Living Fully with Illness

“Even though I am ill, I will not live like a sick person.” Dr. Jinroh Itami

(This mantra is not about denial of illness and its related side effects. Rather it is reminding us not to allow our illness to dominate our entire life.) 

This interactive program takes a wholehearted approach to living with intractable illnesses. Newly diagnosed; post treatment; active treatment and caregivers – you are all welcome! It is an opportunity to step back, ask questions, learn new skills, meet new people, and take a fresh look at what it means to co-exist with illness and still flourish. It is warm, welcoming, and practical.

My style of teaching during each session is to incorporate poetry, beauty, music, storytelling, humor and what we can practically do to improve the quality of our everyday living. And always lots of opportunity for discussion, break out rooms when helpful, and adapting this material to your needs.

This is not a program in positivity nor is it a formula. Rather it is looking at the realistic facts, and figuring out how to coexist with them, even when you don’t like it, and wish it could be different.

No special materials required. Paper and pencil and an open mind.

Click below to watch the video from the At the Centre: with Trudy Boyle to learn more!

In this series participants will explore the following weekly themes:

• Week 1: Explore Ikigai. What matters most? What are the tiny and ordinary things of daily life that lifts your spirits? Take daily action on short term purposes – things you can do now, with things as they are.
• Week 2: Play an active role in the management of your illness. What are the non-medical things that you can do to take back a modicum of control over your life.
• Week 3: Never resist a generous impulse. Finding ways every day to do something for someone else can surprise us with unexpected joyful moments.
• Week 4: Learn life-long skills for co-existing with anxiety, uncertainty, and fear of death. Consider death as a natural part of living and realistically prepare for it. (Not because you are ill but because you are a human being.)

Every week you will be gently invited to explore creativity, restfulness, something new, and engage in meaningful activities. And always, to use your attention to take in the wonders of nature, small joys, and the people in your daily life.

Benefits: 

Essentially you have the opportunity to acquire or be reminded of practical tools, which you can use to live fully with many active, purposeful, and joyful moments, while co-existing with illness. I love this quote from Dr, Art Frank at the U of Calgary.

“The ill and impaired may, in the sense of fulfilling life, be far more free than healthy people. The healthy require health as an affirmation that their will is still effective and they must continually prove this effectiveness. The ill accept their vulnerability as an affirmation that the world is perfect without  any exercise of their will, and this acceptance is their freedom… we are free only when we no longer require health, however much we may prefer it.”

You can learn more about Trudy’s work by visiting

www.livingwellwithillness.com

This event is offered through the partnership of

Sorrento Centre and Naramata Centre