Retro-Blog 2010.10.20 - Self-Therapy Experiment One: FAIL

Office, afternoon.

Dr. Noble: So, what brings you here today?

Patient: Seriously, that's the best I can do?

Dr. Noble: I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean.

Patient: You're imaginary.  I am in the process of creating you as a character, and I already think the opening line I gave you is hopelessly lame.

Dr. Noble: Lame?

Patient: A completely illogical cliche'.  I mean, I would be here because of an appointment, and through the process of making that appointment you would already know why I am here.

Dr Noble: Perhaps it is just a standard open-ended way to start a conversation and to learn about you.  I may have some idea of why you made the appointment, but your own thinking about your reasons for being here at this time could be different, and illuminating.

Patient: No psychiatrist or therapist I have ever seen talks the way you are talking right now.  You sound more like me.  I'm bored with me.

Dr. Noble: As long as I am allowed to be atypical, allow me to point out that you would not be here if you were bored with yourself.  If anything you are curious about yourself, perhaps fascinated with yourself.

Patient: Well, that is certainly atypical, I'll give you that.  You are so completely unrealistic.

Dr. Noble: How?  Please explain.

Patient: Well, right there, you're asking questions.  Do you have any idea how seldom people in your profession demonstrate any curiosity about me as a patient or a person?

Dr. Noble:  Until I am better developed as a character distinct from yourself, I expect I will know exactly what your experiences with people of my profession have been.  But is your characterisation accurate?

Patient: You present a valid challenge to my prejudices. I'll just say that my characterisation is consistent with my subjective experience.

Dr. Noble:  That's a dodge.  You didn't really answer me.

Patient: And real therapists don't ever challenge me like that.

Dr. Noble: So once again, why are we here?

Patient: I have found my experience with therapists to be boring and frustrating and they never generate any sense of progress.  I was hoping that by approaching the process in a fictional setting I could say, and hear, all of the things that have seemed to be missing in real sessions with real therapists.

Dr. Noble: Progress towards what end?

Patient: Exactly.  Can you believe that no therapist ever simply asked me that question?

Dr. Noble: Frankly, no.  In one way or another I think they must have asked.

Patient: Really, all of them?

Dr. Noble: Honesty, yes.  I suspect that the resulting conversation has never met some need you have, and thus you have projected the full blame for this on the therapist.

Patient:  The only therapist I have seen who would have given such a defensive answer is the original Dr. Noble whose name I borrowed for your character.

Dr. Noble: That's interesting.  Why did you chose his name?

Patient: Maybe it isn't interesting to anyone but me, which is why I had you say that.

Dr. Noble: Another dodge instead of an answer.

Patient: Fair enough.  Of all of the therapists of various disciplines I have seen, he is the one for which I feel the least personal and professional respect.  All of the others I would be hesitant to offend, no matter how unlikely it would be that they would read this.  But him, I have depersonalised to the point that I don't care if I hurt his feelings.  In fact, the idea of him having feelings isn't entirely real to me, thus he is the perfect choice for the namesake of my fictional therapist.

Dr. Noble:  That doesn't sound like a very healthy attitude towards others.

Patient: I would pay double to hear a therapist say that to me just once.

Dr. Noble: Obviously, you've never really expressed yourself honestly and fully enough to justify such a response.

Patient: Maybe your kind would never say anything so directly punative no matter how justified you may feel it to be.

Dr. Noble.  Perhaps. Why do you say that?

Patient:  Please, don't go all Eliza on me.

Dr. Noble: You're the one writing this, not me.

Patient: Yes. That is the root problem we need to solve first.  We need to make you beleivably a distinct individual from myself.

Dr. Noble: Is that even possible?  Is it even a good goal to have?

Patient: Obviously it is possible.  Fictional works by individual authors are full of distinct characters.  As far as being a good goal: in terms of writing, of course; in terms of therapy, that's a good question.

Dr. Noble: Maybe you're just a bad writer.

Patient: Talk like that isn't making you any more real or separate from my own psyche.

Dr. Noble: And whose fault is that?

Patient: Wow, if anything, you are devolving as a character as this goes on.  You are just a sock-puppet manifestation of my self-hatred.

Dr. Noble: Why bother hating yourself?  Isn't there a world of people ready and willing to do it for you?

Patient:  You would think so, but I don't give them much of a chance.

Dr. Noble: Have you noticed how transparent I have become?  I have almost completely ceased to exist.

Patient: That's ok, you've done your job.

Dr. Noble:  Really?  And what job was that?

Patient: You have reminded me that no matter how boring or disappointing they may be, talking to a real therapist beats the Hell out of talking to myself.

Dr. Noble: Are you sure?

Patient: No.