Complex mental, physical and emotional health
When wellbeing issues overlap
Complex health issues describe the intricate, overlapping relationship between often long-term physical illnesses (such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome / ME, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular conditions or rare health conditions) and emotional wellbeing issues. Physical pain can fuel psychological strain and psychological strain directly amplifies physical symptoms through shared neurological pathways.
Roughly 15 million people in the UK live with at least one chronic physical health condition. Research consistently tells us that people with this life situation are three times more likely to experience significant anxiety, panic, low mood or depression compared to people who do not live with complex health issues. This may be even more difficult for someone with a neurodiverse brain design.
Unpredictable and difficult to disentangle experiences
People can experience unpredictable flares of physical pain or symptoms, exhaustion, compounded by brain fog, health anxiety, panic about the future or mood swings. It can be difficult working out what is triggering what.
Over time, complex health issues can impact on someone’s identity, their life purpose and meaning, working through a grief that what they thought life would bring is not what they are experiencing in reality.
A grounded approach to supporting your wellbeing
Long-term health issues can act as a barrier that blocks a person from meeting almost all their basic emotional needs such as autonomy, connection, community, self worth (termed status or respect) and security.
Our support is focused on helping someone to process or come to terms with their life situation and keep grounded in understanding that their needs can still be met safely within the boundaries of their life situation – and that this can bring a meaningful, fulfilling life. It can be a more long-term therapeutic relationship. We focus on reducing emotional distress, worry and frustration surrounding your condition, and making sense of everyday experiences. By calming the nervous system, we help quieten the neural pathways that amplify physical pain and fatigue. We work in partnership to create space for each person to build their identity, clarity about what matters most to them and how they can achieve this in practice.
This work may also include guided imagery (deep relaxation or meditation). In addition, processing events and experiences which meets threshold of trauma, can be supported through trauma-focused CBT approaches as well as the Human Givens' rewind technique (validated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists) and work with other loved ones as couples therapy or family therapy.