Guest guest Posted January 27, 2000 Report Share Posted January 27, 2000 Dear colleagues: In the course of teaching pulse diagnosis workshops we attempt to quantify findings without resorting to the notion of intuition, an important part of clinical life that may be counterproductive for teaching environs. Whenever we attribute clinical conclusions to " intuition " , we lose the possibility of defining the process by which we come to the conclusion. If this is lost, an important insight may pass away forever. The commitment to uncovering those clinical perceptions we attribute to intuition is a discipline worthy of consideration. A hypnotherapist took a large sample of day-traders who claimed an intuitive style of trading. What he discovered was that each of these individuals had sets of criteria that they abided by in making trading decisions. These rules and criteria took place below normal consciousness as may be seen in learned behaviors such as walking. Best wishes......Will Morris wrote: > TLuger () > > I'd like to underscore (in hindsight, admittedly) Z'ev's point that the > peeled tongue and fast pulse suggested deeper pathology right from the > outset. I initially thought that the tongue dx must be wrong, since red > is common in kids I see, but not peeled. Of course, the suspicion of > leukemia, which commonly leads to damaged fluids even before it > manifests acute lymphadenopathy, confirmed the relevance of this sign. > Given the etiology, blood stag from trauma was a reasonable first hunch, > but it is worth noting that other tumors are often found as a > coincidence to a local trauma, especially testicular cancers. Knowing > Jacob's thoroughness on his own patients, I suspect he would have > changed his mind in a more thorough intake, as I hope I would have as > well. > > However, I am not sure what intuition had to do with the correct dx of > this case or how it might have helped. I think Jacob and Zev both make > it clear that not enough information was gathered and key signs were > ignored. If all the info had been gathered and analyzed carefully, then > no error would have been made. The solution to this " mistake " , in my > opinion, would have been more rational assessment of the case, not > reliance on hunches or feelings, which is he common meaning of > intuition. > > However, there is also the psychologist's or philosopher's definition of > intuition. Intuition is not an alternative to logic (i.e. > intuition=feelings/body and logic=thought/mind). Intuition is a faculty > that transcends but includes logic, feelings and sensations. Intuition > does not tap into knowledge from the universe or the patient's bodymind. > It is a higher level organization of the thoughts and perceptions of > one's own mind. Thus, if we fail to gather enough data or if we > misinterpet the data, no feeling will substitute for that deficiency. > > When we discussed this before, I think it was generally agreed at that > time that the so-called " intuition " of student practititoners and recent > grads was often wrong in that it could not be supported with evidence > after the fact and the clinical results were generally unsatisfactory. > And that the best way to cultivate one's intuition, especially with > regard to herbalism, involves considerable study of texts, including > classics, as well as practices that enhance development of one's > consciousness (yoga, tai ji, etc.). > > Intuiton, as I have defined it, should arise as a natural part of the > developmental process of human beings, just like language, ego formation > and advanced cognitive skills. There is nothing mystical about it. > However, I do believe we must be careful not to mistake our fleeting > emotions, feelings or sensations for this higher level intuition. When > one is young, like me, I think the only way we can be sure of our > intuitions is to test their logic after the fact. So if I suspect liver > depression in my gut, I must justify it in my mind before proceeding. > there is certainly no harm in doing this and the patients deserve this > double check. > > --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > > Save 50 percent at MotherNature.com. See site for details > <a href= " http://clickme./ad/MotherNature " >Click Here</a> > > ------ > > Chronic Diseases Heal - Chinese Herbs Can Help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2000 Report Share Posted January 27, 2000 I agree with what Todd and Will said about intuition. . . .my perception is that intuition illustrates the dictum that " the whole is greater than the sum of its parts " . I have seen this quality in great spiritual teachers, stock traders, and physicians. . ..they have studied, practiced, learned and taught for so long, that a synthesis of these qualities led to what I would call 'informed flashes of insight'. It is similar to the concept of improvisation in jazz. . . .no one could play like John Coltrane or Keith Jarrett without years of study practice and dedication, and yet they could compose spontaneously and play new music seemingly 'on the spot'. We are always faced with new challenges and experiences in the field of Oriental Medicine. . . ..because human beings are vast, changable and full of surprises. Intuition, for me, comes in when facing new challenges and experiences, drawing on one's well of experience, but moving forward into new realms. >Will <will > >Dear colleagues: >In the course of teaching pulse diagnosis workshops we attempt to quantify >findings without resorting to the notion of intuition, an important part of >clinical life that may be counterproductive for teaching environs. > >Whenever we attribute clinical conclusions to " intuition " , we lose the >possibility of defining the process by which we come to the conclusion. If >this is lost, an important insight may pass away forever. The commitment to >uncovering those clinical perceptions we attribute to intuition is a >discipline worthy of consideration. > >A hypnotherapist took a large sample of day-traders who claimed an intuitive >style of trading. What he discovered was that each of these individuals had >sets of criteria that they abided by in making trading decisions. These >rules and criteria took place below normal consciousness as may be seen in >learned behaviors such as walking. > >Best wishes......Will Morris > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2000 Report Share Posted January 29, 2000 Dear Will I agree wholeheartedly. I think what most people are calling intution in practice is really unconscoius processing of various observations, such as the patients gait, tone of voice, smell, body type, etc. These sensations may also intermix with learned emotional reactions to people who behave in particular ways. I think these things are all part of TCM, but do indeed need to be " demystified " . [This message contained attachments] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.