When Your Gut Feeling Isn't Quite Right: How Therapy Can Help Manage Celiac Disease

By Molly Stackhouse

As therapists, we often see clients grappling with the emotional weight of chronic illness. We see clients with a range of chronic illnesses and gut issues. Today we will explore Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, presenting unique challenges. However, you may relate to much of this blog if you experience any number of health related issues with your gut. 

With Celiac Disease, there's the strict gluten-free diet, but there's also several additional challenges patients face including social isolation, the frustration of flare-ups, lack of understanding from friends/family/society, and the constant vigilance required. These factors can take a significant toll on mental well-being.

Here's how therapy can be a powerful tool in managing celiac disease:

Navigating Grief and Loss:  Celiac can feel like a loss of your favorite foods, the spontaneity of social gatherings, and even a sense of normalcy. Therapy provides a safe space to grieve these losses and explore healthy ways to cope with them.

Building Self-Compassion:  Living with a chronic illness can be isolating. Therapy can help you develop self-compassion,  recognizing the effort you put into managing your health and celebrating your victories, big and small.

Developing Coping Mechanisms:  Stress can worsen celiac symptoms. Therapy can equip you with stress management techniques like mindfulness meditation, relaxation exercises, and healthy communication skills.

Building Resilience:  Flare-ups are inevitable, but you don't have to be defined by them. Therapy can help you develop resilience, the ability to bounce back from setbacks and maintain a positive outlook.

Social Support and Advocacy:  Feeling alone with your condition can worsen emotional well-being. Therapy can help you connect with support groups and explore strategies for advocating for yourself in social situations.

Feeling like your doctor isn't listening? Don't be discouraged! Advocate for yourself. If you suspect a rare condition, be prepared to discuss your thoughts, feelings and symptoms with your doctor. Some symptoms can be tricky to describe. Keeping a symptom journal that tracks frequency and severity can help you communicate clearly with your doctor.

Living with celiac disease, and any chronic illness, is a journey. Therapy can be a valuable companion on that path.  A therapist can be your sounding board, a source of support, and a guide as you develop the emotional tools to manage your condition and thrive.

Remember, you are not alone. If you're struggling with celiac disease, you deserve to feel empowered and in control of your health – mind and body.

Authorship: This blog was written by Molly Stackhouse, LPC. Molly Stackhouse specializes in working with adults (18+) who want to heal from unresolved childhood trauma, trauma following a specific event, or specific conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, chronic illness etc.

*Disclaimer: The information in this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health care nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.

IFS EMDR Therapy Groupis an outpatient therapy group founded by Morgan Levine. We specialize in helping adults struggling with the effects of living in dysfunctional systems move toward healing and wholeness. We provide therapy to address symptoms such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, grief, obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviors including but not limited to using work, perfectionism, substances, relationships, food, etc. We offer ongoing support as well as EMDR intensives; both of which are informed by IFS, EMDR, DBT, CBT, Polyvagal Theory, trauma-informed yoga, attachment, and other recovery principles. Our therapists work virtually with clients living throughout Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Colorado and Florida. Morgan Levine also provides trauma-informed consultation to therapists worldwide. Want to work with us? Schedule a free consultation here:https://ifsemdrtherapy.com/contact-us.