The Power of Intent in Prognosis
Although you may be paying for treatments to achieve one goal, your deeper intent may be at odds with what you're doing outwardly. Competing intents get in the way of the healing process.
I have nothing to gain by being sick and everything to gain by being healthy.
Good. Let's work together.
I have financial gain by being sick.
If you're being paid to be sick, that can get in the way of your response to therapy, herbal or otherwise. This is especially evident for those on workman's compensation, disability insurance, or those with pending litigation regarding your pathology.
On one hand, you want to get better, and on the other hand, you want to make some money through litigation. You're going to need to look injured in front of the judge. Acting sick can make you sick. Be careful with that.
My doctor needs me as a patient, to feel like a healer and of course to pay rent.
The time that we're together is all about you. Not about your doctor. As long as that line is not crossed, your doctor will do what is appropriate and you will benefit. When you benefit, your doctor benefits when you send in your friends.
Do the treatments for you. That's the key thing here.
I love talking to my doctor.
If you talk a lot during your first session together, I'm sure that's perfectly fine. If you find that you are more attracted to the fact that you can unload your life's story on your sensitive, caring, sweet, understanding friend in the lab coat, then you may be there for the wrong reason.
I believe that the first job of any health care practitioner is to listen. For a patient to feel understood is extremely potent medicine. However, if the attraction to the practitioner is more about talking non-stop for 60 minutes than taking the herbs or other therapies, then perhaps it would be wise to seek out a "talking to" therapist rather than an herbalist.
My being sick will prove to someone else that they hurt me.
Interpersonal interactions are the cause of some pathologies, certainly the stress induced type and in some cases of physical abuse the musculo-skeletal type as well. However in cases such as this, the patient may allow a certain amount of healing to take place, but maintain the pathology by the strength of their own personal intent in order to show the offender the depth of the pain that they are perceived to have caused.
Obviously if you have something to gain by being sick, it can get in the way of getting well. In this case, please bring the situation to light so that your practitioner can help you find a solution or at least direct you toward someone who can help.
I don't believe that Chinese herbal medicines or acupuncture works.
Fortunately, that doesn't actually get in the way of the efficacy of the treatments.
If you simply want to get better, having no faith in TCM isn't really a problem. No therapy works for everybody, but we'll never know if they're working for you unless you take them. So take your herbs as directed, and let's be hopeful. :)
Last: How does your consistency and compliance affect your prognosis?
