EMOTIONAL WOUND THESAURUS

A TERMINAL ILLNESS DIAGNOSIS



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Emotional wounds will steer a character's behavior, corrupt his worldview, and cause negative traits to form. To understand exactly how this occurs, please read our tutorial for the Wound Thesaurus.

NOTE: We realize that sometimes a wound we profile may have personal meaning, stirring up the past for some of our readers. It is not our intent to create emotional turmoil. Please know that we research each wounding topic carefully to treat it with the utmost respect.
NOTES:
A terminal illness cannot be cured; for these patients, treatment options will, at best, prolong life rather than save it. While some patients do outlive their doctor's best guesses for life expectancy, patients are considered terminal when they are given six months or less to live.

Because this wound is more immediate and has less time to fester, the character will not experience significant personality shifts. Instead, traits (especially those which help facilitate denial) already part of the character's personality may become more pronounced: a character may grow more private, or they may become more spontaneous, reckless, pensive, or uninhibited if it helps them cope with this wound.

WOUND CATEGORY:
Traumatic Events

BASIC NEEDS OFTEN COMPROMISED BY THIS WOUND:
physiological needs, safety and security, esteem and recognition, self-actualization

LIES THAT MAY DEVELOP FOR CHARACTERS WITH THIS WOUND:
The diagnosis is a mistake and they're going to be fine
God won't let them die because they're a good person
God is cruel to force them to experience such a painful or premature death
They deserve this (because of something they did, not being good enough, etc.)
They're a burden to the people around them
If they had money and power, they wouldn't be dying

THE CHARACTER MAY FEAR:
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POSSIBLE RESPONSES AND RESULTS:
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TRIGGERS THAT MIGHT AGGRAVATE THIS WOUND:
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STEPS TOWARD HEALING:
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OPPORTUNITIES TO FACE OR OVERCOME THIS WOUND:
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