Most people know or love someone who’s a cancer survivor. But it’s not just the cancer patient who survives and hopefully recovers from this kind of medical trauma. Caregivers, while they didn’t have to personally weather the life-threatening illness and its treatment, they did so by proxy, holding the patient up emotionally, physically and logistically while still managing and usually repressing their own fears and exhaustion. 

Most caregivers put their own needs, and even their lives, on hold when their loved ones are suffering or undergoing treatment. And then, when the worst is over and it’s time to move forward, it’s not just the patient who must recover. The caregiver needs and deserves time, grace and support to do so as well. This journey can be especially complex in the case of romantic relationships as it becomes necessary to shift out of caregiver and patient roles back to partners and lovers…

In this Language of Love Session, I have a follow up chat with a listener, Veronica, whose boyfriend has now finally finished cancer treatment. Against all odds, he’s now in remission. But instead of the celebration she was expecting, Veronica finds her life remaining on pause as she waits for her love to come back to the relationship they were building at the time of his diagnosis. Instead of excitement about enjoying their lives after their harrowing year, he’s been depressed, angry and distant. And Veronica is feeling resentful and abandoned.  

In this episode we discuss:

If you’ve been a caregiver or you love one, you will get so much from this healing conversation!

Resources and Links

Dr. Laura Berman

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