You Are Living and Dying by Melissa Williams, PhD

The diagnosis of a terminal illness changes everything, absolutely everything. A life event such as a terminal illness can affect you in ways that you never expected. Coping with the demands and decision making of this process can be exhausting. Normal everyday tasks seem too hard and sometimes you don’t know how you will get through the day.

The right therapist can help with the decisions such as Advanced Care Directive, end-of-life options such as medical treatments you want and do not want, and the many other legal, medical, and moral issues that need to be resolved in a timely manner.

When you are living with a terminal illness, you want to ensure that you are taken care of in the best way possible, and that you are not a burden to your loved ones. In addition to dealing with your body’s demise, you are taking in an incredible amount of medical information and making very important decisions that will affect you and your loved ones now and in the future.

So many questions come up and need an answer. Questions such as,

“Who do I tell?”, and “How do I tell them?”

“Who will take care of me?”

Finding your way in making these important decisions can be daunting. With all of the medical and legal information you are trying to understand and research, as well as the relationship issues that you face, you need all of the support that you can get as you go through this period in your life. Knowing how to deal with the decisions and issues is a process that is unique for everyone, and when you are doing something that you have not dealt with before, a professional is a big help.

Making this transition as simple and as meaningful as you can for yourself and everyone involved will bring you peace in the precious time you have left.

This is a time when people realize what is important and what is not so important. Talking with a therapist reveals what you truly want for yourself and your relationships and helps in choosing what is important and what must be done to complete your life to your satisfaction.

Along with the challenges of a terminal illness, there are invaluable gifts. Appreciating the quality and gifts of your relationships is a natural process at this stage in your life.

In this reflecting of your life and relationships, the value of your relationships is heightened, and this is also an opportunity to heal some past wounds in relationships. In talks with a therapist, you have the opportunity to rewrite some things in your past that you might have wanted to do differently and to decide on your choices moving forward. Perhaps you need to visit someone or take a journey that you have always wanted to take.

Imagine being content and at peace with yourself knowing that you have done everything you could to make the best decisions that serve everyone involved. Just as you have medical doctors to guide you through the physical process, the right therapist will help you with the emotional process and can help you as you heal any unresolved issues for yourself and those close to you. While you are the expert in your life, your therapist is the expert in the process you are going through and will help you to discover other perspectives into the issues at hand. Being able to rest easy that you have done your best is what people want in life.

– One thing that helps people, ill or not, is to plan one thing that is pleasing to them each and every day. Then you have something to look forward to that is enjoyable.

Dr. Melissa Williams

Dr. Melissa Williams is a doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy. Her office is located in Ft. Lauderdale and she is available for in-office, in-home, and online therapy sessions via the internet. Please call for a free phone consultation to see if we are a good fit.

Call Melissa Williams at 954-391-5305, ext. 512

Her web site link is https://www.drmelissavalentina.com/