Curiosity is like a muscle; it needs to be exercised!

 When I, as a patient sometimes wasn't believed, wasn't listened to, I felt so little.

Invisible. What little was left of ME went up in dust. But why didn't you hit the table in protest, said a friend of mine.

Firstly, it was about being sick and having no strength. But I tried. That can't be right, I said, but the doctor just went on, and I gave up. Because I had no strength and because it was stored in my subconsciousness that maybe the doctor was right. It's probably in your head, as she put it.

I said nothing. I snuck down to my room, after another examination. Shameful. Imagine creating so much fuss, and maybe it is all something I imagine. Later it turned out to be cancer.

 Being believed and being taken seriously activates strength. It strengthens the hope for change, and helps you to hold on to your self-image, in the middle of a tough illness.[i]

 It's okay not to know. Absolutely fine. It is when the therapist launches a response that does not resonate with the patient at all, that oversteps can take place.

 Curiosity is like a muscle, it must be exercised, the philosopher Arne Næss once stated. Curiosity and humility are good medicine in relation to one's own field of expertise, and in relation to a fellow human being sitting on the other side of the table, whom we call user, patient or client.

Professionals must create an atmosphere for exploration and where there is room to ask questions.

 As questions are sensitive, impulsive and often foolish, they tend to be well thought through where they are asked. They wither in an atmosphere characterized by power, prosperity, and old habits.[ii]

 Another time I was lying on a bench in a hospital. I saw my main artery in black and white on the screen. If they are going to operate you any more, you can say that the main artery is fine, said the doctor. An older, friendly man. He pulled out the needle and put on a plastic cuff on my wrist. I know that the main artery is fine, but otherwise it is only the tip of the iceberg that we know anything about. The human body is a mystery, he said, and helped me back in the wheelchair, before calling someone to get me back to the hospital ward.

 The human body is a mystery. We really don't know much. It is all the more important to have a curious approach to the work to be carried out. And remember what the philosopher Arne Næss said: Curiosity is like a muscle; it must be exercised.

[i] Einarsson, J.H. og Einarsson, J. (2002) Må jeg leve med det? En helsedokumentar om kroniske smerter. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk

[ii] Wolf, Virginia (2002) Om å være syk, sd.248 i Indiskresjoner og andre essay. Oslo: Pax Forlag