UNWANTED CHANGE THROUGH ADVERSITY
Unwelcome change, which produces a sense of loss or void in our lives, is among the most challenging aspects of the human experience and a very difficult thing to manage. The notion of Change Management has merit, but many of its precepts and techniques that are suggested to help manage transition are rendered less effective when a person and/or their support system is overwhelmed. The psychology of change can be helpful at times, but not so much so during times of disempowerment and disenfranchisement.
Change through adversity is a primal experience when there is no sense of control, predictability, or direction. Health adversity impacts the patient, the caregiver, and loved ones. All of these persons experiencing change through adversity can feel an overwhelming sense of loss of control. Change Management tools work most effectively when there is group or family systems cohesion acting as a source of support and as a dynamic force to help motivate and encourage us to move through the change. Health crises can change the entire bio-psycho-social system and thus make the transition more challenging, as there are often less areas of our lives intact and stable to rest upon and to enable us to ‘take a breath’.
While insightful tools and techniques are available for those in times of turmoil, their usefulness is limited in the midst of emotional fragmentation, uncertainty, pain, suffering, and major loss-producing change. In poignant moments of transition and uncertainty, words often provide little comfort, and insights for change management remain merely perceptions without potency.
The following resources may be useful for some. For others, attending a group made up of participants in various stages of transition and adaptation to change may be helpful. A group topic with a focus of transitions is facilitated every 2nd and 4th Thursday evening. For details, [click here]
RESOURCES