(…)I have been working under the assumption that if I made the material even more accessible and presented it over a longer period of time, that is would become more accessible. That was a mistake.
Patients are not going into therapy clinics to be taught something important. Instead, they are walking in to feel better, get stronger, or move more efficiently. Often, education (and learning) is the last thing they are expecting, especially when a clinician is about to tell them that what they think they know about their pain experience is abjectly wrong.
No, slowing things down or simplifying the materials is not going to help, that door (the front door) is locked. You can knock softly or loudly and you can offer to sell them their favorite girl scout cookies, but Judge Judy is on in the living room, the blender is on in the kitchen and the kid are screaming upstairs. They are not going to hear you no matter how hard you try.
The back door, however, is wide open. You may startle them when you softly speak through the screen, but they will invite you in if they see you as passive and if you possess a genuine concern about how they feel. A box of Caramel deLites probably won’t hurt, either.
Keith's Korner 