It is always difficult for us to try to adapt to the events around us. After all, environmental things change and you can have very limited control over them. Besides, you have questioned why people are committed to something or need to start new projects, even if they have financial security throughout their lives.
On the other hand, the thing that strains our natural inclination to complications and problem solving, and therefore the limits of our adaptation skills, is probably the most deadly illness.
We all know we will die one day. One day, when you wake up unaware of what is going to happen to you, you may suddenly die in a car accident. However, most of us can live with the thought that there are many years ahead, even if only by imagining what we need to do in the future.
This is the way we all survive. We all make plans for tomorrow, next week, month or year. That is, because we think of death as a distant future or a low probability, we stand in a unique position in space-time.
This strange way of life we set up begins to collapse in the face of a deadly disease. In our article today, we will talk about the mourning process brought on by this type of disease. We will also touch on the key points that psychologists who deal with terminal illnesses often focus on: contracting a fatal disease deeply shakes a person.
Mourning expectation in the face of catching a fatal disease
In this case, our body reacts as if it were faced with a threat. The most common emotional response is anxiety. It often depends on how one digests this reality.
Many people enter the denial phase immediately after being diagnosed with a fatal disease. A person experiences this, especially when he or she suddenly hears it at an unexpected moment rather than hearing it during the treatment process of a disease.
As a result, one of the most important things psychologists can do is help the person digest this process in a way that they can make sense of. Therefore, the first goal of the professionals is to listen to the patient and be with him. We need to know and understand our patient.
With a good evaluation, we can understand that the patient's hope, especially the whole world, is destroyed. It also helps us find out what are the most painful regrets that come with knowing that your time is running out in the world.
Our assistance only makes sense if we make the patient feel that we can be useful. As long as we can help him find effective strategies to deal with his pain, he is supportive. The issue of concern is the suffering it causes rather than the fatal disease itself.
Getting a terminal illness: first steps
In the anxiety process that comes with this bitter news, it is very important to work with the patient to enable the patient to define his / her emotions at different levels. On the cognitive level, we can help a person find a place in this space-time dimension.
Living here and now, which is mentioned in many self-help / self-help books, is not an option for the terminally ill person. When you want to leave the house, you will be prepared well. When it's time to go to bed, you brush your teeth. Before you go on vacation, you prepare your luggage. In short, patients with a terminal illness are also used to thinking about the future this way.
At the physiological level, anxiety triggers action. Remember that this is what helped our ancestors escape the dangers of the forest. Consequently, it is good to prevent the patient from getting into this state.
Relaxation techniques and exercises can help. Options vary depending on the physical condition of the patient. The patient's lifestyle, health history, enthusiasm and support from his environment also play a big role.
Meeting the needs of the patient
The most important starting point for the intervention is to determine the needs of the patient, as explained by Mariant Lacasta in his article entitled The Role of Psychology in Palliative Treatment. How effective each intervention is depends on the patient's capacity to meet their needs.
We talked about listening, dealing with anxiety and fear of abandoning loved ones, and nurturing hope that never fades, no matter how dire the situation is, which is part of normalizing the patient's emotions (especially the ambivalence that may occur during this process).
Of course, it is also important not to create unrealistic expectations. However, this should be in a way that does not prevent us from being able to look a little optimistic about what will happen in the future. This is one of the most sensitive issues of any treatment or intervention because it requires great sensitivity. Let's not forget that the person we are facing will not always be someone who is fully aware of his impending death.