Fritz Perls states that: 'sickness is the ultimate unfinished business. It can only be finished by death or cure.' 

Is this so?

Yep, I think there is truth in that statement. In my view illness (depending on its severity) causes a crisis: Who am I now? I have lost control of my body and developing a new relationship with it is immanent... I cannot be how I once was... Attitudes about illness abound..shame, concealment, fear of defeat. All good substance for the therapy session.

That Perls considers it unfinished business, in my mind, suggests that most North Americans have bought into the Human Potential movements egocentric belief that we can control our reality, including our bodies, and as a result sickness becomes an existential crisis of unanticipated proportions. (It is like engaging a cultural fixed belief.)

I see in my clients that under the stress of illness, they revert to old patterns of behaviour, so that illness is accompanied/plagued by old outdated coping mechanisms. So healing becomes an inner (neurosis) journey as well as an outward (physical) one. (I may have simplified things too much with the inner/outer contrast.) Recovering from a serious illness becomes a tremendous milestone - and I do think the mind and body do it hand in hand.

I think the following books are useful: Jon Kabat-Zinn's books: Full Catastrophe Living (Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness) is a good read/resource...as is: Wherever you go, there you are. Kabat-Zinn is the guru of Mindfulness meditation and that is so helpful for people working with pain and stress. There is a whole world to explore in simply sitting - and it brings relief in unexpected ways.

And anything by Pema Chodron.

Inese Gravlejs, MFA, RP, OACCPP