Interview | Chronic Illness: Becoming An Empathetic Witness with KJ Ramsey

We continue the conversation on chronic illness and personhood with our friend, the brilliant author and therapist, K.J. Ramsey. K.J. offers profound and practical wisdom on suffering and chronic illness, and she's ennea-fluent. Her books include:

• This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers
• The Lord is My Courage: Stepping Through the Shadows of Fear to the Voice of Love
• Book of Common Courage

[1:45] What K.J. had for breakfast this morning.

[2:30] Linz nerds out with KJ on all things Michigan and Tennessee

[4:50] K.J.’s experience with and relationship to suffering. 

[9:00] K.J.’s complicated relationship with “self care” & needs as signals

[12:15] K.J.’s journey as an enneagram Type 4

[15:05] Pain as a witness

[20:40] The importance of being brutally honest and looking inward

[26:30] The importance of language (poetics) as it relates to our stories of pain and suffering

[32:00] How we can redeem our language when talking about our bodies

[36:00] A practical & somatic example, with Linz as volunteer, of how to have a conversation with our bodies

[44:00] How to hold “positive” language (like hope) in a healthy way

[48:45] Hope as a team sport

[53:00] Managing emotions alongside chronic illness

[1:03:00] K.J. reads an excerpt from her most recent book, The Book of Common Courage

Follow K.J.’s work (and buy her books!): @kjramseywrites on social media and www.kjramsey.com

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Fathoms | An Enneagram Podcast: “Discovering our inner depths, one fathom at a time.”

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Co-hosts: Seth Abram, Seth Creekmore, Lindsey Marks, Drew Moser

Production/Editing: Seth Creekmore

• Follow us on Instagram: @fathoms.enneagram
• Follow Abram: @integratedenneagram
• Follow Creek: @creekmoremusic
• Follow Drew: @typetrailenneagram
• Follow Lindsey: @lindseyfaithdm