21 June 2024
I can’t imagine much good arising from another blog about how polarizing our culture has become. However, what has been bubbling up for me lately is the concept of bias, the subject of preferences, and how when someone strongly aligns themselves to a particular idea, or belief that it can become a great catalyst for growth. Lately I have seen around me, and in me, how these concepts can serve as signals in the therapeutic landscape. I’m exploring how these metaphorical handholds can be seen as green flags during our rehabilitation process. And if this leaves you wondering how this relates to physical therapy, I’ll explain the way I see it below.
- I’ll start with the easier topic of preferences. Personal preference has never been the same in my lifetime since the invention of the iPhone. As a devout and faithful Apple computer user and owner, I have never owned an iPhone. Like most non-iPhone users I don’t really understand what appears to be cult-like devotion to a brand and product. Almost comical, I can’t count how many conversations I’ve had with iPhone devotees about how much they LOOOVE their phone and would never consider switching to another system. Generally speaking, they are beyond brand-faithful and will speak on the subject with a feverish and protective tone. While those of us who are non-users just aren’t. We aren’t particularly brand-faithful, we aren’t passionate or protective of our Android phone of choice. And despite what said iPhone users might think – we don’t really have any FOMO (fear of missing out!) I’ll tie this back to rehab later, but next I want to briefly define bias for the purpose of this article.
- Backing up to the mention of biases, I think we could have an entire posting on this so I’ll try to summarize why I think they are important to note here. When patients and I work together one of the primary goals is always centered around improvement. Improving quality of life, or bettering some aspect of performance are two categories and can be exclusive or not. For me, I always wonder about the why. What is the root cause of an issue, and many times this is a great approach to problems that have been addressed at the symptom level over, and over again with no sustainable improvements. The improvement has either not been significant enough, or there has been a boomerang effect where it improved and then regressed. I mention bias because if we misidentify the true why, we don’t see what needs to shift in order for meaningful healing to happen, and to stick.
- Biases happen when we have friends with similar issues and we apply their successful solutions to our problems (which are, of course, unique and require custom, not cookie-cutter solutions.)
- Bias happens when we tell ourselves, or others, the same story with our assumptions and perspectives that keep us focused on the wrong details, and looped into the problem instead of the solution.
- And, another example is when we have a cluster of things going on and we assign just one why to them all. That old accident, or my medical diagnosis, or my bad posture – sometimes one thing causes all our obstacles, but sometimes things are multilayered and need to be separated and addressed as distinct factors in order to properly heal.
- Speaking of focusing on the problem, instead of the solution I want to clarify further what I mentioned above about alignment to an idea being a catalyst for growth. It’s not what it sounds like. At first read it might sound like I’m advocating for religious practice, or political activism and I will back myself right out of that corner by saying no, that’s not what I’m talking about at all. Instead, from a purely clinical observation standpoint I am talking about what happens when we identify these strong, pointed-focus attachments we have in ourselves and are able, with a stable supportive practitioner, to create a tipping point for change. One of my favorite things about practicing Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy in my physical therapy practice is that I am forced to focus on the health – and not the problems, impairments, or the negative in someone’s system. The obstacles still present themselves, but also the ability to loosen and unwind long-standing patterns may emerge. And sometimes, the stronger the alignment with something, the more potent the floodgates of healing can be when we make small shifts in perspective surrounding that idea, or belief. We don’t need to destroy the dam in the river for healing to occur, but enormous possibilities arise when we open it up at choice times of the day.
So, by looking at biases, preferences and examining strong attachments to inner or outer beliefs we can start to shift our perspective which then might create a momentum which supports deep healing. The kind of healing that shows up gradually in our daily routines, but then in our relationships, and eventually in our community.
Physical therapy addresses your goals, fixes your bum knee, alleviates your back pain, or improves your pelvic floor function. Holistic physical therapy changes the framework from which your body builds movement patterns and addresses bodily responses to things you might never have chosen for yourself but have managed to carry in your bones, tissues and biofield for however long.
And I’m not saying I understand y’alls obsession with your iPhone, but I promise to let you talk about it as much as you’d like. I’ll never say never but I’ll sign off for now as a pretty content yet unenthused Android user.
