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Hello dear readers! Today is a heavy topic: Fatal diagnosis. This article describes the stages of psychological acceptance of a terminal illness. God grant that this grief bypasses you.
Psychological defense mechanisms
Everyone knows that life will not be eternal. But most people believe that they will live to a ripe old age and only then will they leave for another world. But sometimes it happens in a completely different way: a person may find out that he has an incurable disease.
Depending on the type of disease, the remaining days may vary. Of course, a person is experiencing severe stress. In most cases, further perception of the situation and oneself in it occurs as follows:
1. Shock and denial
At first, the patient is not yet fully aware of what has happened. Then he begins to ask the question “Why me?” And in the end he comes to the conclusion that he is not sick, and in every possible way denies health problems.
Some never move on to the next stage. They continue to go to hospitals in search of confirmation of their opinion that they are healthy. Or – completely denying the fatal diagnosis, they continue to live as usual.
2. Anger
At this stage, the person is frustrated. He is offended, angry and does not understand how this could happen. During this period, difficulties in communication appear due to aggressiveness and anger.
A person takes out his anger on others (based on the thought “If I got sick, then why are they healthy?”) Or gets angry with himself, thinking that the disease was sent to him as a punishment for some wrong actions.
3. Deal
When the anger disappears and the emotions calm down a little, the person begins to try to find a solution to the problem and, as it were, “negotiate”. He will try to look for the best doctors, buy expensive medicines, go to psychics. He will make a promise to God: never sin again.
Thus, a person tries to get health in exchange for money or for his moral behavior.
4. Depression
Signs of depression appear: psychomotor retardation, insomnia, apathy, anhedonia, and even suicidal tendencies. This is due to the fact that having learned his diagnosis, a person loses his former social status. Problems may arise at work and the attitude of loved ones and relatives may change.
5. Acceptance
Having tried all the methods of struggle, tired emotionally and physically, a person nevertheless realizes and accepts that death cannot be avoided.
Thus, death is accepted in 5 stages. But after realizing the inevitability, the mechanisms of psychological defense are turned on, which do not completely give up the spirit.
These can be both standard (projection, sublimation, dissociation, etc.) and specific (belief in one’s own exclusivity, belief in the ultimate savior) mechanisms. The latter, to a greater extent, relate to the manifestations of psychological protection with the fear of death, so we will consider them in a little more detail.
Belief in your own exclusivity
A person realizes that he, like some others, is terminally ill, but deep down he experiences an irrational hope that he will be the one to be cured.
Faith in the ultimate savior
The person knows that he is terminally ill and it will be difficult and difficult for him. But he is not alone in the Universe and in a critical situation someone will come to his aid: God, spouse, relatives.
Friends, I will be glad to any of your comments on this topic. Share this information with your friends on social media. networks. 😉 Always be healthy!