I want to talk to you today about “Bridging the Gap”. I am educated and trained as a Mental Health Counselor
and in the field of Psychology.
Additionally, over the past 25 years, I have been studying in the fields
of neurobiology, genetics, and social patterns that make humans behave as they
do. As a Professional Consultant and
Body / Mind Re-educator, I am often working with people who want to change
their behavior but cannot.
Today, conventional medicine only knows to give medications
for your complaints. But, medications
do not generally change your behaviors.
Medications in general are used to lessen symptoms and reduce complaints
of an individual.
I have met face to face with many doctors over the
years. When I do, I usually take the
opportunity to ask them this question.
I ask, “In a nutshell, when you see a patient that comes into your
office, what is it that you do for them as a Professional Service Provider?”
This question usually comes with some blank stares, but
inevitably, the answer comes out like this.
“I try to build rapport with the patient, make sure we have the proper
diagnosis for their condition or conditions and treat those conditions
accordingly.” My next question is: “What do you consider your most common
treatment would be for most of the patients you see?” The answer is most unanimously “Medications”.
There is no shocker here.
But, it is meant to express the purpose of medicine and most licensed
doctors today. Medical Doctors study
human anatomy, diagnostics and medicine mostly. Medical Doctors have little to do with human behavior and
understanding it.
But, when we have behavioral issues, mental health problems
and symptoms, we can only think “Doctor”.
We are not well versed always in understanding what type of “Doctor” we
need.
Over the years, I usually get the patients that doctors have
assessed, treated but cannot get satisfying mental or physical results. They would be considered “the difficult
patients”. And, that is ok. But, it speaks volumes to me in that it
shows that doctors cannot positively affect or treat many problems and
conditions.
Doctors, over the past few hundred years, were considered
almost a “cure-all” for patients. And,
especially when the invention of penicillin came along, within the past 100
years, that medication did mean the difference between life and death in many
cases. Doctors were the only ones
licensed to dispense penicillin. So,
the “life-saver” connotation stuck with them.
This is not about disrespecting medicine or disrespecting
medical doctors. As a matter of fact,
we greatly need them. If you have a
broken bone, it may well require a doctor to properly set it so that it can
heal properly. If you need a surgery,
it would require a skilled surgeon to do it properly. Medical science today is also most important FOR proper
diagnosis. Proper diagnostics is vital
to understand the best treatment options.
However, there are many patients today, suffering from
health issues that have tried multiple doctors and multiple approaches that are
not getting the results they want or deserve.
Many patients are disheartened by going to their doctors, only to be
given another medicine prescription. And
often, the side effects of medications are worse than the actual symptoms from
their problems. So, what can be done?
My years of study and experience has led me to understand
much more about the “Anatomy of an Illness”.
I have also learned that the more educated a patient is about their mind
and body, the better they begin to understand how to manage and combat their
illness or problems.
When it comes to patient knowledge, doctors can get
frustrated because the Internet has changed the way that patients self-diagnose
and present their illness to their doctor.
Doctors will often complain that patients “Read too much information on
the Internet and improperly educate themselves”. Doctors stress that improper diagnosis or improper or partial
education on illness or symptoms can only make the problem worse. A misinformed patient can be as detrimental,
as good. But, in most cases, doctors
have told me they would prefer to have educated and knowledgeable patients than
having to explain or re-explain issues to them.
For example; obesity.
Many of the patients that doctors see are obese. Doctors hate to see this, because they know
it can bring on symptoms of high blood pressure, diabetes and many other
health risks such as stroke and heart attack.
Often, I hear doctors complaining that their waiting room is full of
obese patients, who come complaining to the doctor about various problems such
as gastrointestinal distress, headaches, joint pain, and poor sleep patterns
which are all usually directly related to their obesity. Often doctors are quick to point out that if
their patient would just lose their extra weight, eat a healthy diet and get
some exercise, most all of their symptoms will go away automatically. And, this is true. The doctor will complain that the patient is not “Bridging the
Gap” from their complaints to their primary health issue.
