Healing Is Possible - by Jem Fredhamn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A memoir of a Buddhist teacher's recovery from Stage IV cancer, sharing the mindfulness practices that helped him most

Diagnosed with Stage IV lymphoma, Buddhist monk Jem Fredhamn, then known as Brother Phap Ho (True Dharma Wisdom), let go of his monastic aspirations and returned to lay life expecting to die. Practicing the mindful breathing he learned as a monk to calm his emotions, he found unexpected paths to healing, and cancer became his ultimate spiritual teacher.

During his tense and frightening cancer treatment journey, Fredhamn shares how mindfulness meditation helped him overcome fear and suffering and weaves in the practices that accompanied him while receiving chemotherapy. He integrates Western medicine with Eastern health modalities such as Qi Gong, and offers various breathing practices that can help calm stress and build greater energy and vitality. Writing this book to help others with their fear and suffering when facing a potentially terminal illness, Fredhamn's voice is less that of a mindfulness teacher than a friend and companion offering the insight of his own experience. Even in advanced cancer cases, being lovingly aware of one's suffering through mindful breathing is beneficial for both spirit and body. His story is testimony that healing is possible.

Review Quotes

"Reading this book feels like sitting down for tea with an old friend. Jem Fredhamn (also known as Brother Phap Ho) brings the same raw honesty and profound love to these chapters that he has always brought to his life. This isn't just a story of healing--it's a living invitation to practice, offering gentle yet powerful guidance that transforms his personal journey into a roadmap for our own."--Tim Desmond, author of Buddhist Practices for Healing Trauma and How to Stay Human in a F*cked Up World

"Healing Is Possible is a rare and generous offering, showing us how to meet illness with tenderness, courage, and deep presence. Through his lived experience with cancer, Jem Fredhamn embodies the Buddha's teaching that we are of the nature to be ill, and shows how this truth, when met with awareness and love, can become a profound teacher rather than a source of despair."
--Kaira Jewel Lingo, Buddhist teacher and author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption

"In Healing Is Possible, the lived experience of spiritual practice in the midst of illness finds its words--and we are all the better for it. After nearly two decades as a monk in the Plum Village tradition, author Jem Fredhamn meets Stage IV melanoma with tenderness, courage, and a deeply nonviolent way of healing: extending love and understanding to every part of himself. Whether you are facing the fear and uncertainty of serious illness or feeling overwhelmed by the calamities of daily life, his gentle guidance and companionship are invaluable."
--Brother Pháp Lưu, author of Hiking Zen: Train Your Mind in Nature

"Cancer is not only a medical journey, but an existential one, and Jem writes from this deeper understanding with remarkable gentleness. Jem (Chan Phap Ho), a former Buddhist monk for eighteen years with Thich Nhat Hanh, shares a deeply personal account of living with stage IV malignant melanoma. Through lived experience and Buddhist wisdom, he shows how healing can unfold alongside medical treatment."
--Anna Ottosson, founder of Food Power Cancer Rehab

"Please give yourself the gift of this wonderful book....The author harvests his monastic training to show us a kind, effective way to face life's challenges. He transcends the usual 'illness is a battle' metaphor and instead teaches us how to meet difficulties with clarity, curiosity, and love. Whether you're going through cancer or wish to support someone who is, this book will be a beloved guide and companion."--Jonathan Prescott, board-certified clinical chaplain, founder of Wise Caregiving, and author of The Road To Freedom: Learning to Drive with Joy and Kindness

"There is so much we can all learn from Jem Fredhamn AKA Brother Pháp Hộ's journey back from death's door, and from the rich, time-tested practice that enabled him to face the most difficult circumstances of his life with a joyful and open heart. May this book give you the courage to live beautifully with whatever comes your way."-- Sister Dang Nghiem, MD, author of Mindfulness as Medicine: A Story of Healing Body and Spirit

About the Author

Former Buddhist monk Jem Fredhamn bridges monastic wisdom with secular life to help people find peace and resilience. He practiced as a lawyer in his native Sweden then became a Buddhist monk in the international Plum Village tradition of Engaged Buddhism founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. From 2003 to 2020 he lived and practiced as a monk in Plum Village, France, and later moved to Deer Park Monastery in Southern California, eventually serving as the abbot. During these years he helped organize and lead retreats on three continents for thousands of people in the art of mindful living.

In the process of healing from the cancer that gave rise to this book, he returned to lay life and became a meditation practitioner and teacher. He is now married, coteaching classes in mindful awareness, love, and wisdom together with his wife, Emma Dinmali Fredhamn.