As we all know, when somebody passes judgment on another person, regardless of the validity of that judgment, it will close the door to effective communication and connection. At the same time, one way of defining any healer's role is to serve as a guide who helps the patient on their path back to health and balance. And an important aspect of most clinical sessions, at least in the context of traditional Chinese medicine, is to discern the patient's current condition and determine the causes of any imbalance or deviation from perfect health, so as to choose a therapeutic intervention that will address those. In this process, it is all too easy to slide into judgment. To complicate matters further, one could argue that in some cultural or social contexts, such as Sabine giving critical feedback on the homework of her classical Chinese students, judgment may even be a necessary part of a person's role.

Have a listen as we explore the slippery slope between discernment and judgment in an effort to understand and promote effective practitioner-patient communication. Using diet as just one example, we realized the importance of aligning the practitioner's goals with the patient's needs and wants and the power of practicing from the heart and cultivating compassion.

Additional Information

• Virtue-Power: Traditional Chinese Medical Ethics