Ghosts in the nursery: The secret thoughts of a sick child's parents

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Abstract

Parents facing a child's illness is difficult, nearly unbearable. In addition to the fear for their child's wellbeing, medical tests-even the entire health care system-seems to intrude upon family life, interrupting the family routine, disrupting the ability to live a normal life, and sometimes reintroducing thoughts of unprocessed traumas from the parents' pasts. This paper will explore how a therapist can expose how deep personal secrets-rejection, disgrace, disappointment-and subsequent feelings of guilt and shame arise during these crises, propose how to work with parents, and assist parents in processing these secrets.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-102
Number of pages22
JournalAmerican Journal of Psychotherapy
Volume68
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Damaged child
  • Ill child
  • Parents
  • Secrets
  • Unthinkable thoughts

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