How often do we forget the fragile balance or imbalance between our emotions and physical ailments? You can see your PCP for headaches, muscle aches, and a rash and leave his/her office with nothing more than $150 dollars worth of creams, ointments, and prescriptions. It is a delicate balance, however, as it can be equally as unhelpful to be told “it must be stress” or “it is simply in your head; get some rest, take some time off, and I am sure you will be good as new”. As patients, especially in a Westerm Medical doctor’s office, we learn early on in life that the doctor is the expert and must know us better than we know ourselves.
It is vitally important that we all, practitioners and patients, find ways to work more collaboratively together. Practitioners need to see the bigger picture, ask better, more thought-producing questions, and patients need to find their voice and make that heard. If you, as the client or patient find yourself rushed, don’t feel heard or respectfully listened to, or your practitioner fails to engage with you in a dignified way, it’s time to find a new therapist, doctor, or healthcare provider!