Like many conditions that fall under the umbrella of 'women's health', endometriosis has long been unknown or misunderstood. In many ways, endometriosis retains an air of mystery. It can be a long and painful road to diagnosis and treatment. All of this can have a heavy emotional toll, and this can manifest in our mental state and our physical wellbeing. In addition to the physical symptoms of endometriosis, this emotional weight might lead to anxiety or depression, or to other experiences like panic attacks, outbursts of anger, lethargy and difficulty sleeping. There is some good news, which is that it feels as if we are beginning to speak more openly and frequently about endometriosis. I've recently commented for the Mail Online about endometriosis, click here for the full article.
So how can counselling help us in coping with endometriosis?
Talking without judgement. If you've sought or achieved a diagnosis of endometriosis, then it's possible that you've been down a long road of being misunderstood. It’s often the case that women’s symptoms are brushed off, minimised or ignored. Or the symptoms might be taken seriously, but the answer isn’t simple. This can leave us feeling anxious or frightened that the pain will continue unchecked. It might leave us feeling frustrated or angry about the way in which endometriosis is seen and misunderstood. There’s traditionally been a taboo and a sense of shame around areas of women’s health. We might expend time and energy masking our symptoms in order to cope with everyday life. Counselling offers a space to air all of these frustrations and feelings, to validate our feelings and to process them without fear of judgement.
Exploring thoughts about the future. Endometriosis sometimes leaves us with unanswered questions, particularly in relation to fertility or our future health. We might keep these fears to ourself, for fear of being judged or worrying other people. In counselling we can talk freely about these thoughts and fears, and there they might come from.
Relationships. When we suffer from endometriosis, it's possible that it has an impact on our relationships with our friends and family. This can lead to all sorts of feelings, including sadness, embarrassment, or sometimes shame. Counselling offers the chance to look at our relationships, and what's going on.
The person underneath. Endometriosis doesn't have to define who we are. So while counselling can help us to cope and try to make sense of our experience, it's also a place where we can be ourselves. And this might involve looking at our past experiences, our self-esteem and our resilience.
Keen to explore more?
I love working with people to help them to understand themselves, and their relationships with those around them. If you’d like to learn more, please get in touch. Click here to contact me or click here to book a free 30-minute introductory chat.
