Medical Gaslighting

What is Medical Gaslighting?

Today I want to shed light on a crucial issue that many people face in their healthcare journey, medical gaslighting. This is a dangerous phenomenon where patient’s symptoms are downplayed, dismissed or actually denied by healthcare professionals. Their intuition and wisdom are dismissed. This leads to delayed diagnosis, disease progression and inadequate treatment. It does harm to mental and emotional well-being and can leave people marginalized and isolated sometimes even from the people closest to them. Medical gaslighting can have severe consequences and can even be deadly. It’s a real and pervasive issue that demands our attention and proactive measures. Health coaches can play a pivotal role. Here are some of the ways in which I help clients navigate this situation.

💥 Education and Empowerment: Helping clients to better understand their conditions is extremely empowering. They are better able to self advocate, ensuring that their concerns are heard and taken seriously. Medical literacy and learning to self track symptoms will lead to more productive practitioner appointments.

💥 Patient Advocacy: I help clients prepare for their practitioner appointments by helping them to organize their thoughts and to prepare lists of questions and data points to be discussed. We anticipate possible negativity and arrogance and then reinforce feelings of security in knowledge and experience. We discuss calming strategies that can be done prior to or even during appointments.

💥 Emotional Support: Sometimes the most impactful thing a coach can do is to listen. Deeply listen and hold space. Many clients experience medical gaslighting not only from their healthcare teams, but from family and friends as well. Many clients feel that there is no one in their lives who believes them or can understand or relate to what they’re going through. Not only is this devastating emotionally, it can inhibit recovery and exacerbate the disease process. We cannot deny the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. The body really does keep the score.

Let’s continue to raise awareness about medical gaslighting and champion the role that health coaches can play in promoting patient advocacy and empowerment. Everyone deserves a healthcare environment that truly values and prioritizes the well-being of every individual.