Long-term ill health
When your body has been carrying so much
Living with long-term ill health can be exhausting, particularly when you are also carrying the effects of trauma, ongoing stress or difficult experiences from the past.
You may have lived with symptoms for many years, searched for answers, or felt that your body has become something you no longer understand or trust. You may be managing pain, fatigue, immune-related health concerns or other ongoing symptoms, while trying to continue with work, relationships and caring for others.
It can be difficult when there is no simple explanation, or when you feel that the full story of what you have been through has not been understood.
Trauma, stress and the body
Trauma is not only held in our thoughts or memories. Research has found that traumatic stress can affect stress-regulation systems, brain structure and function, immune responses and patterns of gene expression. These changes may continue long after the traumatic experiences have passed and may help explain why some people are more vulnerable to mental-health difficulties and physical illness.
The relationship between trauma and physical health is complex. There are many possible causes of illness, and trauma does not mean that it has caused a particular health condition. However, research has identified connections between trauma and a range of physical-health concerns, including autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or ME/CFS, and increased health risks associated with some cancers.
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When illness affects the way you live
Long-term ill health can affect every part of your life. You may feel tired much of the time, struggle to keep up with work or find that even simple tasks take more energy than they once did. You may feel anxious about your body, sad about the life you had expected to have, or frustrated that you cannot do what you used to do.
For people who have spent much of their lives caring for others, it can be especially difficult to accept needing care yourself. You may continue to push through, minimise what you are feeling or feel guilty for needing rest, support or space.
The effects can also be felt in your relationships. You may feel isolated, misunderstood or disconnected from the people close to you. Grief, anger and sadness can arise when your body does not allow you to live or work in the way you want to.
A place to understand the whole of your experience
My counselling and psychotherapy practice offers space to explore the emotional impact of living with long-term ill health, alongside what may have been difficult to carry from the past. I work with the whole person: body, mind and soul.
This approach does not replace medical care, diagnosis or treatment. It offers a place to understand your experience with curiosity and compassion, without needing to explain away your pain or minimise what you are going through.
Body-based Breathwork may support you to gently reconnect with your body and notice the emotions, sensations and responses that arise in relation to your health. We work at a pace that respects your experience and your capacity at the time.
To learn more about this approach, visit my Breathwork page.