I went to see a very nice osteopath in Fulham who came recommended for his naturopathy skills and I thought I might be making a useful contact. However, I was double booked, the sink in the treatment room was dirty, the treatment and preamble were quite odd and he looked scruffy. He did use applied kinesiology though, which I have come across before and found rather interesting, even though it is subject to controversy. I didn't go back. Enough said. Important lesson though. First impressions count!
I have also done this previously with an osteopath in Ealing, who an ex colleague used to visit. He didn't manage to successfully HVT my neck, when I went in desperation with a facet lock, a relatively common problem for me. Admittedly, I only went because my chiropractor wasn't around that day. After a few attempts he announced that it didn't want to go and moved on to some soft tissue. This was so frustrating and a total waste of money. I vowed to really work on my C spine HVTs as a result!
Continuing to reflect on what I have learned from other practitioners, I had some reflexology lately with someone new. My regular therapist (in the days when I was working) was on maternity leave. It was terrible and I was so disappointed, as it was meant to be a well deserved treat. Her hands felt tense and inexperienced and her routine was not smooth and was quite uncomfortable. I would never go back to her. It reminded me of a massage I had in a similar situation a couple of years ago. I must make as much effort as I can to avoid ending up like this myself! This terrifies me more than anything - people not coming back because I wasn't any good. I can't even bear to think about it. How did I end up feeling like this?