Understanding the Jargon (What’s Actually Happening?)

We might put words to your experience, such as:

• Medical Trauma: The PTSD that can develop from invasive treatments, dismissive providers, or the trauma of your own body betraying you.
• Caregiver Stress Syndrome: The specific form of burnout that comes from the relentless demands of caring for another.
• Masking & Overcompensation: The enormous energy spent to appear “fine” and avoid judgment or pity, often leading to collapse.
• Chronic Illness Management: The psychological work of adapting to a body that has changing abilities and needs.

How We Deal With It in Therapy Together

We will move from just surviving to building a sustainable life. Our work will include:

• Creating a Safe Harbor: A confidential space to express fear, anger, and sadness without judgment or the need to protect anyone else’s feelings.
• Grief Processing: Honoring the very real losses that come with illness and giving yourself permission to mourn.
• Managing Anxiety & Overwhelm: Using techniques from CBT and Mindfulness to calm catastrophic thinking and the stress of medical appointments.
• Preventing & Recovering from Burnout: Developing strategies to set boundaries, ask for help, and prioritize your own well-being, especially for caregivers.
• Reclaiming Your Narrative: Exploring how this challenge has become part of your story and ensuring it doesn’t become the whole story. We focus on your strengths and values.
• Practical Coping Tools: Building skills for communication with medical teams, navigating difficult family dynamics, and practicing self-compassion.

A Little Something to Help You Now: The Spoon Theory