Living with Chronic Illness and Pain
A reality you never planned for…
You have a life-threatening illness or serious health event.
Cancer… I call it the “C” word. It’s hard to say. So are many of the other diagnoses we face:
Diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Complications from smoking
Stroke
Obesity
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Chronic pain
Degenerative disorders
Hearing the word leaves you defeated. Dealing with it leaves you depleted.
Questions abound…
Why me?
Have I done something to deserve this?
What about my future and that of my family?
Does this now define me?
And there’s the flood of emotions…
Fear, worry, confusion, anger, sadness, despair, and grief… it’s overwhelming.
There’s the denial…
“How can this be? This doesn’t run in my family. I have lived this way forever.”
“There is no way this is happening! I just don’t see what you see. I refuse to be labeled!”
“I don’t understand. I can’t grasp what it means.”
“This is very hard.”
I acknowledge where you are.
Parkinson’s disease disabled my family.
The denial… fear… hurt and struggles. I get you. I avoided, accepted, denied.
There’s the regret…
“Why didn’t I follow the signs?”
“I should have done something sooner.”
“Why didn’t I listen to the advice?”
There’s the isolation…
“Face the facts”, they say.
Caregivers become frustrated and overwhelmed.
You don’t want to burden your loved ones.
Besides… no one really understands anyway.
I am here for you.
I have extensive experience helping people just like you who face medical challenges. I understand how everything changes in a second. It’s confusing and upsetting. Let me help you sort it out.
We are all different, and everyone reacts to a diagnosis differently. I want you to know that there is no right or wrong reaction to what you’re going through.
Please know that you CAN adjust to this new situation… and be kind to yourself in the process.
My approach is comprehensive.
I blend traditional talk therapies with holistic methods to provide well rounded care for mind, body and soul.
Brainspotting is a revolutionary holistic psychotherapy that works quickly and efficiently to address emotional pain linked to illness that is stuck deep inside the brain. This pain cannot be accessed through talk therapy.
Brainspotting can help us target specific points in the brain where the pain is located and make it available for processing and relief.
Here’s how therapy can help:
Educating yourself about your illness…
Knowledge is power!
With my support, we can learn together and explore issues you may face.
This is a great way to lessen avoidance and commit to yourself.
Allowing yourself to feel…
Shock… denial… maybe you can settle into the idea of what this all means?
My goal is to create a safe place for you to vent anger, cry, and feel your pain in a warm space.
Being able to feel is the first step toward acceptance.
Develop patience with the pace of treatment and recovery.
Patience is a virtue. It is a skill that needs to be learned.
Learning gratitude, loving kindness, and staying present/not predicting the future will help you.
Staying open to change…
We can build a growth mindset that allows you the flexibility to adjust as your treatment changes.
Thought restructuring is a key tool to free our thinking.
Managing stress and anxiety…
Emotional grounding techniques are easy to use and can help you embrace challenges and persist in the face of setbacks.
Continue doing what you like to do…
Why can’t you do what you like to do?!
We will work on giving yourself permission to continue to live your life as close to your normal as possible.
Counteracting the “what ifs”…
Identifying habitual thinking patterns will help us negate thoughts that leave you stuck.
Accepting uncertainty…
It is here. It is not going away. How do we accept it?
An optimistic mindset can help you. I can show you how to adjust to this new way of thinking. Journaling a Future Diary is one of the things that can help you to problem solve and find answers.
Please reach out now for support.
I can help you feel less powerless.
We can let your fears out in a safe space, ease the mental anguish, and plan steps to navigate the challenges ahead.
We can even invite your family to sessions when you are ready.
And I’ll listen, guide, and help you stay connected to your community.
You’re not alone in this!
Give me a call or text today. Let’s see how I can help during your free consultation: (516) 446-8910.