Illness as Teacher and the Healing Potential of Perspective

How much does mindset matter when it comes to healing? As it turns out, a lot!

Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.

Key points

• Being optimistic, grateful, and positive matters when it comes to both mental and physical health.
• There is great healing when we shift perspective in a more positive direction.
• Healing can be enhanced when we cultivate a more positive perspective.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness or life-threatening disease can conjure complex emotions such as fear, anger, grief, regret, and others. The constellation of feelings created by the emotional complexity that comes from a health-related condition can make it even more challenging to deal with.[1]

For some, however, their emotional journey delivers a new perspective, which allows illness to emerge as a teacher. If we are open to it, illness can be a cue for exploration. It can reveal an opportunity to possibly change our perspective, not just about the illness but about our lives.

Patient as Professor

To get further insight as to what illness can teach us, I asked a few people to weigh in, starting with Tom, a successful business consultant who was diagnosed with a very rare skin disorder known as Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris (PRP) that leads to salmon-colored patches all over the skin and causes severe inflammation and scaling.

“My diagnosis has taught me many things, including that bad things can happen randomly and unpredictably,” said Tom. “Now that the PRP is under control, my life is actually more complete, as I tend to worry less about the future and spend more time in the moment. My mental outlook on life is more fulfilling than ever.”

Carolyn is an elite athlete and was diagnosed with systemic lupus more than 20 years ago. She feels her illness also sent her a clear message that “life is unpredictable, and you never know what tomorrow will bring.” In addition to living in the moment, Carolyn says her illness has taught her to be grateful and place more emphasis on self-care and self-love.

Terri is an accomplished healthcare professional who was first diagnosed with a brain tumor known as a meningioma and about a year later had a heart attack. Regarding the heart attack, Terri says she learned that “relationships are all that matter.” As for the brain tumor, she developed such significant brain inflammation that it changed her behavior. She now says her experience opened her eyes in a compassionate way. “When I see or hear of people acting aggressively or angrily, I wonder if they are possibly suffering from undiagnosed neuroinflammation, which helps me have more empathy since I’ve been through that experience,” she said.

Holly, also an accomplished healthcare professional was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and says that the diagnosis taught her that she was not invincible. “Imagine that,” she laughs. “I also felt empowered to look deeper at my own epigenetics, my upbringing, my lifestyle and then take proactive steps to preventing a future illness and hopefully living a long, healthy life.”

Howard, a successful healthcare consultant was getting ready to ease into retirement when out of the blue, he received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. “The most difficult part of the diagnosis was that this form of cancer has no cure, and the average life expectancy is only 4-5 years,” said Howard, who is managing his illness successfully. “I have learned that having a positive attitude is so important and that I want to make the most of whatever time I have left.”

Mark is also a successful healthcare executive who was taken by surprise with his diagnosis of throat cancer, which comes with a brutal treatment plan. “I felt fear of the treatment as well as the disease,” said Mark, who also feels positive thinking matters a great deal. “My illness reminded me that life is uncertain, and no one is immune from unexpected tragedies. I was also reminded to be grateful for everything including life itself and that a strong support network has immeasurable benefits.”

If you would ask this small cohort of thrivers if their perspective was and is important to their healing, you would hear a resounding yes. But what does the science say?

Putting Things Into Perspective

Hippocrates once said, “Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.” One could argue that a significant force within is perspective. But does perspective really matter?

“The mindsets individuals hold shape how they feel and act in ways that can profoundly affect health and well-being,” concluded the authors of a 2017 paper in which they make a case that healthcare providers should “prescribe” mindset just as they do other treatments.[2]

As it turns out, my cohort is correct that positive thinking matters. According to a 2023 randomized controlled trial, people who received positive thinking training also had higher resilience and greater life satisfaction compared to the group who did not receive the training.[3] This also shows that positive thinking, which influences perspective, can be taught.

My group was also correct in that gratitude is a powerful healing tool. For example, a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that gratitude interventions helped ease depression and anxiety.[4]

Optimism, another trait shared by my cohort, also matters. Turns out optimistic people tend to live about 15% longer than non-optimistic people and that is independent of socioeconomic class, health behaviors such as smoking or alcohol use, and health conditions.[5]

And finally, many in my group talked about how much it helped to be in the present moment. According to the National Institutes of Health, living mindfully has both physical and mental health benefits.[6]

As it turns out, mindset does matter.

The Bottom Line

Wait a minute! Positive, grateful, optimistic, and mindful people get sick. That’s true. That means that perspective is just one piece of the puzzle. How important of a piece it is depends on the person and their circumstances. A change of attitude may not change a thing. And then again, it may change everything.

For someone who has been diagnosed with a serious illness or chronic disease, the first lesson typically learned is how to protect and/or enhance one's quality of life despite the diagnosis. Perspective has the potential to influence health—positively or negatively—no matter the circumstances. When dealing with a challenging chronic illness or life-threatening health condition, why not utilize all the strategies available, including the power of a positive perspective?