You may have heard people talk about their chronic illness, raise awareness for invisible illnesses, or come across references to energy limiting conditions, but what is the difference, and where is the overlap between them?

When working with people with these types of conditions, it’s important to know what is being referenced, as each term has its own nuance and foregrounds a particular experience, as well as there being considerable overlap.

“I often wished that more people understood the invisible side of things. Even the people who seemed to understand, didn't really.” - Jennifer Starzec, Determination

One of the many benefits of counselling for clients is the feeling of being seen, of their tangled experiences and feelings – sometimes not fully understood by themselves – being brought into the light and held gently and without judgement.

For people with chronic – and often invisible – illnesses, that feeling of not being is seen is magnified a hundredfold.