Clair Bradshaw - Get Well Therapy

Get Well Therapy Clair Bradshaw, R. N. Illustrated by R. W. Alley Abbey Press All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. Text copyright 1996 by Clair Bradshaw
Illustrations copyright 1996 by Saint Meinrad Archabbey ISBN: 978-1-4976-8029-6 Abbey Press Publications
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www.openroadmedia.com Foreword When youre sick, youre sick as a whole personnot just with your physical being but with your mind, your emotions, and your spirit too. Your physical ailment affects every part of youand, in turn, how every part of you is functioning affects your illness. So, while youre getting medical advice and care, theres much more you can do to help in your coping and recovery. You can foster a positive attitude, give yourself encouragement, and tap into rich sources of spiritual and psychological strength. At the same time, you can learn from your illness, andas unlikely as it may now soundallow it to enrich your life as it opens your soul to greater wisdom and compassion. Get Well Therapy is a guide to facing illness with your entire being.

Its soothing words and illuminating illustrations will encourage and inspire you through the course of recovery, through uncertainty and fear, through loss and change. Whether youre facing a short-term infirmity, a chronic illness, or a potentially terminal disease, Get Well Therapy can help you move toward serenity and peaceand a wellness that transcends the words on a medical chart. 1. Accept the uncertainty of recovery. You cannot know every twist and turn of your journey toward healing. Rest in the only certainty there isGods embracing love for you. 2. Write down your fears and seal them in an envelope addressed to God.

Trust that the Creator has already read whats inside. 3. Choose to be brave. Having courage doesnt mean that youre without fear. It means only that youve decided to act upon life in spite of those fears. 4. Make a commitment to optimism. Though you cant choose your circumstances, you can choose how you respond to them.

Having a positive outlook is a choice, not something that just happens to you. 5. Give yourself the time you need to heal. Even if youre usually patient, waiting for recovery can be frustrating. Dont try to race ahead to where you think you should be. Now is the time to listen to your bodylike an understanding parent who sets a slower pace to accommodate a childs shorter stride. 6. The healing process is often a mystery, and doctors prognoses are only predictions based on averages.

They dont take into account how unique you are. Remember that youre the expert about your body and what youre able to do. 7. If you think of yourself as a victim of your illness, thats what youll be. Reach for the role of victor or conqueror instead. 8. Trust your inner voice. 9. Set aside a regular meditation time. 9. Set aside a regular meditation time.

These moments can become a refuge in a period of crisis, uncertainty, questioning. We often need to be very still to hear God. 10. Its normal to feel sadness and depression when youre not well. Many kinds of losses can come with being sick: changes in your abilities, appearance, job performance, relationships, lifestyle. Face your losses and grieve them. 11. Anger can be empowering when its properly channeled. 11. Anger can be empowering when its properly channeled.

Use outrage as an ally in fighting your infirmity. It can ward off debilitating depression and give you the energy and motivation to get movingphysically, mentally, emotionally. 12. The fear of pain and resistance to it can increase pain dramatically. Pray for the strength to lean into the pain. Explore different pain management techniques such as visualization, progressive relaxation, biofeedback, and therapeutic massage. 13. Be open to alternative therapies that honor your soul as well as your body.

Traditional medicine wont have all the answers about healing. Your spirit can be your greatest recovery tool. 14. Sleepless nights can be a special time. Take a warm bath at midnight, indulge in your favorite video at three in the morning, make a list of nice things you can do for yourself, pray for everyone whos in need. 15. Ask for help. Youve lent a hand to others in need in the past.

Theres probably someone in your life who would be genuinely blessed by helping you now.