“Tell me what you see” is a phrase that, for me, triggers the feeling of analysis and introspection. It makes me process in words what my eyes see. However, it is sometimes difficult to dissociate myself from what I perceive; often, I find that I unknowingly impose a mask of emotions and experiences onto whatever I am looking at. In medicine, this is likely necessary in order to develop an emphatic bond with your patient. However, this is a double-edged sword and sometimes can cause one to miss the reality around them.

The inkblot used here was one of the original ten used in the Rorschach test; a test used to assess how an individual’s past experiences may be influencing how they view the present. Have you ever projected your past onto someone else? Do you ever wonder if you truly see them, as they are in the moment, or only the mask that you unknowingly put on them?

Tetyana Maniuk

Tetyana is a PGY1 EM resident at uOttawa with a passion for the arts. She is the Editor of CanadiEM's Arts PRN Section.

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