From the beginning of one's education towards becoming a doctor/physician there is a high and unspoken priority held by such individuals to be perfect.
The medical schools demand it of them. The licensing bodies demand it of them. The patients demand it of them. The insurance companies demand it of them. The courts demand it of them. Their families demand it of them. Most of all they demand it of themselves.
So whenever a problem arises that challenges this vulnerable mantle of perfection there is a great tendency to try to deny it or pretend that it doesn't exist. Such denial manifests itself as burnout, workaholism, drug or alcohol abuse, aggressive behaviors, sexual exploitation of patients, delusional thinking, and other self sabotaging behaviors.
At the root of this denial is a treacherously deceptive negative emotion we call shame.
The expectations of perfection that many physicians allow themselves to be imprinted with during their careers breeds a tremendous amount of shame that they carry within and which sets them up for failure.
What's most unfortunate is that the feeling of shame is elusive and so difficult to get near to that it remains like a clandestine intruder driving self sabotaging behaviors until it's too late.
In other words, the very drive for perfection actually makes one vulnerable by setting up in them the inability to comfortably address dysfunctional behaviors and thoughts that threaten to undermine one's life and career.
Shame sits at the doorway and prevents the physician from objectively addressing his/her situation and taking the appropriate course of remedial action.
There is an unconscious belief connected with shame that goes like this:
Shame is supposed to keep me from doing things that are not good for me, so that,
I will make the right decisions, avoid making mistakes, be a better doctor, be a better human being, so that,
I can be more competent, feel more competent, so that,
I will feel better and I will feel better about myself.
In other words the unconscious belief is that:
Shame makes one feel better and better about one's self.
Now does that feel right to you?
Highly unlikely because we all know how shame feels. It makes one feel completely inadequate, incompetent, self loathing, disgust for one's self, depressed and sometimes suicidal.
So you see that the unconscious belief that many hold about shame is false and is rarely if ever made conscious.
What is the consequence of keeping this unconscious? Well one is that it keeps the toxic feelings of shame embedded in the mind/body of the person (in this case the doctor) and it then serves to undo them as I discussed above.
What's interesting is that negative emotions like shame are a) totally unnecessary b) abnormal and toxic emotions conditioned in us throughout our lives and c) quickly and easily released with a new modality called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP).
If you'd like to know more about MRP kindly visit the web link below where I have posted a free downloadable audio clip on MRP.
Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.
Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com