About Me
Greetings!
Welcome to my blog!
My name is Richard C. Perl….”Coach Richie” is my blog name.
I am a Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. (Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, is what Tony Robbins’ techniques are based.)
I also have Polycystic Kidney Disease.
I was diagnosed with Pyelonephritis in 1964 at the age of 16, and then diagnosed with PKD at the age of 22. In 1997, I began hemodialysis.
Through no merit of mine, on Jan. 6th, 1998, I received a kidney transplant lovingly donated by wife Grace(!) Both of us have been fine since.
In between, I experienced flank pain, hematuria, fatigue, insomnia, anemia, muscle cramps, thirst, pain from bone bruises, and nausea.
I also experienced the “non-physical” symptoms of PKD: The knowledge that my disease is incurable and that I had no control over it, the sense of being “imperfect” and to some degree, “not desirable,” a feeling of being apart from the “mainstream,” being misunderstood by family, friends, and co-workers, (and sometimes by medical professionals), going through life with a sense of dread, and having no clear concept of “future.”
PKD patients who experience these “non-physical” symptoms rarely have someone with whom they can discuss these aspects of their disease.
As a result, they experience discomfort on three levels:
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the physical
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the “non-physical”
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the isolation that comes from being unable to communicate their actual subjective experience to someone to can affirm that experience.
PKD patients partner with me to win the “Inner Game” of PKD.
As a partner, you feel “listened to,” and your experiences are affirmed by someone who is on the “PKD Odyssey” along with you.
I help you “navigate” your personal Odyssey from several approaches:
Having been a computer programmer for over 30 years, I approach and solve problem from a logical perspective.
Having kidney disease since the age of 16, I have experienced the emotional roller-coaster.
Being a NLP Trainer, I have the skills to help to cope with the roller-coaster ride.
Being brought up Jewish, being initiated in a Yoga tradition, and having converted to Roman Catholicism, I have a unique spiritual underpinning to my method.
Coming from this background, I allow “space” for you to describe and verbalize your current situation, including your current physical status, the state of your emotions, relationships, and quality-of-life issues.
From the information obtained, we will design and develop compelling personal goals and outcomes which will motivate you to enthusiastically move forward at a pace which is appropriate for you.
We will formulate action steps that will have you steadily advancing toward the achievement of those compelling outcomes.
We will deal with the obstacles and setbacks that you know will arise in such a way that positive benefits will be gained through the setback.
The method used in our partnering include “structured conversation,” which is basically a question-and-answer format, “mind-games,” where I propose various “what if” scenarios that will help you see your situations from various perspectives, and other techniques such as “role-play,” guided visualizations, and a process known as “inquiry,” where we determine the validity of how you perceive your situation.
The result of this partnership is a feeling that your life has meaning, that you have a purpose, and that, in spite of having PKD, your Odyssey will be exciting and fulfilling, and the burden that you feel you are carrying will much lighter as you play to win the “Inner Game” of PKD!
If this excites you, please e-mail me at:
to discuss how I might be of service to you.
In the meantime, please enjoy my blog, and by all means comment on my entries. A lively discussion always brightens the day!
Happy Odyssey!
Coach Richie Perl
