There are a number of challenges for both Patient and Clinician when entering a healing relationship. Creating rapport, respecting boundaries, proper education, honest reporting, when to reassess, when to shift strategies, etc. But one of the most common issues that plague both Patient and Practitioner is that of Patient Fatigue.
Patient Fatigue is when a Patient becomes tired and/or overwhelmed with the process; with following a treatment plan. They just want normalcy. Fatigue can set in with taking supplements, following a diet, doing exercises, talking about their problems, attending appointments, spending money, etc. We experience this in many, if not all aspects of life. We need to change things up, or at the very least, take a break.
It is important to discuss your feelings (falls under honest reporting); in fact, for both Practitioner and Patient to open up about the process. Ideally speaking, a treatment plan is 3 months or less and involves steady progression and a maintenance schedule that is easily manageable. When this happens, Patient Fatigue is rarely encountered except in those people who are constantly in search of something to complain about. These people are impossible to please and can’t seem to live without drama, even when they spew their empty complaints about it. Problem is, the ideal is not always the realistic path. Patients resist changes, at times,
Practitioners miss things or sometimes could have made a better choice. And sometimes a treatment plan takes many many months or years. This latter scenario is when Patient Fatigue is most often found.
The danger is in walking away from a relationship and a plan that has value because of embarrassment, shame, boredom, etc, which are all part of Patient Fatigue. Just like in our personal relationships, sometimes we need space; time alone to respect ourselves and pay attention to other things in our life. It is a way of regrouping and making sure we’re honoring who we are and what we want. This is often a time where Patients complicate their paths by introducing new diets, supplements or other Practitioners. This is not to say that these choices are always wrong. That is simply not true. The problem is that the decisions are often made impulsively and without reason. They are not shared with the Practitioner who devised the treatment plan and can lead to wasting money and time.
This is why reassessment is crucial. Looking at a Patient and a plan with “fresh eyes,” reduces the frequency and severity of Patient Fatigue. And sometimes it reminds a Patient of how bad things were and how good those things are going for them, now. We all need to know where to go when we get lost. What are the decisions we need to make when we get off the balanced path.
I urge you to connect with Practitioners who you trust; who can you share difficult thoughts and feelings with? What Patient-Practitioner relationships allow for you to ask questions and get answers? Are you respecting the relationship from your end? Do you have a problem with yourself that causes you to eventually destroy all of your relationships? I urge you to acknowledge and address these issues. Although they do not go away overnight, when you confront them and talk about them, you get closer to working with the real roots of your problems…and if any of us are being honest, those problems begin and end with ourselves.
Paul Gerst L.Ac. is a licensed Acupuncturist and Natural Health Practitioner of 23 years and co-owner of The Balanced Path Wellness Center in Medway, MA. Paul may be reached at 774-283-2726 or by using the contact form here.