Ingela Thuné-Boyle, PhD
International Health Coach 
Online Practice

In today’s healthcare climate, whether in the NHS in the UK or within the insurance-driven systems of the USA, there is immense pressure to deliver therapy quickly. Short-term therapy models, often structured around a limited number of sessions, are increasingly the norm. They are designed for efficiency and measurable outcomes, appealing to bureaucracies and insurers alike. Yet this approach, while cost-effective on paper, frequently fails to reflect the nuanced, non-linear

For many people, going to the doctor is assumed to be a reassuring act; an opportunity to be heard, understood, and helped. Yet for a significant proportion of individuals living with chronic health problems, medical appointments are not a source of comfort but of dread. Anticipatory anxiety, fear of dismissal, and the expectation of being misunderstood are not uncommon experiences. That this has become a normalized part of healthcare for so many is not only concerning, but a

Modern medicine is remarkably effective at identifying and treating discrete diseases, yet when it comes to complex, chronic conditions such as fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal disturbance, dizziness, and other persistent symptoms, it often fragments what may in fact be a deeply interconnected process. One of the clearest examples of this fragmentation is the absence of a single formal diagnosis for a dysregulated nervous system, despite the central role the nervous system pla

The way we describe illness is not neutral. It shapes how conditions are understood, how patients are treated, and how individuals make sense of their own symptoms. Few terms illustrate this more clearly than mind–body syndrome and psychosomatic illness. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they reflect very different underlying assumptions about health, causation, and care. At first glance, both terms attempt to capture the relationship between psychological and ph

Historically, many poorly understood illnesses were attributed to psychological causes when medicine lacked adequate biological explanations. Patients with complex or under recognized conditions were often dismissed as anxious, hysterical, or overly focused on their symptoms. This legacy has contributed to ongoing mistrust and even trauma among some patients and is now often described as medical gaslighting.

Living with multiple or overlapping medical conditions often means navigating a health-care system that was never designed with complexity in mind. Each symptom brings you to a different specialist; each specialist focuses on their organ, their discipline, their small slice of the body. In theory, this should lead to comprehensive care. In reality, it often leaves people feeling unseen, misinterpreted, or caught in the crossfire of contradictory recommendations. For many, the

When someone develops a chronic illness, the challenge extends far beyond physical symptoms. It reaches into every layer of identity, daily functioning, and sense of safety in the world. This is true whether the condition is clearly diagnosable, has uncertain or unexplained causes, or is largely invisible to others.

Living with a chronic illness means navigating challenges that reach far beyond physical symptoms. Fatigue, pain, unpredictability, and the ongoing need to adapt your lifestyle can create a heavy emotional and psychological burden. Over time, many people begin to feel isolated, anxious, or overwhelmed, not only by their symptoms, but by the constant impact their condition has on their routines, relationships, and quality of life.

There is a particular kind of suffering that arises not only from physical symptoms, but from the invalidation of those symptoms. Many people living with chronic illness or undiagnosed conditions find themselves in a distressing limbo: feeling profoundly unwell while repeatedly being told by doctors that they are fine because their test results fall within normal ranges. This experience of being caught between undeniable symptoms and an absence of medical validation can be de

In recent years, a troubling trend has emerged in the online presence of some healthcare professionals: the mocking of patients and their conditions on social media. What might seem to a doctor like lighthearted banter, professional critique, or debunking of pseudoscience can, in fact, come across as dismissive ridicule of people’s suffering. Terms such as “adrenal fatigue,” “chronic Lyme,” or “mitochondrial dysfunction” often become punchlines, shorthand for what some profes

For many people, especially those living with an invisible or poorly understood condition, seeing the doctor can feel like an empty, even humiliating experience. At its best, medicine has always been a collaboration built on inquiry, listening, and the belief that every symptom tells a story worth investigating. Yet today, particularly for those with chronic, complex, or invisible conditions, appointments can instead feel like empty rituals; brief, dismissive, and devoid of g

Living with chronic illness often requires a level of self-advocacy that goes far beyond what most people experience in healthcare. It means repeatedly explaining your condition, asserting your needs, correcting misunderstandings, and sometimes challenging authority. When the stakes are your health, dignity, and quality of life, speaking up for yourself is not optional, it’s essential. And when something goes seriously wrong, making a formal complaint is sometimes the only wa

'Medical trauma' refers to a patient's psychological and physiological response to a negative or traumatic experience in a medical...