ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, the effect of modelling and analysing too enthusiastically is often to confuse the trainee, who finds it difficult to attend to the patient while at the same time trying to remember all the theories of what he ought to be doing. It's like having two heads – one in charge, and another whispering instructions, advice and criticism in your ear like a back-seat driver. This 'inner dialogue' can become intrusive and unhelpful. The two heads are christened the 'organiser' and the 'responder'. This chapter describes the qualities of each head; then goes on to show how in real life they work together in partnership; and how the metaphor of two heads is in accord with contemporary neurological thought. Attention, arousal, physiological homeostasis, emotion, mood, and the initial uncritical processing of sensory information are primarily the province of the brainstem, mid-brain and limbic system.
