Synchronicity: A Clinical Presentation
by Thomas Bolte, MD
 Synchronicity is a mysterious phenomenon where a cluster of events appear to be happenstance, or coincidence, with some type of interconnection which is not readily explainable. Synchronicity tickles my curiosity, but I'm not sure what to make of it. Doctor Carl Jung was tickled by it as well. Unfortunately I cannot ask him about it as he passed away a few months before I was born. The essay below explains one of the many synchronous moments I have experienced, and this one is actually part of a larger synchronicity which would take more room than a webpage to explain...
A patient recently came to my office for a simple urgent care problem (neck spasm), which I quickly solved by dispensing a pharmaceutical. The patient was interesting (as all patients are), and a discussion opened up which led to my mentioning my father's photographic memory. The patient added that her father was a 5-time champion on the TV show "Jeopardy." I then told her about my fascination with the show. I mentioned that during my residency at New York Downtown Hospital, I had an intern I supervised, who played "Jeopardy" with me when we were on-call together. A computer in the on-call room had a "Jeopardy" computer software program. The intern's name was Madhu, who was a sharp and intelligent man from India. We would sometimes play Jeopardy until the morning, if the night was not a chaotic one.
I told my patient about Madhu, that he went into Neurology after his internship, and that I had not seen him since (about 15 years). I then told the patient she could fill her prescription at Duane Reade Pharmacy on 53rd and 3rd, just around the corner.
My patient walked down to 3rd Avenue, then forgot the exact location of the pharmacy. She then decided to walk into a restaurant called "Pax," on 55th and 3rd, and yelled out "does anyone know where Duane-Reade Pharmacy is?"
A man stood up and walked over to her and said "sure, it's 2 blocks down, on the same side of the street. And hey, what happened to your neck?" My patient told him she just left the doctor's office for her neck problem, and was going to the pharmacy to fill the medication for it. "What's the doctor's name?," the mystery man asked. "Doctor Bolte," she said. The man got excited: "Doctor Tom Bolte!!!?" "Yes," she said. He then gave her his business card. She then gave him my office phone number.
My patient called me after filling the prescription, and told me she met a friend of mine. "What's his name?," I asked. "Doctor Madhu," she said. I took a deep breath, then said "Guess what? You just met the guy I told you about in the Jeopardy story, when we were chatting in the office!" "Wow!!! That's totally unbelievable," she said. I said "Yeah, that's synchronicity,"
She gave me Madhu's phone number, who I called right away. Madhu and I met in Pax, and chatted for the next 3 hours, catching up on the 15 years since our last chat.
Coincidence? Happenstance? Synchronicity? Perhaps...
"The more you learn, the more you grow, and see there's so much more to know." - TJB
More Essays
The essays below include my formal (and informal) education, "magic moments," and opinions on healthcare and politics. Magic Moments are those episodes which enhance life with enlightenment and wisdom. They are the spiritual learning experiences which re-shape our souls, and change the way we perceive the world, ourselves, and others. Such moments are often associated with a smile both at the time of occurrence and each reflection thereafter, and hopefully, when they are shared with others.
Dr Bolte runs an comprehensive integrated medical clinic and urgent care center in midtown Manhattan, and makes physician house call visits to local area midtown nyc residents and hotel guests. More info on Doctor Bolte on his personal webpage and New York Urgent Care website.
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