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Thriving in Adversity

Psychotherapeutic Experiences in a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2016

CURTIS SHELDON
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Abstract:

This article is intended to highlight the unique vulnerability associated with a severe medical illness. It outlines important considerations that are relevant to patients but perhaps especially relevant to medical providers. There are many factors that contribute to recovery from a life-threatening illness. Essential, but underestimated, factors include (1) a vision for what the meaning of your life can be; (2) simple and unexpected acts of kindness that underscore the commitment of your providers to your well-being; and (3) the character of providers and the culture of the institution, which vary tremendously and are palpable to the patient.

Keywords

illnessvulnerabilityadversitymeaningkindnesscharacterculture
Type
Departments and Columns
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 113 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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References

Notes

1. Pellegrino, ED, Thomasma, DC. A Philosophical Basis of Medical Practice. New York: Oxford University Press; 1981, at 208Google Scholar. Pellegrino writes:

When a person becomes ill, he is therefore in an exceptionally vulnerable state, one which severely compromises his customary human freedoms to use his body for transbodily purposes, to make his own decisions, to act for himself, and to accept or reject the services of another. The state of being ill is therefore one of wounded humanity, of a person compromised in his fundamental capacity to deal with his vulnerability.

2. Viktor Frankl was professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. He established a system of logotherapy/existential analysis founded on humanity’s freedom to will and humanity’s will to meaning. He attributed much of his understanding to observations made as a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp. Frankl VE. The Will to Meaning. New York: Washington Square Press; 1985.

3. Pattakos A. Prisoners of Our Thoughts. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler; 2004, at 4:

This book explores seven Core Principles that I have derived from Frankl’s work: (1) we are free to choose our attitude toward everything that happens to us; (2) we can realize our will to meaning by making a conscious commitment to meaningful values and goals; (3) we can find meaning in all of life’s moments; (4) we can learn to see how we work against ourselves; (5) we can look at ourselves from a distance and gain insight and perspective as well as laugh at ourselves; (6) we can shift our focus of attention when coping with difficult situations; and (7) we can reach out beyond ourselves and make a difference in the world. These seven principles, which I believe form the foundation of Frankl’s work, are available to us anytime, all the time. They lead us to meaning, to freedom, and to deep connection to our own lives as well as to the lives of others in our local and global communities.

4. See note 2, Frankl 1985, at 101.

5. See note 3, Pattakos 2004.

6. Frankl, VE. Viktor Frankl Recollections: An Autobiography. New York: Plenum Press; 1997, at 98.Google Scholar