Australian Doctor Australian Doctor 15th September 2017 | Page 31

Therapy Update
I
T was a typical busy
morning: a follow-up
for a first-time mother
with postnatal depres-
sion; a smattering of flu and
gastro; a widower with a
degloving injury; an anxious
HSC student; and our new
registrar sitting in as part of
her induction.
“How do you do it?” the
registrar asked.
“Do what?” I replied.
“Stay so calm,” she said.
I hadn’t really thought
about it, but when I did, the
answer seemed to be Japan.
I first went to Japan with
the woman who is now my
wife in the year of my hospi-
tal residency.
This trip was hugely influ-
ential for both of us. Not only
did we start to think about
sharing our lives together, we
also developed an aesthetic
that helped us design and
decorate our home, informed
our love of gardens, and
influenced the way we served
and enjoyed food.
We were also introduced to
the Japanese idea of Zen — a
very different way of seeing
and thinking about things.
When the registrar asked
me that question, I realised
my visits to Japan over the
years and my reading about
Zen had also infiltrated my
practice as a GP in subtle
ways I hadn’t considered.
Creating a mental space
The first thing that comes to
most people’s minds when

Now and Zen
Respecting elders
ART OF MEDICINE
Japanese philosophy provides a simple, yet effective,
way to introduce calm into daily routines.
DR SIMON YOUNG
they think about Zen is
meditation. I don’t formally
meditate, but I do practise
‘mind-clearing’ after each
patient. This is simply a
moment’s pause to check
in with myself and make
sure I have cleared the past
patient, their concerns and
my response to them, and
have the mental s