The concept of “venting” is so ingrained in our society today, that it is almost discounted for what it really is:

A chance to verbalize feelings, that aren’t easily communicated to others and even to ourselves, such that we can begin to conceptualize them in (our case) English.

This is no small accomplishment. Think of babies who haven’t learned how to talk yet. It’s kind of tough to know what’s wrong when they are clearly not feeling well.

The frustration that we experience when either we have difficulty “putting into words” what we feel, or if we can express our feelings, when the expression is not “believed,” or negated, (“There’s no reason for you to feel upset!”) is often very detrimental to our individual self-esteems.

There many experiences that are very difficult to “put into words.”

Remember your first crush? You may have asked a parent, “How do you know when you’re in love?”

The answer for most of us was, “You’ll know!”

Gee. That was helpful!

But in fact, it was! I’m not sure I would like living in a world where every emotion can be reduced to “merely” brain cells firing in a particular part of the brain! (Which, by the way, we are heading towards!)

It seems to me that most people, which of course includes PKD patients would benefit from an environment where feelings, (especially and obviously negative ones) can be expressed safely, with the assurance that the expression will be accepted, never dismissed, and listened to.

Yes. A psychotherapist”s office is the ideal place for this to occur. I experienced this myself. It helped greatly. Unbeknownst to me, my therapist happened to work with dialysis patients along his career path. I basically lucked out.

Not every PKD patient has that good fortune. Too many times, even doctors will “dismiss” patients’ “human” concerns about their lifestyles. While somewhat understandable from the doctor’s viewpoint, it’s not helpful for the patient, as that sense of frustration just increases.

I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know. We NEED to be listened to. By someone who gets “where you’re coming from.”

Let’s consider a way of establishing a method where PKD patients can express real concerns to people who can listen and who know how to respond in such a way as to make the patient feel that the “internal pressure”  has been released.

Any ideas?   info@innergameofpkd.com is my e-mail.

The world can be a frustrating place when you’re on the PKD Odyssey.

Perhaps you may even want to talk to me!

Peace and Blessings!

Coach Richie

Certified Professional Coach

Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming