Chronic Diseases

When a person learns that they suffer from a chronic illness, especially when it is life-threatening, they enter a state of crisis. The crisis is experienced intensely because the discovery of the illness creates a rupture in the continuity of the person’s life, both biologically and psychologically. The individual’s psychology is affected, as a serious disease may threaten their life or chronically impact their functioning.

A period of insecurity and uncertainty begins, creating turmoil both psychologically and biologically. Negative psychology can in turn affect the way the illness is managed in relation to its biological function. The person now finds themselves in a state influenced by automatic emotional reactions, such as loss of appetite, chest pain, migraines, tachycardia, gastrointestinal problems, and more.

When I am faced with a chronic illness, there are two basic directions I can follow. One direction is to become completely disorganized, resulting in collapse both physically and psychologically. The other direction is to mobilize my strengths in order to find new balances that will reduce the chaos I am experiencing. In other words, how can I adapt to the new circumstances that are happening to me? How can I evolve instead of destabilizing? Psychotherapy supports the individual in this direction.