Maybe it's Not Your Fault: Medical Gaslighting

Listen in for an eye-opening episode with strategies for perfectionist self-advocacy, navigating the lethal landmines of mental healthcare, partnering with the right perfectionist practitioner for you in the face of medical gaslighting and getting the care you deserve NOW that sees you as a WHOLE person, not a stereotype with symptoms to suppress.

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Rich Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Complete guide + FAQ about using your health insurance for coaching here: https://courtneylovegavin.com/insurance-cover-coaching
• Doctor Ready Template: fill-in-the-blank designed to simplify the process of gaining medical approvals. Download your Letter of Medical Necessity to use with your physician here: https://bit.ly/coaching-prescription
• Navigating Advocacy As A Perfectionist (Ep. 1 Self-Advocacy Series)
• Sunk Cost Fallacy (Ep. 2  Self-Advocacy Series)
• Are You Living In The Victim Triangle? (Perfectionism Rewired ep. 181)

Positive Perfectionist Practices To Deal With Medical Gaslighting:

1. Stop Settling For Subpar Support: Raise your standards, refuse to accept quick diagnosis, be criminally curious
2. Seek Holistic Practitioners Who Understand The Depth of Perfectionism Look for a wellness framework foundation, who seek to understand you as a multifaceted individual, who partner with you instead of their own ego
3. Challenge Assumptions: Be very DISCERNING about diagnoses without a CURRENT factual basis. Ask for evidence and don’t continue to stay with a therapist bc you’ve already spent so much time with them
4. Find a Clinician Who Welcomes Candid Conversations:You want .facilitative, empowering, intersectional and  a professional who nurtures a non-hierarchical, inclusive, safe and transparent environment
5. Own Your Capability: Recognize that your inner experience is VALID and advocate for the support and care you deserve. Make proactive moves to be the CEO of YOU and partner with practitioners who align with your values.

Highlights inside Episode 199 of Perfectionism Rewired:

00:00-Feeling Dismissed? How To Spot Medical Gaslighting

02:13-Dangers of Deferring to External Authority

02:43-At Risk: People of Color, Women, Non-Binary + Trans

03:41-What does gaslighting mean for perfectionists

04:42- Obstacles of Symptom Suppression for High-Functioning Perfectionists

06:08-Illness vs. Wellness Frameworks + Holistic Approach

09:53-Health professionals pathologize, causing hypervigilance and reactivity.

10:43-Limitations of Medication in Treating Perfectionism

14:22-How to Respond To Gaslighting

14:34-IRL Gaslighting Examples: Life Coach School, Lizard Brain, Polyvagal Theory

15:12-Perfectionist Powerhouse Serena Williams' Experience with Medical Gaslighting

16-13-Practical Steps for Self-Advocacy in Medical Gaslighting

17:49-Choosing the Right Practitioner for YOU

18:24-Partnering with Perfectionist Affirming Practitioners

20:19-Empowering Yourself as CEO of Y.O.U,

HIGHLY CREDIBLE SOURCES ON MEDICAL GASLIGHTING REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:  

1. ‌‌Caron, C. (2022, July 29). Feeling dismissed? How to spot ‘medical gaslighting’ and what to do about it. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/well/mind/medical-gaslighting.html
2. Durbhakula, S., & Fortin, A. H., 6th (2023). Turning Down the Flame on Medical Gaslighting. Journal of general internal medicine, 38(15), 3426–3427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08302-4
3. Ellenberg, E. (2023). Understanding the impact of medical gaslighting and diagnostic overshadowing on behavioral health treatment-seeking behaviors in adults with chronic medical conditions: A qualitative rapid review: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24534838.v1
4. Farshad Fani Marvasti, & Stafford, R. S. (2012). From Sick Care to Health Care — Reengineering Prevention into the U.S. System. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(10), 889–891. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmp1206230
5. Fraser S. (2021). The toxic power dynamics of gaslighting in medicine. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 67(5), 367–368. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6705367
6. Friebe, M. (2022). From SICKCARE to HEALTHCARE to HEALTH. Springer EBooks, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08191-0_3
7. Mirin A. A. (2021). Gender Disparity in the Funding of Diseases by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Journal of women's health , 30(7), 956–963. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2020.8682
8. Moyer, M. W. (2022, March 28). Women are calling out “medical gaslighting.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/well/live/gaslighting-doctors-patients-health.html
9. Nebeker, C., Weisberg, B., Hekler, E. B., & Kurisu, M. (2020). Using Self-Study and Peer-to-Peer Support to Change “Sick” Care to “Health” Care: The Patient Perspective. Frontiers in Digital Health, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2020.00002
10. Onque, R. (2022). How to recognize 'medical gaslighting' and better advocate for yourself at your next doctor's appointment. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/01/medical-gaslighting-warning-signs-and-how-to-advocate-for-yourself.html

Perfectionism Rewired is committed to truth and accuracy through a perfectionist affirming lens, offering cutting-edge research on perfectionism, interoception + neuroscience, for the practical perfectionist who wants to enjoy the life they've worked so hard to create.