Therapy Alongside Chronic Illness in Los Angeles
Whether life-long allergies, asthma or eczema; diabetes, stroke, COPD, or cancer; hepatitis C, HIV / AIDS, HPV, or other medical issues; the results are that more and more people contend with health challenges that may be kept in check but are lifelong.
Whether a person contends with a new diagnosis, a new phase of the disease, or simply wants a safe space to reflect, appreciate life, and make good decisions, a few sessions or a series of sessions may be of long-lasting support.
Common Symptoms of Chronic Illness
- Persistent fatigue(not relieved by rest)
- Chronic pain (muscle, joint, nerve, or widespread pain)
- Brain fog (difficulty concentrating, memory issues)
- Sleep problems (insomnia or unrefreshing sleep)
- Digestive issues (nausea, bloating, diarrhea, constipation)
- Shortness of breath
- Frequent infections or slow recovery
- Headaches or migraines
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Inflammation (swelling, stiffness, redness)
- Weight changes (gain or loss)
- Sensitivity to light, sound, temperature, or foods
- Mood changes (anxiety, depression—often secondary to chronic illness)
- Reduced ability to perform daily activities
Symptoms Often Seen in Autoimmune or Inflammatory Conditions
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Low-grade fevers
- Rashes or skin changes
- Flare-ups followed by periods of remission
Therapy for Chronic Illness and Long-Term Conditions
Lifelong allergies, asthma or eczema. Diabetes, stroke, COPD or cancer. Hepatitis, autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, long COVID. Therapy for chronic illness is not treatment for the illness; it is treatment for the life being lived around it.
Chronic conditions take up time, attention and identity. Appointments accumulate. Plans get made provisionally. People describe becoming a project they manage rather than a person they are.
What comes up in the work
Grief for the body and the future you expected. Anger at a medical system that treats symptoms in isolation. The exhaustion of explaining an invisible condition to people who need it to be either serious or fine. Fear around every new symptom. And the guilt of feeling like a burden to partners, family and friends.
Anxiety and depression are common companions to long-term illness and are treated as real in their own right, not dismissed as an understandable reaction.
Partners, families and carers
Illness lands on a household. Partners of chronically ill people carry a load that rarely gets named, and asking for support can feel like a betrayal. That work happens here too, individually or as a couple. Where sexual life has changed through illness, medication or fatigue, sex therapy for couples addresses it directly.
Getting started
Consultations are free and run 15 to 40 minutes. Call (310) 927-1755, email michael@michaelneetherapy.com, or use the contact page. The office is at 13101 W. Washington Boulevard, Suite 454, Los Angeles, CA 90066, in Mar Vista near the Culver City line, and telehealth is available anywhere in California.