THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF HAVING HIV
BACKGROUND FOR THE FACILITATOR
When first receiving the test results it is natural to feel shock, grief, anger, fear, sadness and guilt or embarrassment, or being too
afraid to tell anyone. Some people are afraid of becoming very sick or even that their lives have just ended. They feel they are going
to die soon. Often they feel angry with the person that has given them the virus or guilty of what they have done. Some might feel
that they are bad people, or that God is punishing them for something they have done. Or, some may feel nothing at all: they may
be in shock or denial.
Some people might feel sad that they are HIV positive, but are relieved by just learning their status because they have feared it without
knowing for sure. It might be that their friends or other family members have tested positive too, and now they can stop worrying
about getting infected by their loved ones. All of these reactions are understandable: they are absolutely normal, and for most people,
they pass with time.
Whatever the emotions that are experienced, it is extremely important for one to deal with them rather than just bottling them up.
These negative emotions may affect the CD4 counts of patients in a negative manner, whereas experiencing positive emotions may
help increase these counts.
LIFE MAPS
Goals:
To identify experiences and emotions
To share their stories
To identify current coping skills
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Each participant is asked to draw a life map that includes people involved, emotions that are present, difficulties that are
encountered and the position of HIV on the life map (these are just examples of what could be on the map.)
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The facilitator can show them an example of a life map.
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Create a safe environment and encourage emotional expression.
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Give each person a chance to share his or her life map with the group. Start with a volunteer. Use the time to discuss more
than half of the participants' maps. Use sheets of paper and list the emotions, difficulties and challenges on one side of the
paper, and positive experiences and coping skills on the other side.
The facilitator draws the map beforehand as an example to guide a short introduction on emotional impact of HIV. When you draw
the life map, make a suggestion that the person draws himself o