In Why Don’t I Feel Hope? I talk about hopelessness as a physical problem. If changes in the brain block the proper firing of brain cells needed to experience hope, willpower and/or spiritual faith may not be enough (just as a severed spinal cord makes it impossible to move the legs)—no matter how much patients want to feel hope.
Read moreWhy Don't I Feel Hope?
A patient knew there is hope—a real possibility of a good outcome. That patient wanted to feel hope but didn’t. What could he do?
Read moreClichés of Compassion
In your effort to comfort someone, you may unwittingly cause distress saying what seems like the right thing. Of the many possible scenarios, a common one is
Read morePublic Versus Patient Personas
How different (if at all) is your “patient persona” from your public persona—the facade you use in public settings? At doctor visits are you
Read moreNew Year's Resolution
While others are making (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions, I’m experimenting with a new tack:
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