Comparing Apples and Oranges
How a similarity in the treatment of physical and mental health needs to change to begin reducing the soaring number of mental health conditions in the UK and beyond.
Having spent over a decade working and treating people in pain, whether that be in a hospital, an outpatient department, a private clinic room, or a pop up clinic, I have heard more than my fair share of patient stories about the events that preceded injury and pain.
When in that context, working as a physiotherapist, one of the key skills I have honed over years of practice is what questions to ask, in what order, and in what way, to get the clearest idea of the structure of events that led the individual in front of me to begin experiencing pain.
This involves getting as much information as possible, as many of the details as I can to get the deepest understanding of what was happening to that individual, and how that could have caused them to begin experiencing pain.
From my time in clinic, for me there is just no substitute for getting all of the relevant information prior to conducting a physical assessment, as the more information you have, the better informed you are, and the more effective your assessment. Sometimes, it is one of those key questions, that reveal the position the client was in, the load they were under, or the circumstances surrounding the injury that gives the biggest indication of what structures were most likely to be stressed, and therefore what things should be assessed clinically to help the client to recover.
It is this approach, taught and utilised throughout the therapy community, by physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, and rehabilitation therapists, which gets fantastic results.
Since I have adopted a ‘hands off’ approach, and moved from the world of physiotherapy to a coaching role where I wield only my words to help people, and where my client base is now those experiencing mental health conditions, I have noticed a striking resemblance between the approach to physical health and that of the conventional methods used to treat mental health conditions.
Almost every client without fail has been to see someone else before they begin to work with me on their issue. Be that a counsellor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a well-being officer, they have been encouraged to share ‘their story’, just as I encouraged my patients that came to see me for physical pain in my physiotherapy clinic.
The client ‘in therapy’ is asked to share the story of their trauma, the personal details of the events, what words were said, what things happened, where and with whom things took place, and how this all made them feel.
And yet, when this takes place in the context of mental health, something quite different happens. Rather than the therapist being able to create an objective hypothesis and a plan to move forwards, they unwillingly enter a place whereby they create a whirlwind of pictures and movies as they try to follow the client’s story in the hope they can get some kind of understanding of how their client feels, and what they have experienced.
Even before a client begins to share their story, the entire chemistry of their nervous system changes in an instant as they prepare to recall their story of events. Their system fires up the same neurology as the original event, and all the physiological changes that come with it. Then, as they continue their story, recalling more of the specific details of the event, they leave this time and this place and are transported back to the time of the trauma, reliving all of the emotions as they do so.
And all this only to leave the session after an hour and prepare to do the same thing again the following week….
YIKES.
Each time they recount their story, it becomes more and more solid. It becomes more and more real, and each time they tell it, they again build everything they need to maintain the neuro-associative state of their dis-ease.
This is not to mention the therapist, who after weeks, months or even years of unconsciously creating scary pictures and movies, and despite working with only the highest of intentions, comes to notice themselves feeling burnt out, dejected, and in need of help themselves…
What if there is a better way?
Having learned and been practising the Hudson Mind Theory© with a passion for several years now, I can honestly say there is a way for any coach or therapist to remain in a happy, graceful, and curious state while facilitating a client to resolve their issues and to find themselves again. Allowing the client to move on and experience all of what life has to offer.
All of this can be achieved with minimal content, which means the client shares no stories.
That’s no sharing the details of traumas, with the client safely in the knowledge that all of that information will remain private.
What if a client sharing their stories became a thing of the past in the therapy room? What would happen then, now?
If you are a coach or therapist and are looking to expand your toolkit, the Hudson Mind Theory© can do that for you.
If you are experiencing a mental health issue, and would like to have it sorted, not supported, feel free to contact me at info@dannygreeves.com for more information.