The moment of diagnosis...

The moment of diagnosis creates profound disorientation. We gather our wits to respond to the medical requirements of the event. We consult with our physicians and we take action. Once the initial flurry of treatment is concluded, we often feel a void. Sooner or later it becomes apparent that we have unanswered questions and needs unmet.

Life is now forever changed. We feel mounting uncertainty, distracting us from our central task of responding to this new medical challenge as well as living our lives fully and completely.

There is help in achieving clarity.
There is a process to follow.

The Elements include

Controlling Anxiety

This is a first and seminal step. We must gain control of our emotional state before we can effectively process what has happened to us. The anxiety that usually attends can be both profoundly distracting and exhausting. It behooves each of us to understand the basic physiology of anxiety and then learn various techniques to control it. Many people find breathing and meditative techniques effective, but they are not instant or quick fixes. It takes time and regular practice to be able to control our internal emotional state through these means.

Finding Our Meaning

Meaning may be the only thing we can control as we face medical uncertainty. When we are given life-threatening diagnoses, we are called to consider for the first time the real possibility that completion of life is near. Most often, we had not expected to take this journey; this is inherently disorientating, commanding us to awaken to our own meaning.

Knowing Where You Are

Requires a situational assessment in the broadest sense on multiple levels: in terms of your disease process, your treatment alternatives, your life—economically, emotionally, spiritually, and existentially.  This is a big bite and will be an ongoing process.

Connecting to the Infinite

The questions that we face push us to define for ourselves issues beyond our experience. Some of us feel compelled to embrace ideas beyond self.

Making a Plan

This is what human beings do to move forward. Plans help us complete our thoughts and return to life. As the situation presents itself, we will make plans and then reformulate them as our situations evolve and new information or treatment options become available.

Life Completion in Real Time

Finding our way back to living fully and meaningfully in the face of uncertainty requires intention.  Pushed forward by transformational urgency, we can embrace the now completely and more fully live our lives in real time.