u/take-the-power_back

Today I saw a neurologist who presented himself as an expert in complex conditions and had written about PEM.

After I mentioned my diagnoses of ADHD and depression, he described my problem as mainly psychiatric and social.

I wanted to understand my symptoms, but once again, I felt I had to defend myself.

Some experts seem to feel threatened by patients who know their symptoms and ask questions.

This has happened to me before, but this time, the difference between what he advertised and how he treated me was hard to miss.

Thanks to this subreddit, I know I’m not alone in being treated this way. Without that support, it would be much harder to cope with this medical gaslighting.

A woman came to the old master and said:

“I have read the teachings for many years.

I have no teacher.

I have no sangha.

I only want a companion for conversation.

Where shall I go?”

The old master said:

“Where have you looked?”

She said:

“In books.

In temples.

In forums.

In poems.

In strange little villages built on nothing.”

The master asked:

“And what did you find?”

She said:

“Verses.

Memes.

Many voices.

Little listening.

Everyone speaks.

No one stays.

Perhaps I ask too much.”

The master remained silent.

After a while he said:

“You ask too little.”

The woman bowed.

“What should I ask for?”

The old master said:

“Ask for a place where you may be.

And where another may be.”

The woman said:

“Is that Zen?”

The master replied:

“No.

That is how tea is shared.”

The woman sat quietly.

Outside, an old duck was cleaning its feathers.

Neither knew the other’s name.

The wind moved across the water.

The duck swam away.

A man traveled far in search of meaning.

He read many books, sat in meditation, and visited countless teachers.

At last, he asked an old master:

“What were all those old men pointing to?”

The master pointed to the pond.

A duck was preening itself.

The man asked:

“And after that?”

The old master said:

“Then it swims away.”

The man sat quietly.

The wind moved across the water.

The duck was already gone.