How to Deal With the Fear of Bad News From Your Doctor (original) (raw)

Expert Source: Jessie Gruman, PhD, author of AfterShock: What to Do When the Doctor Gives You—Or Someone You Love—A Devastating Diagnosis, and president of the Center for Advancing Health in Washington, D.C.

It’s a nightmare scenario. The doctor determines that you or a loved one has a life-altering condition — something that is going to call on your deepest resources of strength to handle. A bad diagnosis can land like a bomb, frightening and disorienting you in a way that little else can.

Jessie Gruman has interviewed hundreds of people who have dealt with serious diagnoses, and she has survived four cancer scares herself. She asserts that even though a scary diagnosis can turn your world upside down, there are practical strategies you can use to take the best next steps and bring balance back to your life.

Barriers to Overcome

Strategies for Success

This article originally appeared as “When Your Doctor Says, “I Have Bad News”” in the November 2012 issue of Experience Life.