One path to psychological healing and well-being can occur through a process that includes insight, emotional catharsis (release), and working through (or integration).  These elements are the essential parts of the psychoanalytic model applied in a counseling session.  They are part of a process for shifting both perception and perspective.  Independent of psychoanalysis, this dynamic is what takes place in the real world, in life through assimilating, and accommodating our experiences and our relationship to those experiences.  In other words, we potentially learn, grow, and are able to more fully embrace and appreciate our humanity through life’s relational lessons, not only through the school of hard knocks, but also, equally as importantly, through life’s pleasures and joys.

The following reading and viewing materials provide insight to help us adjust our perspective and orient to ways of viewing and dealing with health related issues.  The information can potentially help us address aspects of the complexity of what we are confronting.  As mentioned, insight is only a part of the process of healing.  Though it may be difficult to shift our behavior solely on insight, some of the articles may offer us a means of setting an intention that can lead to our developing habits that can help shift perceptions.

 

SELECTED ARTICLES

Patient

• Emotional Dimensions of Chronic Disease
• How Chronic Pain and Illness Fan the Flames of Uncertainty
• Chronic Illness and Uncertainty
• Living with Uncertainty
• Coping With Chronic Illness
• Suffering
• Pain vs. Suffering
• 10 Steps for Coping with a Chronic Condition
• What Is an Existential Crisis
• Existential Suffering in the Palliative Care Setting
• Common Challenges – excerpt from academic text
• Psychological Factors in Chronic Diseases – Academic /Reference
• Self-Efficacy of People with Chronic Conditions – Research Publication

Caregivers

• Hardest Thing About Caregiving Elders – A Blog
• How to Better Advocate for Your Parent or Senior Loved One – A Blog
• The Difficulties of Being a Caregiver
• Caregiver Stress and Burnout
• A Caregiver’s Guide to Coping with Stress and Burnout
• Facing the Challenges of Being a Family Caregiver
• Losing Myself in Caregiving
• More Than a Caregiver: Re-Defining Your Role

Advance Care Planning

• Talking About Death and Making End-of-Life Decisions
• End of Life Planning, Simplified – A Workbook/Organizer

Change (Grief & Loss) Transition

• Coping With Loss
• Dealing with Loss and Change
• Coping with Change After a Loss (Cancer Related)
• Bereavement and Grief
• Facing Impermanence
• The Painful Beauty of Impermanence
• Mourning the Death of a Spouse
• What We Lose When a Parent Dies
• Helping Elderly Parent Cope with Loss of a Spouse

Depression & Anxiety, and Mood Disturbances

• Situational Depression or Clinical Depression
• Depression Symptoms by Age Group
• It Can be Difficult to Adjust to Changes
• Fairbairn’s Theory of Depression – Academic Commentary

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MEDIA – THOUGHTS & SOUND BYTES

Dialogue

• The Last Chapter – End-of-Life Decisions – A Documentary
• Before I die: Death Land #2 – A Documentary
• Dying Young: Death Land #7 – A Documentary
• The Journey Ahead – End-of-Life – A Documentary
• Live Fully Through Death Awareness
• Being Mortal
• The prison of your mind | Sean Stephenson(Perspective)
• What really matters at the end of life | BJ Miller – (Death & Dying)
• Carl Sagan -The Best Speech About Humanity
• There’s More To Life Than Being Happy
• Sam Harris – On Death

Contemplative – Reflective

1. Roger Subirana Mata – Between Worlds
2. Tony Anderson – Eyes Wide Open
3. Trip to the Moon –
4. Falling Back To Earth
5. Night Ride Across The Caucasus
6. Only Time
7. Touch – Mattia Cupelli
8. Awaiting The Night: By Kristin Amarie (Sultry-Mystical- Mysterious)
9. Amour Divin: By Michel Pepe – (Inspiring of Something More – Connective)

Meditative

1. Aeoliah – Angel Love
2. The Angels of Comfort
3. Om Mani Padme Hum
4. Void Visuals – Cosmic Floating
5. Void Visuals – The Infinite In Between
6. Zen Waterfall
7. 5 min meditation anyone can do anywhere
8. Mental reset in 5 minutes – guided mindfulness meditation
9. 10 minute mindfulness meditation | Be Present 
10. Relaxing Sleep Music – Deep Sleeping Music
11. Beautiful Relaxing Music – peaceful piano
12. Beautiful Relaxing Music for stress Relief

Inspirational

1. Cleveland clinic empathy
2. Giving is the Best Gift – Thai life commercials
3. Life Through Meaning
4. L’Ascension Celeste
5. Korea’s Got Talent – Homeless Boy
6. Professional Wrestler Moment – Marc Mero’s Emotional Mother’s Day Story

 

PERCEPTION AND PERSPECTIVE

1. Dimensions – Cosmic Eye
2. Watching Flowers Bloom
3. Fire & Ice – National Geographic
4. Kingdom of Colors
5. Ink Motion in Water – (Stirs the Imagination)
6. Five years of sun close up images
7. Birds in flight – Possibilities – Magical Perspective

 

COMMENTARY PAPERS

• Philosophical Influences on Freud and Jung – Foundations of Psychology
• Transpersonal Psychology – Another Approach to Counseling