, she said that if we are aware something is harmful then it’s going to be more harmful to us because we believe that. She used the example of the quality of our food and health. (This mega challenged me as I’m a organic girl since I was a kid). She said if you don’t have the awareness that non organic food is bad for your body, and think it’s more or less the same nourishment—it likely won’t harm you. If you ARE aware of the causes of chemicals or pesticides and eating it, then that can harm you because you’re focusing on that thought. Apply that theory to cancer. If we are always thinking “Being in the sun causes cancer. He has cancer from the sun. It’s in my family—I’m bound to get it” how does that affect what we manifest? The power of our thoughts is everything—we are powerful beings, all we consume, feel, and think is heard and logged by our bodies. You can’t bury your shit deep enough for your body not to find it. Which is why the relationship with our hearts, bodies, brains and spirit are all equally important and worth investing in and understanding. Want more tools? Buy these books: “How to heal your life” by Louise L Hay. Listen to anything Abraham Hicks, every single day until you understand what the vortex is and are living in it. Buy “The 5 languages of love” by Gary Chapman. I’m sure there’s more I adore but start with that for some emotional intelligence and body intelligence. Side note: I understand how triggering talking about cancer being a choice is, and I need to speak to it anyway. I think looking at where it comes from and how to heal it a different route is incredibly empowering and I want it talked about and explored so the next generations can learn from us how to be their own healers. The work is just beginning.

A post shared by Janne Robinson (@jannerobinson) on May 30, 2018 at 11:01pm PDT

 

…and my concern about the personal beliefs that you have been using your platform to declare would in fact just cause your voice to be heard more loudly.

I realized I just simply cannot stay silent in this situation.

Janne, we wrote for elephant journal at the same time. I admired your roaring success due to your openness, your boldness when talking about sexuality and being a woman and encountering the world with vulnerable, open hearts. I appreciated your courage in sharing the story of the way you were shamed about getting an abortion. I liked your free spirit and how you spoke unashamedly about being young, broke, and a struggling artist.

You’re no longer struggling—you have an ever-expanding network. Your words struck a spark with many—not to mention your glorious wild hair and sun-kissed skin. Young women follow your posts en masse—and that is what concerns me.

You have a voice, and while you say that it’s only your responsibility to speak your truth, I wish that you’d consider the influence you have on others.

I wholeheartedly agree with your words in one of your poems that state, “I do not need a degree to prove that I am intelligent”—but hell, woman—I wish you’d read more science in your free time. You’re still young, Janne—and you most likely haven’t encountered cancer in your tanned body.  From previous posts you also imply that you’ve never been diagnosed with a mental illness: or should I say that you’ve never “chosen” to experience a mental illness?

This time you’ve taken that once-charming ignorance and lack of experience too far.

Your latest instagram posts tell us that cancer is caused by harmful emotions—that depression and all other diseases are brought on by resentments, unhealed traumas, anger—and that they can be healed by manifesting positivity. That doing the emotional work will cure all physical ailments. You write about cancer being a choice. You state that childhood cancers are caused by the unhealed emotional issues of our ancestors.

I pondered how to approach this letter.

I skimmed over scientific research and resisted the urge to throw facts at you—there’s too many, and logic clearly isn’t prevailing here. You actually mention you think sunscreen causes cancer—after saying that all cancer stems from emotion.

I wholeheartedly agree that our emotions impact our physical health. Scientific research attests to that. Stress influences all kinds of diseases and ailments in our body—but so do many, many other things. Genetics, yes. Diet and our environment and the way cells mutate or don’t, by chance.

To suggest that cancer is caused by emotional issues, not knowing any individual’s story or medical history, is placing a huge and devastating burden of blame on the individual, for being afflicted with a disease that in no way did they cause.

To suggest that “doing the work” emotionally heals cancer is pure drivel.

How do you think “your truth”—coming from a young, healthy woman—impacts others, suffering from cancer, who may have done all the emotional work in the world and still be terminal?

How do you live with blaming the parents and grandparents of a child suffering from cancer? The child needs to do the work and emotionally heal from the damage their parents caused? There are no words to properly rebut such absolute nonsense.

I am hesitant to delve into the mental health component here, because the factors you are playing with are grave, and because I am beyond horrified at your naivety. It terrifies me that impressionable people, or those already in pain, are reading your words and judging themselves accordingly. Personally, I have been diagnosed with long-term chronic clinical depression, and I have done and do the emotional work. My brain chemistry, unfortunately, doesn’t change as a result of me digging deep, resolving past issues, and maintaining emotional health. I am blindsided several times a year by a bout of severe depression that has nothing to do with my situation or maintenance of my spiritual condition—it is a disease, plain and simple.

Your denial of that only perpetuates the ongoing stigma against mental health, and harms rather than helps those who face its challenges.

Please don’t suggest you know what causes mental illness or suicide. These things are in no way a choice. Suggesting that those who suffer from cancer or mental illness or any illness are the cause and control of these ailments, and have the absolute ability to cure themselves with their thoughts, is placing one hell of a horrific burden on sick people.

Janne, I beg of you for the sake of your followers to please, please, educate yourself on the scientific research behind cancer and mental illness, before you spew your fluffy thoughts into the world. Please remember that you have devoted and impressionable young women (and men) following you who will now wonder what is wrong with them emotionally if they develop an illness that has absolutely nothing to do with how they handle their feelings.

Advocate positivity, absolutely.

Advocate emotional health.

By all means, tell the world that our emotional health has an effect on our physical health.

But denying that the sun causes disease, telling people that their brain chemistry is all in their control, and giving us an affirmation to cure cancer? You’ve crossed dangerous lines here: and no, as you say it, your only responsibility is not just to speak your truth.

You are responsible to the young women you preach to to know your facts before you make such potentially dangerous and life-altering statements.

From one strong woman to another, Janne: you’ve spent too much time in the sun on a surfboard, and far too little time dedicated to learning science and moral responsibility.

 

See all of Janne’s old Elephant articles here.

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