Self-awareness & Comfort with Intimacy - Critical Clinical Skills

     Gradual self-disclosure, after a reasonable length of time, within a safe group setting, occurs naturally in mindfulness meditation, Balint & other groups. Such de-armoring processes are profoundly healthy and liberating.

     "The most powerful insight of the (physicians' peer support) group has been to connect the personal to the professional in our lives. Our professional stress and our personalities now seem so clearly linked that it makes sense to process troublesome work issues at the level of our ego defenses and the psychodynamics of our relationships. That the process of strengthening our person strengthens our work should be no surprise because medical practice is an inherently personal task built around relationships and individuals dealing with difficult existential issues - illness, suffering, loneliness, meaninglessness, & death. As self-awareness and comfort with intimacy develop, we apply new understanding and skill to our clinical work."

       Eubank DF, Zeckhausen W, Sobelson GA. Converting the stress of medical practice to personal and professional growth: 5 years of experience with a psychodynamic support and supervision group. J Am Board Fam Pract 1991; 4(3): 151-8.

 

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