Mr Leinonen

Mr Leinonen came to me for eight months with a lower back problem that was real but manageable. We made good progress and I expected him to finish treatment in spring. What happened instead was that the pain improved and his mood got worse. He became quieter. He cancelled twice.

When he came back I asked how his back was. He said fine. I asked what else. He said nothing, then sat for a moment, then said his wife had retired in January and was home now during the day.

We kept the sessions going for another two months. Not for his back. He knew that. I knew that. We did the exercises, talked about his garden, he complained about the weather. He stopped cancelling.

In June he said he thought he was done. He was. I told him to come back if anything changed. He shook my hand at the door, which Finnish patients almost never do.

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