So, in this case, educating and re-educating the patient
seems to do little good. As doctors
will tell you, most of these patients do not take them seriously, until AFTER
they suffer a stroke or a heart attack.
That is, IF they survive it.
We are all “creatures of habit”. We do what feels right and normal to us. We daily and regularly condition ourselves
to the life and lifestyle we live. We
take advantage of our options and make decisions that mostly appeal to us. This is normal human behavior. From what foods you select, to what
television shows you watch to what hours you choose to sleep, you generally
dictate your own life. But, when we put
our health, both mental and physical on the back-burner, it generally suffers
the consequences eventually.
In “Bridging the Gap”, I like to present to people that
there are many solutions to problems today.
In some cases, there are many more “solutions” than actual
problems. But, people do not know where
to start on fixing their problems. When
I first see a client, I usually find that they have educated themselves on
their problem somewhat. Or at least,
they have been seen by professional doctors who have medicated or given advice,
but the advice and medication does not seem to be working for them.
As a Professional Diagnostician and Scientific Observer
myself, I immediately go to work on reverse engineering their problem. You see, in order to understand how
something works, we have to understand WHY it works (or does not work), in the
first place. We have to understand how
it is supposed to work. We must
understand what is keeping the person from their goals or from a normal and
successful way of life. This may be a
part of a mental illness or physical illness or a combination of both, but the
doctor and / or patient has yet to make that connection. Therefore, the problem is not getting
better.
I will not lie. Some
of these problems are very challenging.
It often requires all of my focus and attention as well as my best
knowledge, professional opinions and resources. But, I like a challenge.
At the same time, I learn from each and every experience I have. I am no stranger to difficult clients. I am no stranger to helping solve incredibly
difficult problems. As an end result,
each and every human deserves this special treatment.
It is often my job to offer the probability of the cause or
causes. But, most importantly, it is
often my job to help bring about solutions and a treatment plan for the clients
I see. Sometimes, my treatment plan
involves non-traditional approaches.
Sometimes it involves a treatment that the client has never heard
of. Sometimes, it is something that the
client would never associate with a proper life-changing treatment. But, as a Solution-Oriented Mind / Body
Re-Educator, they are trusting and paying me for positive life change.
To help clients learn more about their problem, I often have
to get them to talk about themselves and their problems. This includes past and often current issues
and circumstances. Also, I usually have
to bring to their attention and consult them on things / behaviors that maybe
they never connected before with their problem / issues. In doing so, I am “Bridging the Gap” in
their understanding. Doctors are
trained to “bridge the gap” medically.
I am trained to “Bridge the Gap” psychologically and in terms of
behaviors and thoughts.
When it comes to your behavior and thinking, there are many
things to consider. Also, then realize
that the only way you can effectively change your behavior and thinking is if
you WANT to change it. In my education,
training and experience I can tell you that if you do not WANT to stop what you
are thinking, you will not. If you do
not WANT to change your behavior, you will not. You may make an effort or exert some will-power in the beginning,
but you will return to your old patterns of behavior soon enough, if you are
not motivated to stop or change permanently.
In the past three decades, I was hoping to see both mental
health science and medical anatomical science dovetail into a stronger
union. I was hoping that professional
health providers would come together more to discuss and develop resources and
treatments that would aide patients moreso.
I have seen the contrary. Today,
I see more alienated and frustrated clients.
I experience clients who are victims of limited resources in healthcare
because of HMO plans and insurance. The
companies who control healthcare seem less concerned about successful patient
treatment results than they do about meeting an agenda or protocol that justify
payment or services provided. As an end
result, it is the patient that suffers.
With your knowledge and help, we can “Bridge the Gap” by
learning more about ourselves and our own personal health. You know more about yourself than a doctor
can learn in 15 minutes. And, while I have
pointed out that medical science is very justified when administered properly,
do not allow yourself to be alienated by a system that was supposedly set up
for your best mental and physical care.
If you are not getting results, keep searching and insisting on it until
you do. You are empowered. You have a right. You deserve your best mental and physical health.
And, I am here to help you in the best ways I can.
For our website go to: www.MindDesignUnlimited.com
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