What Cancer Taught A Disaster Psychologist About Faith and Resilience
Dr. Jamie Aten is the Founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Chair of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College. A survivor of colorectal cancer, he's also the author of A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience.
During our conversation we discussed:
- How Terror Management theory explains why some people struggle to support those going through traumatic experiences like cancer.
- How he struggled to ask for help during his treatment and how he overcame this challenge.
- Redefining "strengths" and "weaknesses."
- How growing up in a small, blue collar town impacted his view of the world and his career choice.
- How he came to be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014.
- Why those touched by cancer should be cautious of optimism.
- How Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect cancer patients.
Links Mentioned In the WE Have Cancer Podcast
Jamie's book, A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience - https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Disaster-Surviving-Resilience-Spirituality-ebook/dp/B07M6QL56C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZRLYE0B9A1PN&keywords=a+walking+disaster+by+jamie+aten&qid=1571591927&sprefix=a+walking+dis%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1
CancerToday article, Coping With Trauma - https://www.cancertodaymag.org/Pages/cancer-talk/Coping-With-Trauma.aspx
Humanitarian Disaster Institute - https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/academic-centers/humanitarian-disaster-institute/
Lotsa Helping Hands - https://lotsahelpinghands.com/
Follow Jamie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/drjamieaten
Follow Jamie on Instagram - https://instagram.com/drjamieaten
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