Chronic Illness and Eating Disorders
Many of the women who attend Mirasol have sometimes had multiple hospitalizations and may have had multiple stays at a variety of rehabs or aftercare facilities. They may have put tremendous emotional strains on their families and have drained the family's financial resources. All of these unsuccessful attempts to become well result in feelings of shame and self-loathing, which make symptoms even more severe. They are feeling like failures and have lost hope! Always remember that it is not the person who has failed treatment but the type of treatment has failed the person!
The staff at Mirasol are experts in understanding chronic illness and all of its emotional components. They can help women to live free of their symptoms and teach them how to maintain recovery. They realize that not unless all aspects of a client's illness are treated, she will not be able to maintain recovery.
Holistic Recovery
In 1999, Mirasol became the first treatment center in the United States to offer true holistic treatment. Mirasol's expert staff takes an integrated approach to support women who suffer from severe depression in conjunction with chronic disease in finding stability and peace in recovery. They also recognize that a long history of struggling with depression can exacerbate the symptoms of chronic disease. Integrative treatment is essential for these clients.
Each woman attending Mirasol, an outstanding integrative treatment center, is treated in every aspect of her being: mentally, neurologically, physically, spiritually, emotionally, sexually, intellectually – literally every part of herself.
Each woman learns new strategies in key areas of interpersonal skills, dealing with and managing stress including emotional regulation skills. Daily living skills help her make the most of a life that has previously been full of pain and discomfort. She can learn to live a life that is full with pain and discomfort greatly reduced.
At Mirasol, a person will realize that she's not alone and that there are others that are suffering from the same conditions that have made her life so difficult. Mirasol provides an environment where women feel safe expressing their deepest feelings and sharing their difficulties and challenges. They learn that they can safely share traumatic experiences without judgment of any kind.
How We Treat Chronic Disease
Mirasol's highly trained staff helps clients cope with the mental and emotional challenges of a chronic illness. Emotional challenges require an approach that is effective and positive. When a client experiences strong feelings of failure and hopelessness, learning to feel good about the future may seem impossible, but gradually, step-by-step, the client learns that she can begin to manage the illness, feel well and begin to create the life she wants to live.
A qualified treatment team led by Mirasol's licensed therapists can help the individual build the emotional resilience necessary to navigate the difficulties of chronic illness. Working with our physician and other specialists, the team can help the person develop appropriate coping strategies that will not only reinforce her individualized treatment program, but also help find fulfillment in life regardless of physical limitations.
At Mirasol, clients learn to cope with chronic illness by:
- Developing a strong social support system.
- Learning appropriate self-care.
- Learning how to keep illness from getting in the way of eating property, getting rest, exercise, and having fun.
- Learning how to maintain a daily routine of work, errands, household chores, and hobbies as much as possible. A strong structure helps a person deal with the uncertainties inherent in the illness.
- Teaching our client to develop a feeling of stability amid the chaos and uncertainty of the illness.
It is possible to feel hopeful about life and to live the kind of life one dreams of living even while coping with a chronic illness.
