Suspending hierarchy, liberating innovation
personal reflections on the triple chronotherapy journey
pp. 43-49
in: Joachim P. Sturmberg (ed), Putting systems and complexity sciences into practice, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
As evidence-based practice becomes a more integral and accelerated part of complex healthcare systems, interdisciplinary participation in a larger culture of inquiry is essential. The ability of caregivers to capitalize on and learn from clinical phenomena, whether accidental, intentional, or spontaneous, is at the heart of putting complexity science into practice.This frontline team of psychiatrists and nurses took a chance on an innovative procedure known as triple chronotherapy to treat a severely depressed teenage patient who refused all medication. Employing a protocol of bright light therapy and sleep-wake manipulations which had produced impressive results in adults, the initial patient went from severe depression to no clinical signs of depression in a matter of days. This unique event created an unprecedented momentum which ultimately resulted in the formation of an interdisciplinary team of caregivers, further trials, formal research, and a dynamic culture of inquiry, learning, and innovation.