Every once in a while, my mind drifts away and ends up thinking about patients that I haven't seen for a long time, wondering how they are now doing and if I ended up being of any help to them. More often than not, these patients tend to call or show up at my practice in a matter of weeks. I must say that their timely appearance always triggers a feeling that Freud best described as "Unheimliche" or Uncanny in English.
Since seeing again a former patient usually means they are not doing well, I now tend to dread those times when I think about patients.
So, are my thoughts responsible for my former patients not doing well or can their pain somewhat trigger my thoughts? Unfortunately and more realistically, I have to assume it is just a coincidence!
Still, can you believe that a patient I last saw four years ago and thought about last week showed up this morning at my practice?
