Conference Presentation: an embodied understanding of living with a heart condition from birth.

I was really looking forward to attending the annual conference of The British Psychological Society’s Counselling Psychology Division last weekend in Newcastle, both to meet up with other psychologists and present my work. Unfortunately, as often happens when you are living with a medical condition, life had other ideas! A few weeks before the conference I found out that my pacemaker & leads are faulty & need to be replaced - soon! Prior to being hospitalised (where I am writing this now, on telemetry, awaiting surgery) I had the opportunity to pre-record my presentation enabling me to present (virtually) at the conference. Since it’s been recorded I thought I may as well use the opportunity to share it with you here too.

The presentation draws on personal experience & contemporary psychological theories of attachment, trauma & neuropsychology. I hope to contribute to improved awareness & understanding about this hidden population while supporting improved care, feelings of connectedness & safety. Of course, given the common ground, much of this work is applicable to other life long medical conditions.

I hope it is of interest to people, like me, who are navigating the complexities of life with a medical condition & those who share this journey with us, as family, friends, our medical team & wider society.