LibraryScenariosWhen injury threatens identity-defining abilities
Scenario

When injury threatens identity-defining abilities

I'm a dancer and I tore my ACL last month, and everyone keeps saying I'll be back to normal soon but I can feel in my body that something fundamental has changed forever.

Juana
Online
The coach is replying

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

She's grieving the loss of physical certainty that defined both her career and sense of self, questioning who she is without her previous embodied capabilities.

Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Body as identity — physical self-concept?”

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.