Dear Dr. Dailley:
There are really no words to adequately express the gratitude I feel–your diagnosis and treatment plan has changed my life*. I have rediscovered self-confidence and assuredness in social situations that I had thought was lost forever.
My first eye-opening revelation that things were truly different came on the train ride home. Amtrak uses “community seating” in the dining car, which means that people are paired with perfect strangers in booths that can best be described as “close quarters”. At lunch one day, I was seated next to an infamous “close talker”, the kind of person who, before my visit to your clinic, would have had me using all of the standard tricks one uses when not confident about his or her breath–talking down or away from the person (making it hard to maintain eye contact), chewing gum, leaning halfway out of the booth and into the aisle to protect my personal space, etc, etc. But this time, as she talked, I was amazed by how relaxed I was. I didn’t pull away from her, I didn’t need to resort to any of my old defense mechanisms–instead, I stayed right where I was and carried on a normal conversation with confidence. It’s funny how much more engaged you feel when you’re able to fully concentrate on what the other person is saying rather than worrying about whether or not they’re repelled by your breath*! 🙂
My personal space bubble–at one time the approximate length of a football field–has now shrunk to where I feel comfortable in any situation, and I have you to thank for that*. You are truly gifted in your chosen field of excellence, and I have never personally witnessed such a high level of skill by any other medical professional*. If you ever need me to write a testimonial, please don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, I will plan on checking in with an appointment each year, just to make sure the numbers continue to stay right where they are.
*Your results may vary.