The Alchemy of Illness

by Duff, Kat

• ISBN13: 9780609899434
• ISBN10: 0609899430
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2000-11-21
• Publisher: Harmony

Summary

Illness is a universal experience. There is no privilege that can make us immune to its touch. We are taught to assume health, illnesses being just temporary breakdowns in the well-oiled machinery of the body. But illness has its own geography, its own laws and commandments. At a time when the attention of the whole nation is focused on health care, Kat Duff inquires into the nature and function of illness itself. Duff, a counselor in private practice in Taos, New Mexico, wrote this book out of her experience with chronic fatigue syndrome, but what she has to say is applicable to every illness and every one of us. For those who are sick, this book offers solace and recognition. For those who care for them either physically or emotionally, it offers inspiration and compassion. Finally, this fresh perspective on healing reveals how every illness is a crucible that tries our mettle, tests our limits, and provides us with an unparalleled opportunity to integrate its lessons into our lives.

Author Biography

Kat Duff, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a writer, essayist, and author of both The Alchemy of Illness (1993) and The Secret Life of Sleep (2014). She received her BA from Hampshire College and her MA in counseling and education from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She resides in New Mexico where she works as a mental health counselor and child forensic interviewer.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
The Invisible Underworld of Illness	3	(16)
The Secrets our Bodies Keep Safe	19	(15)
Toxic Health: Cultural Assumptions and Illusions	34	(25)
Dancing with Death: Vegetative Processes at Work	59	(18)
The Alchemy of Illness	77	(15)
The Underworld Journey	92	(12)
Shame and the White Shadow of the Collective	104	(21)
Mythology and the Dark Heart of Healing	125	(22)
Notes	147