Presented by Lexie Pfeiffer, PhD
Dr. Pfeiffer earned her specialized training in sand tray work at Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education. She earned her degree in marriage and family therapy from Brigham Young University and is currently in private practice in Holiday, Utah.
Sand tray therapy is a form of expressive therapy that allows a person a creative way to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and gain acceptance of self. Dr. Pfeiffer spoke to us about chronic illness as it relates to grief and how to go through the grief process through the sand tray therapy process.
Because chronic illness is a loss, it is important to grieve. Internalizing emotions can be painful, while sharing emotions can be relieving. Internalizing emotions can create distance in relationships, while sharing them can create connection. While this is not in any way a cure for the debilitating effects of ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia, it may offer an new way for you to process through some of the grief you may have experienced since your diagnosis.
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The Bateman Horne Center holds monthly education meetings on the first Wednesday of each month on a wide variety of topics. Patients in the Salt Lake City area are invited to attend in person, and the sessions are broadcast via YouTube live stream, making them available to all. After the education meeting takes place, all recordings are archived here on the BHC blog and on the BHC YouTube channel.
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Lucinda Bateman, MD, is a renowned clinician, researcher, and educator. Her Johns Hopkins University Medical School training instilled an approach to care that she has employed throughout her career - the patient comes first and the unknown or unexplained does not equate to a lack of proper and compassionate care. Since starting her own practice in 2000, she has served on six boards or committees, been the principal investigator for 45 studies, authored/coauthored 40 journal articles, served as adjunct instructor and adjunct assistant professor in the University of Utah Departments of Preventative Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Anesthesiology, and lectured around the world.