Medical Trauma and Healthcare Anxiety: How to Feel Safer When Dealing with the Medical System
What is Medical Trauma and Healthcare Anxiety?
Medical trauma is an emotional and/or physical responses to pain, injury, serious illness, medical procedures and frightening treatment experiences (International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies). You don’t have to have experienced medical trauma to not like doctor appointments. Healthcare anxiety is fear or stress related to getting sick or dealing with the healthcare system. Dealing with your health can be stressful, and many people avoid getting care they need because it’s uncomfortable. This can impact you as an individual or when someone you love is dealing with health issues. Avoiding taking care of yourself or someone you love can lead to negative outcomes, with the worst being death. This blog post addresses how to build safety before, during, and after engagement with the medical system to get through difficult times.
Image from Pexels by Thirdman 6/3/26
Examples of Medical Trauma and Causes of Healthcare Anxiety Can Include:
Facing a new, scary diagnosis.
Dealing with undiagnosed, complex illness.
Medical Gaslighting.
Life-threatening events to yourself or someone you care for.
Intense pain or physical discomfort during procedures.
Secondary/Vicarious trauma for healthcare providers.
Medical complications.
Traumatic Childbirth.
Interpersonal trauma—power dynamics.
When experiencing stress, anxiety or trauma related to interactions with the healthcare system, it’s important to have a plan. The following content will guide you through strategies I’ve used with client to build a plan to increase safety and build agency. I’m going to refer to these strategies collectively as a ‘care plan.’ The intention is to give you tools to use when you feel that your ready to re-engage with the medical system. Remember, that is always your choice. We want to highlight your choice in this process and add safety. It can be helpful to share these plans with your family, friends, medical team or other support systems. Ideally, this will help make a difficult process more bearable and build safety through nervous system regulation and valued action. It’s important to focus on small steps over time, rather than trying to do too much at once.
Intent of a Care Plan:
Build safety/choice/agency.
Build a sense of predictability.
Employ support systems.
Inform care team of needs/desires.
Provide language to express self.
Soothe nervous system.
Create access to resources.
Components of Building a Care Plan
I’ve divided strategies you may consider when building your care plan into before, during and after the appointment or procedure. Remember, these are suggestions not mandated components. What’s most important is that it helps you reflect on your own unique needs and perhaps cultivates conversation between you, your support system, and care team.
Image from Pexels by RDNE 6/3/26
Before an Appointment or Procedure:
Decide how far in advance you want to plan (i.e. A few days, a few hours before).
Make contact with office/provider. If you are able to speak with them before hand, whether that’s a consultation or something else, that can be helpful.
Gather information from the clinic or location you will be attending such as parking options, weight limits on equipment, office policies on +1 in room, or whatever information you find helpful.
Focus on basic self care strategies: Sleep, food, water, movement. People often discount the importance of these basic practices in caring for yourself.
Possible medication compliance if you’ve been prescribed medication.
Decide if you want to be alone or have a support person present.
Plan for ‘care kit’ including blanket, headphones, snacks, fidget toys, etc. A grab bag that has items you can engage with that are soothing or release anxious energy can be helpful to have prepared beforehand.
Plan for transportation. How will you get there and back? Will it be different for different parts of the journey?
2. During the Appointment or Procedure:
Express your waiting area preferences to the front desk. Hopefully you asked about the policies before and know what they allow.
Utilization of ‘care kit’ items. These may already be pre-prepared in a bag that you grabbed to bring.
Review outline of procedure to manage expectations when speaking with your provider or office staff.
Engage in previously planned preferences you discussed beforehand.
Identify safety clues (utilize five senses). Using your senses can help you ground you in the present moment and help cue your nervous system that you are okay.
Preferences around provider interactions. It’s okay to remind the provider or office of your preferences.
Clarify preferred means of communication with the providers’ office regarding results or information that comes from this interaction.
Image from Unsplash by Jason Dent 6/3/26
3. After the Appointment or Procedure:
Confirm transportation preferences leaving the appointment.
Plan for preferred activities or rest after the appointment or procedure so you aren’t hyperfixating on unhelpful content.
Get a meal afterward.
Promote grounding, connection, self soothing strategies.
Finding neutral parts in body (example: fingertips)
Build in pleasure for the rest of the day: hot shower, massage, cuddle, walks, yoga. What feels pleasurable to you? This doesn’t mean sexually, but simply what feels good?
Plan for individual client triggers throughout process and utilize support systems as needed.
After the process, follow-up with yourself and a trusted party. What went well? What was challenging? What needs to be modified? What other choices can you make? Maybe you find these suggestions helpful, maybe not. The important thing is you start thinking about what you can ADD to promote safety within your nervous system and as much as possible set yourself up for more positive interactions with the healthcare system. If you are struggling, you don’t have to face this alone. As a therapist who works with people dealing with medical trauma, acute and chronic illness, and anxiety, we can face these challenges as a team and work towards an increase in peace. Feel free to reach out and schedule a free consultation today or send me a confidential message through the contact page.
About the Author: Seattle Washington Therapist, Chelsea Kramer LMFT PMH-C
Chelsea Kramer is a Seattle Therapist who works with individual and families facing grief, anxiety, reproductive and medical mental health concerns.
Learn more about Chelsea’s specialties: grief, anxiety, infertility, pregnancy loss, chronic illness, menopause, medical trauma
Learn more about Chelsea
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