start of my career . There are so many great free resources that patients can utilize without having to go to school or pay for a degree . The Social Health Network offers a Patient Leader Certification course that I helped to design . It ’ s 100 % free and offers patients , caregivers , and allies an opportunity to explore how their skillsets can fit into the world of advocacy .
How does Medical Gaslighting build on your first book , Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness ?
My first book was really meant for young adults and adults who were recently diagnosed . I like to think of it as the beginner ’ s guide to independence with a chronic illness or disability . Medical Gaslighting is really going deep into the subject of women ’ s health and helping patients to gain awareness of how we ’ re being treated in the exam room . It is also stuffed with examples , scenarios and advice on how to respond to it .
How can society work to erase Medical Gaslighting from the medical world ? Do you believe it can ever be removed entirely ?
Medical Gaslighting stems from medical bias , which is something that is deeply , deeply ingrained in the medical system . It ’ s written into textbooks , coded into insurance and enmeshed in research . I think there are a lot of doctors who are firmly set in their way to continue practicing medicine the way it is . Fortunately , I think they will leave medicine one way or another within the next few decades , leaving room for new talent with better education to come through . Erasing medical gaslighting will not happen overnight , which is why I was so determined to create a resource for women to help them survive until that happens .
What do you hope to accomplish with the publication of Medical Gaslighting ?
I ’ d like to keep women alive long enough to see changes in the medical system itself . I think there ’ s also a lot of longing for understanding and direction when it comes to facing medical gaslighting . We want to be heard and understood , but we also want to know what to do about it . It ’ s not enough to be aware and vigilant . The tools and strategy are so needed right now . I hope this book gives women methods to try that may actually make a difference in their care .
Medical gaslighting can have severe mental and emotional consequences . What are the psychological effects of this phenomenon , and how can patients heal from the trauma of being dismissed ?
Medical Trauma can show up in many ways : depression from the hopelessness of not being believed . Anxiety from having to be in medical settings where they ’ ve experienced traumatic situations before . Hospitalizations and surgeries may cause recurrent stress from poor past experiences . I spoke with Dr . Michelle Flaum , acclaimed professor and creator of the first medical trauma course for Xavier University . She gave some excellent advice on different somatic therapies that might be more beneficial for patients than traditional cognitive behavioral therapies most patients are referred for . I shared this in my book .
How has your own experience with chronic illness shaped your perspective on the doctor-patient relationship , and what have been some of the most empowering moments in your healthcare journey ?
I look at the doctor-patient relationship as a dating pool . You ’ re going to find some great matches and you ’ re going to have encounters that will make you want to climb out the bathroom window . As I wrote about in the book , I have had some truly awful , unnerving experiences with providers . But I ’ ve also had truly beautiful experiences as well . I ’ ve had physicians who were collaborative , empathetic and genuinely curious and innovative when it came to my treatment . I ’ ve seen great relationships come out of terrible experiences and I know how powerful it can be when a physician works with you instead of against you .
In your work as an author , patient advocate and influencer , are there any significant moments or achievements that stand out for you ?
Writing the books were always a main goal of mine . I didn ’ t even
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