Chronic Illness & Pain

Written By Darren Wood

Living With Chronic Illness and/or Chronic Pain

Living with a chronic illness or persistent pain condition affects far more than the body. Over time, it can touch nearly every part of life—identity, relationships, work, independence, and emotional wellbeing. Many people describe feeling as though their life has been split into a “before” and “after,” even when symptoms developed gradually.

Chronic illness and pain often require constant adaptation. Energy must be carefully managed. Plans may need to change without notice. Medical appointments, treatments, and uncertainty can become an ongoing backdrop to daily life. Therapy provides a place where the emotional impact of this reality can be acknowledged without minimization.

At Lodestone Psychology, we understand that struggling with chronic illness is not about resilience or attitude—it is about navigating an ongoing stressor that deserves care and support.

The Emotional Impact of Chronic Conditions

People living with chronic illness or pain commonly experience a wide range of emotional responses, including:

  • Grief for lost abilities, roles, or future plans

  • Frustration or anger toward the body

  • Anxiety related to symptoms, flare-ups, or medical uncertainty

  • Depression, numbness, or loss of meaning

  • Guilt about needing rest or support

  • Feeling misunderstood or dismissed by others

These reactions are not signs of weakness. They are natural responses to long-term stress, loss of control, and uncertainty.

Identity, Loss, and Adjustment

One of the most overlooked aspects of chronic illness is identity change. You may no longer be able to show up in the same ways at work, in relationships, or in daily responsibilities. This can challenge how you see yourself and how others relate to you.

Therapy provides space to process these shifts with honesty and compassion. Rather than forcing acceptance or positivity, we work gently with grief, anger, and fear—allowing space for meaning and self-trust to rebuild over time.

Our Therapeutic Approach

Chronic illness and pain therapy at Lodestone Psychology integrates emotional support with practical strategies for living well within real limitations.

Therapy may focus on:

  • Processing grief and loss related to health changes

  • Pain-related stress and emotional regulation

  • Pacing, energy management, and boundary setting

  • Coping with medical trauma or invalidation

  • Building self-compassion and reducing self-blame

  • Strengthening communication with loved ones and care providers

We draw from acceptance-based approaches, somatic awareness, and trauma-informed care, always tailoring therapy to your lived experience.

We support adults across Calgary and Alberta living with conditions such as autoimmune illnesses, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, long COVID, and other persistent pain or health conditions.

Both in-person and virtual therapy options are available, recognizing that mobility, fatigue, and flare-ups can make consistent attendance challenging.

You don’t have to carry the emotional weight of chronic illness alone. Therapy can offer steadiness, understanding, and support as you navigate life with ongoing health challenges.

Featured
Tracy Firth, MA, CCC, Provisional Psychologist
Tracy Firth, MA, CCC, Provisional Psychologist

For many of the people who find their way to Tracy, life looks fine on the surface but doesn’t feel that way inside. They’re holding it together at work, managing too many responsibilities, or trying to make sense of who they are after an ADHD diagnosis that explains a lot but also stirs up grief. What they want most is to feel like themselves again.

In therapy, Tracy offers a calm, grounded space to slow down and make sense of what’s been building up. Clients describe her as honest, curious, and quietly funny. Humour helps people relax, but she’s not afraid to name the hard things. Tracy isn’t one to gloss over the hard stuff; she believes in the kind of hope that grows from understanding yourself clearly, not from pretending everything is okay.

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Rachel Clare, MSW, RSW
Rachel Clare, MSW, RSW

Rachel Clare, MSW, RSW, is a Calgary-based Registered Social Worker with more than 20 years of counselling experience. She works primarily with adults, often high-achieving Gen X and Millennial women, who are navigating anxiety, burnout, grief, or the lasting impacts of trauma. Her work often supports clients recovering from religious or relational wounds, managing chronic illness or ADHD, and rebuilding steadiness after prolonged stress. 

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Aaron Esler, MACP, CCC, RCC
Aaron Esler, MACP, CCC, RCC

Known for his calm steadiness and a quick sense of humor, Aaron helps clients feel at ease from their very first session. He approaches therapy as a collaborative process, using warmth and curiosity to help clients explore what’s been hard without judgment or pressure. His work blends Cognitive and Dialectical Behaviour Therapies (CBT and DBT) with mindfulness and psychoeducation, guiding people to recognize unhelpful patterns, reframe beliefs, and build practical tools for lasting change. He believes people already have what they need to heal — therapy simply creates the space and safety to rediscover it.

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Mariah Hunt, BKin, MACP, CCC
Mariah Hunt, BKin, MACP, CCC

Mariah believes that therapy begins with safety and connection. She creates a space where clients can exhale, feel seen, and start to come home to themselves, whether that means navigating the overwhelm of anxiety, finding steadiness in postpartum life, or exploring the questions of early adulthood. Her calm and compassionate presence helps people slow down enough to discover what truly matters to them.

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Danica Heidebrecht, MEd, Registered Psychologist
Danica Heidebrecht, MEd, Registered Psychologist

Danica Heidebrecht is a Registered Psychologist (M.Ed.) who believes therapy is first and foremost about connection. For nearly two decades, she has supported adults navigating anxiety, shame, stress, trauma, and relationship challenges. 
 
Danica’s presence is warm, steady, and collaborative. She draws from trauma-informed, somatic, mindfulness, and attachment-based approaches to help clients feel safer in their bodies, more at ease in their emotions, and more connected in their relationships. 

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Jennifer Straub, MSW, RCSW
Jennifer Straub, MSW, RCSW

Jennifer meets clients in the places where life feels heavy—grief that lingers, trauma that resurfaces, and transitions that leave people uncertain of their next step. Her work is grounded in the belief that healing begins when people feel safe enough to be seen, heard, and understood. 
 
As a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) with more than 20 years of experience, she supports adults navigating complex and developmental trauma, anxiety, depression, and loss through a calm, collaborative, and relational approach. 

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Darren Wood
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