Illness and the Elixir of Life: The Chronically Ill Child's Transformation Through the Alchemical Process

This work uses a heuristic methodology to answer the following questions: What challenges do chronically ill children face in their psychological development that non-ill children do not? What strengths can emerge from being a chronically ill child? How might the challenges that chronically ill children face transform into strengths?.;This thesis explores how chronically ill children may transform challenges into strengths through the alchemical process. It identifies the challenges with which chronically ill children may have to cope. A case study of a chronically ill child assists in understanding the steps of the alchemical process and how it may relate to the psychological transformation of the ill child. The author provides a personal example of utilizing alchemy to transform the challenges of chronic illness into strengths and provides suggestions for further research and exploration into the experiences of chronically ill children.