Language is limited. English, the only language I happen to know, cannot be used to describe direct experiences.

My mother gave me that lesson when she taught me about describing experiences. Her answer…”Describe the color “blue!”

Asking a PKD patient, “What’s the experience of PKD for you?” would be like trying to describe the color “blue.”

But notice the format of the more usual question: What’s it like having PKD?”

Here, the question is asking for a comparison. “Having PKD is LIKE…”

This question can, at least to a reasonable degree, be answered using language. Because the answer is given by comparing the direct experience of PKD to something that can be described as something familiar, to such a degree that the questioner can get some sense of what the patient feels.

I used to say that having PKD “is like walking around with a heavy backpack that you can never put down.”

I’m sure every PKD patient would have a different and possibly unique response. And even that response will change under different conditions.

OK. So what?

The “languaged” description, or metaphor, is NOT the experience itself! It is though, the patient’s representation of the experience. Once again, it’s the “half-empty, half-full” concept. However you describe it, the amount of water is the same.

So, it’s possible, by changing the “representation” or metaphor of the PKD experience, the actual experience can be influenced.

In previous posts, I discussed how I “represented” my future by describing as walking on a foggy road not being able to see more than a few feet ahead. That visual description was subjectively quite depressing for me. That was changed by undergoing an NLP process using the concept of “Time-lines,” in which I changed the perception, or “representation,” or metaphor of my future to a more positive one, in which I “saw” myself living a full life until at least age 80.

The payoff? I was no longer depressed about not having a future!

Yes. This is an example of “mind games” that I  often make reference to. If “played” correctly, they can have a profound effect on how a PKD patient experiences his/her disease.

Consider, if you will, a situation in which you “changed” your mind. How did that “change” come about?

After all, the only thing that’s constant…is change!

Peace and Blessings!

Coach Richie Perl

Certified Professional Coach

Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming