Reflecting on
Illness
Something has happened to your body, and the life you knew is no longer yours.
© Illness
Overview
Reflecting on Illness is a guided journal for living inside a body that has changed. It does not try to fix anything. A reflective journal for setting your thoughts down honestly, so the experience need not live only inside you.
What's inside
A short opening, then four movements: noticing, separating, softening, returning. Each two-page spread holds one reflection and a quiet space to write. It ends without wrapping anything up. Not a substitute for medical care; if things feel hard to carry, speak with a clinician you trust. Nothing here is owed.
Draws on the following research
Mehling, W., and colleagues, on interoception and the perception of bodily sensation prior to interpretation.
Kross, E., and Ayduk, O., on self distanced reflection and the regulation of distress.
Neff, K., on self compassion; with Albertson, E., on its application to body image.
Hayes, S., on acceptance and commitment; with McCracken, L., on its application to chronic pain and illness.