The 5 benefits of going to a psychologist when suffering from a chronic illness

These are the main positive effects of going to psychotherapy for a chronic disease.

Chronic diseases are a reality that, many times, we insist on observing only from the biomedical point of view.

However, we cannot forget that the experience of having developed a pathology of this type goes far beyond what happens in the organs and cellular tissues of our body: there are both causes and consequences of this that are of a psychological, behavioral nature.

Thus, for a person with a chronic disease to preserve as far as possible his or her quality of life and ability to live independently, in many cases he or she must have psychotherapeutic support combined with medical care. combined with medical care. In this article we will see why.

What are the benefits of going to the psychologist if you have a chronic disease?

Under the concept of "chronic disease" it is possible to find a great diversity of pathologies. Although we usually associate this term with severe alterations in health, we must not forget that there are chronic diseases with mild symptoms or that hardly damage the quality of life of people, and there are even cases in which these disappear after a few months or years. Technically, a chronic disease does not have to remain forever, if it produces a progression towards worsening.

In practice, however, it is the most harmful and persistent chronic diseases that naturally attract the most attention in the health field. And it is in this group of pathologies, among which we even find some that increasingly deteriorate the health of the person until death occurs, that the benefits of having support in the context of psychological therapy become clearer. the benefits of having support in the context of psychological therapy..

The advantages of combining treatment with psychotherapy in cases of chronic illness can be classified into two main categories:

• Intervention on behaviors that reinforce or undermine the illness.
• Intervention on how the patient experiences the illness.

These two major foci of psychological intervention embody the way in which psychotherapy works on both part of the causes and part of the causes of the illness. works both on part of the causes or triggers of the illness and on its consequences.. On the one hand, we should not forget that what participates in the maintenance and evolution of pathologies is not only biological, but also behavioral (our life habits and behavioral patterns influence the pathology), and on the other hand, the experience of having that disease can vary greatly depending on how we process the emotions and thoughts linked to it.

Going beyond this basic distinction between areas of intervention, we can identify several benefits that psychotherapy brings to patients with chronic illnesses. These are as follows.

1. It allows the adoption of a lifestyle adapted to the reality of the disease.

Both behaving as if the chronic disease did not exist and assuming that it totally annuls the sufferer are harmful alternatives.. Therefore, in psychotherapy, the patient is "educated" in behavioral patterns associated with habits that help to adapt to the disease, without adding or subtracting importance.

In addition, psychologists can work in coordination with the patient's family members to make them understand what is happening and support the person in internalizing these routines.

2. Helps to understand the origin of the discomfort

Chronic illnesses, by their very nature, are associated with a greater or lesser degree of discomfort, which can present itself in many degrees of intensity. However, the simple fact of having developed one of the simple fact of having developed one of these pathologies does not imply a good understanding of the aspects of the disease that produce significant discomfort..

In psychotherapy, the patient is helped to look beyond the abstract concept of "chronic illness" and to understand what are the concrete experiences that give rise to the subjective discomfort. These elements change depending on each person, and the fact of being aware of them through processes of self-knowledge supported by the psychologist allows to better manage these negative emotions and limit their power, without letting them totally overwhelm the person by working on acceptance.

3. Intervention on the grief

The fact of receiving the diagnosis of a chronic disease can be a hard emotional blow. This is associated with a feeling of loss, in this case of loss of health or even of one's own identity..

That is why in many cases these cases are dealt with in the same way as the psychological grief of those who have lost a loved one. The aim is to enhance the capacity for acceptance and not to remain anchored in nostalgia and in standards of living in which all references about "what should be" point to the past.

4. Maintains sources of motivation and incentive

Just as important as managing and limiting the negative emotional impact of chronic illness is helping the person to find ways to be happy, to maintain a life with the capacity to offer exciting experiences.. Therefore, in psychotherapy techniques of self-knowledge and development of self-motivation are used to detect interests compatible with the pathology and that provide incentives in the medium and long term.

5. The appearance of psychological disorders is prevented

In therapy we also work to prevent an incorrect management of emotions from leading the person with a chronic illness to develop disorders such as depression, dysthymia, an eating disorder, etc.

Do you want to have the help of a psychologist?

Si sufres una enfermedad crónica y te interesa contar con terapia psicológica para mejorar tu calidad de vida, ponte en contacto con nuestro equipo. Desde Vibra Bienestar realizamos tanto psicoterapia como programas de formación de gestión de las emociones mediante cursos de meditación, Mindfulness, y otros recursos terapéuticos. Nos encontrarás en Madrid.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Aguilar, N. (1997). Counseling the patient with chronic illness: strategies for the health care provider. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 9(4): pp. 171 - 175.
• Deter, H.C. (2012). Psychosocial interventions for patients with chronic disease. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 6: 2.
• Elliot, T.R. & Johnson, M.O. (2008). Counseling Psychology and Chronic Health Conditions: A Call for Action. The Counseling Psychologist, 36(1): pp. 118 - 126.
• White, C.A. (2001). Cognitive behavioral principles in managing chronic disease. Western Journal of Medicine, 175(5): pp. 338 - 342.