ABSTRACT
Three recent concepts in self-critical rehabilitation research are patient-centred ‘tinkering’, ‘ultrabilitation’, and ‘iatrogenic dys-appearance’ (a form of unintended harm). In this chapter, we apply these concepts to the life stories of two young Scandinavians with cerebral palsy to produce new insights about two key relationships. Ideally, therapeutic practice should be considered a project in which the caregiver and the patient mutually collaborate (‘tinker’) to maximize the patient’s life satisfaction. Success in this project can only be assessed in accordance with the patient’s own values and priorities. Thus, two-way communication within the therapeutic relationship is paramount. Another and even more central ‘relationship’ is that of the patient to his/her own body; physiotherapists must maintain awareness of their power either to improve this relationship or accidentally damage it.
