Episode 86: What Joy Can Survive? Chronic Illness and Healing with K.J. Ramsey

What if healing isn’t about getting rid of pain—but about learning how to remain fully alive within it?

In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by K.J. Ramsey, trauma-informed therapist, author, and chronic illness advocate. Her new memoir, The Place Between Our Pains, explores life with chronic illness, medical trauma, and the complicated relationship many of us have with our bodies when healing doesn’t look the way we expected.

Together, Mickey and K.J. explore what it means to live well even when symptoms persist. They discuss medical gaslighting, identity shifts, self-trust, redefining healing, and why joy and grief often coexist in the chronic illness experience.

K.J. also shares how journaling and creative practices helped her process pain, reconnect with herself, and remain present through years of illness and uncertainty.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How chronic illness can shape identity, especially in early adulthood
• Why medical gaslighting is so damaging—and how self-trust becomes essential
• The emotional impact of being sick without clear answers or validation
• How dissociation and disconnection from the body can develop during chronic illness
• Why speaking to your body with compassion changes the healing process
• What it means to redefine healing beyond symptom elimination
• How chronic illness can deepen connection, creativity, and joy
• Why grief and joy often coexist in the healing journey
• The role of journaling and creative practices in processing pain and stress
• How creativity can help transform suffering into meaning and aliveness
• Why “being fully alive” may matter more than becoming symptom-free

Resources:

K.J. Ramsey

• Website: https://www.kjramsey.com
• Instagram: @kjramseywrites
• Book: The Place Between Our Pains

Episode Timeline:

00:00 – Introduction and trigger warning

01:04 – Introducing K.J. Ramsey and The Place Between Our Pains

04:33 – Identity and illness in early adulthood

09:20 – Medical gaslighting and self-trust

16:01 – Dissociation, embodiment, and learning to listen to the body

24:14 – Redefining healing and living fully with pain

32:19 – How illness changes us

40:15 – Journaling, creativity, and processing pain

52:08 – Wrap-up and closing reflections