Challenging a Patient's Firmly Held Belief

How do we help our patients past their limiting or incorrect beliefs?  This is always a challenging conversation.Maybe they're drinking a ton of water.  Or been told about the 'IC diet'.  Or believe they have nerve damage.  Or have heard some other fear-based narrative.This topic comes out of a recent PelvicSanity 'Clinical Collective' training.The first thing is to assess just how firmly held the belief is.  We often assume it's something they strongly believe, when many times it's just the only thing they've been told.  Or they actually wish it wasn't true!Ask more questions.  Where did they hear the information?  What do they think about it?  Who told it to them?  Is there anything about it they disagree with?Then we really have three options:1)  Squash it.  If it's not a firmly held belief and it's something that could be harmful, we can often squash it right away.2)  Pick at it.  We can let the patient know there are some holes in their belief, or something more going on, and let them start to see the limitations of their belief.  This is 'planting seeds' for when they are ready.3)  Ignore it and circle back.  We don't have to challenge every incorrect assumption.  In fact, that's making it all about us instead of the patient.  We can get credibility, get them feeling better, and then circle back if we need to.PelviCon!For this with tickets to PelviCon, make sure to check your email!  We've got exciting information on Add-Ons.And if you don't yet have tickets....stay tuned!  Or check out PelviCon.com.  Some news for those of you with FOMO as well.Business ResourcesIf you're starting or growing a cash-based pelvic health practice, we've got some great resources for you!  We've helped more than 200 practices take off in markets across the country.  From business courses, handouts and resources to true business mentorship in our Rising program, we've got something that can help.  Check out all our Business Resources (www.pelvicptrising.com/business) and fill out the Entrepreneur Survey there!About UsNicole and Jesse Cozean founded Pelvic PT Rising to provide clinical and business resources to physical therapists to change the way we treat pelvic health.   PelvicSanity Physical Therapy together in 2016.  It grew quickly into one of the largest cash-based physical therapy practices in the country.Through Pelvic PT Rising, Nicole has created clinical courses (www.pelvicptrising.com/clinical) to help pelvic health providers gain confidence in their skills and provide frameworks to get better patient outcomes.  Together, Jesse and Nicole have helped nearly 200 pelvic practices start and grow through the Pelvic PT Rising Mentorship Program (www.pelvicptrising.com/business) and business courses to change the way pelvic health is administered. Get in Touch!Learn more at www.pelvicptrising.com, follow Nicole @nicolecozeandpt (www.instagram.com/nicolecozeandpt) or reach out via email ([email protected]).Check out our Clinical Courses, Business Resources and learn more about us at Pelvic PT Rising...Let's Continue to Rise!