Individual Counselling for Medical Trauma and Post-Recovery Identity
Medical Trauma
Medical Trauma is the emotional and physical response to pain, injury, serious illness, medical procedures, frightening treatment experiences and hospital stays. These experiences can have lasting effects, and can develop into anxiety, depression, grief, a negative sense of self and identity and even result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Medical trauma may occur as a response to a single or multiple medical event.
There are lots of different experiences related to illness, injury or medical treatment that can be difficult, uncomfortable or frightening.
-
A sudden, life-threatening illness or injury and the related treatment
-
Shock and feeling out of control when receiving a scary diagnosis
-
Life changing complications or problems during or after a medical procedure
-
Unexpected medical intervention such as needing an emergency intervention
-
Things about the hospital like constant noise, frequent medical checks, and staff disrupting sleep
-
Seeing frightening images or having frightening thoughts due to confusion while in the hospital
If you are struggling with medical trauma, you may:
1. Keep going over the details of the trauma in your head. Memories of the event can come back at any time. Something you see, hear, smell, touch or taste may cause you to feel the same feelings you did when the event happened.
2. Avoid things, places and people that remind you of the event. You may not want to go back to the hospital, see your doctor again or take medications. When you avoid uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, it can make your symptoms worse.
3. Have changes in the way you think and feel. The way you think about yourself and others may change because of the trauma. It may be hard to trust medical providers.
4. Feel very nervous. You may feel “on edge,” have a hard time falling asleep or trouble controlling pain. You may suddenly become angry or irritable with yourself or others.
If you have been feeling this way, I can help support you.
Accident and Injuries
Following an accident or an injury, many people can experience emotional distress. During the healing process, you may begin to notice signs of increased stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), fear, anxiety and worry, depression, issues with sleep, and even nightmares. These intense emotions can be distressing and you may find yourself avoiding activities that resulted in the accident or injury, and you may find that it gets harder and harder to function in your ability work, social activities, maintaining your home, or your close relationships. When symptoms start getting in the way of day to day functioning it is a sign to take action.
Emotional injuries can be easy to ignore. We often tell ourselves we just need to “get over” the anxiety and PTSD that often follow something like a car accident, or a skiing accident, even though we would never tell ourselves to “get over” a broken leg or a brain injury.
If you are struggling with your mental health after and accident or injury, you may:
-
Struggle with an ongoing, general feeling of uneasiness.
-
Anxiety about the activity in which you were injured, such as driving or riding in vehicles.
-
You may not want to have medical tests or procedures done.
-
You may struggle with Irritability, or excessive worry or anger.
-
You may have nightmares or trouble sleeping.
-
You may feel disconnected from people, or activities that used to bring you joy
-
you may have ongoing memories of the accident that you can’t stop or control.
I can help you learn strategies to cope and adjust to the changes you have experienced, process the emotional impact of your accident or injury, and find new ways or alternatives to do things. I can help you with managing your stress and coping with your accident or injury. You don’t need to suffer alone.
Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness
Chronic pain can be a source of depression, anxiety, frustration, fatigue, poor work performance and concentration, and relationship difficulties. Although there often is no “easy fix” for completely eliminating chronic pain, it is possible to change the way it affects your well-being and relationships. I can help you better understand how pain impacts your thoughts, feelings and relationships and help you develop effective coping strategies to get back to living your life.
Chronic illness has the ability to affect you in more ways than just medically. When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, they will go through a number of stages similar to the stages of grief. Denial, disbelief and shock are just some of the emotions a person experiences when a diagnosis is made, and it's natural for them to resist major changes. Eventually, they will become exhausted, when all they really want to do is to recover. At that point, fear and anxiety will set in and worry in the face of uncertainty of the future.
Sadness, grief and depression are common emotions when they consider the possibility of lost goals, hopes and dreams. Losing independence is a real fear, which becomes inevitable if an illness progresses and that brings about the fear of being a burden to loved ones, which brings on more anger, resentment and even shame.
Counselling can help a person to deal with the emotions relating to chronic illness and to cope with the stress and anxieties of accepting and coping with life changes. It will help to regain personal control over life and yourself.
Anxiety and Depression
It's not unusual for mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety, to occur with long-term (chronic) diseases. For example, people who have chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, hepatitis C, and stroke often also have depression. The everyday stress of dealing with a chronic disease causes the depression or makes it worse. People who have depression often find it hard to take care of their health, which can lead to health problems. Anxiety and health problems are also linked. You may feel anxious because you have a health problem, or your anxiety can make a health problem worse. Ultimately, treating depression or anxiety is good for your health.
Post-Recovery Identity
While it is important to process trauma, and hold space for honouring your pain, It is possible to experience growth after trauma. Negative experiences can spur positive change, including a recognition of personal strengths, the exploration of new possibilities, improved relationships, a greater appreciation for life, and spiritual growth.
Posttraumatic growth can be facilitated through psychotherapy and you can emerge stronger from suffering. In our work together, you can learn to accept the chapters already written in your life, and imagine crafting the next ones in a meaningful way.
Caregiver Burnout
Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It may go along with a change in attitude -- from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can happen when you don’t get the help you need, or if you try to do more than you’re able -- either physically or financially. Caregivers who are "burned out" may have fatigue, stress, anxiety, and depression. Many caregivers also feel guilty if they spend time on themselves rather than on their ill or elderly loved ones. Together, we can work to heal from burnout, work on self-care and find a sustainable way to care for your loved one.