Sense of Sight

© Helen Lesser 2009

Question:  My patient has come up with an incident in which she reacted to something she saw. I have tried to establish whether she believed what she saw to be an indication of something, but I’m not sure what to make of the information I’m getting.

Can you give me some pointers so I’m properly armed next time she comes, please?

If the patient reacted to what she saw, you need to establish exactly what it was that she saw before going on to find out their interpretation of it.

Asking whether she believed the action to be an indication of something or other, may make sense to you as you are aware of what direction you wish to aim in, but it is unlikely to mean anything to a patient and it certainly does not enable you to find out what it was that actually took place at the time.

She could have seen anything at all – a fly on her plate, a traffic accident, nobody around, someone’s coughing fit, an article in a newspaper…… the possibilities are endless, but you get my point; find out what it was that she saw first, for example:-