Coping with Serious Illness Denver Counselor Coach

Medical technology is adept at isolating a physiological problem and attempting to fix that problem. But technology ignores who we are emotionally, and can’t address the need for spiritual wholeness. Medical technologies are often physically painful and traumatic. So in addition to coping with a serious illness, we usually also have to deal with the pain and intrusiveness of the treatment.


There is an intense emotional journey associated with having and fighting a life threatening illness. As a survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, I bring personal knowledge of the emotional impacts of dealing with a life-threatening illness. I know how important it is to have a safe place to talk about fears, anger, questions, sadness – feelings that may be difficult to discuss with the people who love us. Our family and friends also have to cope with their own sense of helplessness, fear, and sometimes loneliness, as we go through diagnosis and treatment.


Coping with a serious illness challenges the core of who we are. It forces us to confront our mortality and is the ultimate life crisis, prompting us to reconnect with our own unique purpose and regain perspective on what is important and meaningful to us. LIfe threatening illness or injury changes us and it changes the people we are close to. We often need to grieve and face fear, find our faith, or become newly empowered as we navigate the medical system. We have to accept what is without giving up and continue to evolve and grow even as the body suffers.


Some interesting books:

Some interesting links: