Obstacles?

One of the key concerns for those who find themselves recently “labeled” is whether or not this label will result in what we’ll term for this context “tunnel vision.” Will they focus on the negative? What information will they find that “validates” the label while avoiding the actual source of their newly named challenge?

Will this become the one thing that rules their life--or what will they allow to rule it? And what about the response from families and friends? One of the hardest challenges those of us who have dealt with this situation personally face is others’ misunderstanding, potential lack of empathy, and heightened emotions because of the situation. Sometimes that which we do not fully understand ourselves can be difficult to explain to others, making their responses come across as unfeeling. The fact may be that your family member or friend simply has no frame of reference, and since the symptoms you may have aren’t staring them in the face, they don’t know how to react.

The current state of Western medicine is all about the convenience of a “label.” It’s all about out-diagnosing everyone else. What label, what diagnosis, what box, what category can someone be put in as an attempt at understanding is made. Healthcare professionals, most of them meaning well, do this daily. This labeling and “boxing” can have serious, unintended side effects. The most serious of these side effects is the aforementioned tunnel vision, but this tunnel vision can lead to more grave consequences.

This is why we advocate caution when it comes to where to begin in the wake of what we’ll term as a “labeling diagnosis.”

If we don’t take proper care, we lose sight of the options we have, the hope we can cultivate, and the ability we have to truly understand how we can best progress toward wellness.