FIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF THERAPY

FIIVE THOUSAND YEARS OF THERAPY

SYBIL GOES BACK TO THERAPIST FOR HER ON-GOING DESPAIR

SYBIL:

I am un-able to decide what to do, which way to go  any more...

THERAPST:

What do you mean any more?

SYBIL:

 I mean recently

THERAPIST:

Is this a joke?

SYBIL:

What do you mean?

THERAPIST:

How long have you been in therapy?

SYBIL:

As long as I remember

THERAPIST:

Then why did you say, "ANYMORE?"

SYBIL:

I don't know.   just said it...

THERAPIST:

Are you aware that you are in therapist's office/

What ever you say here is taken extremely seriously.

It's like being in the police office or in the prosecutor's office,

or in the detective's office.  For example, if you say something like,

'I have thoughts of killing so and so" . Or, "I am thinking of killing someone."

That means that you are a dangerous person, a person who needs to be watched.

You can't ust say in court of law, "Oh! I don't know, I just said so and so."

There are consequences of your thoughts which lead to your actions and actions

of violent thoughts can be violent...

SYBIL:

You are scaring me.  You are behaving like I have already killed someone and I am on trial and you

are the prosecutor who wants to hang me. I thought you were my therapist who wants to help me...

THERAPIST:

And I am helping you by making you aware that you can't just say things, things which have no

meaning to you but might have a terrible meaning for some one else...

SYBIL:

But I am the one who is in trouble.  It's me who need help, it's me who can't make decisions...

THERAPIST:

Since when?

SYBIL:

Since when what?

THERAPIST:

Since how long have you been un-able to make decisions?

SYBIL:

All my life...

THERAPIST:

That's the problem...

SYBIL:

I know that.  I know it very well.  I have known it for a very long time...

THERAPIST:

And what do you want me to do about it?

SYBIL:

I don't understand what you are saying?  I have a disability...

THERAPIST:

Just one disability?

SYBIL:

What do you mean?

THERAPIST:

I asked you if decision making is your only disability?

SYBIL:

As far as I know...

THERAPIST:

You want me to surprise you?

SYBIL:

Surprise me about what?

THERAPIST

About your other disabilities?

SYBIL:

Oh1 my god...

THERAPIST:

Yes, you can say that...but one disability leads to another.

It's like your bad knee.  If not treated causes problems to the other knee.

Now you have both knees in trouble.  It started with one knee right?

And it went to the other knee, the other knee trying to help you instead you helping

the first knee.  Your second knee is more sympathetic to your first knee than you were

and look what happened to your second knee because of your carelessness...

It's just like that.  You are disable to decide, right?

SYBIL:

Yes.  Right now I am totally un-able to decide about anything

THERAPIST;

So you are disable?

SYBIL:

In some way yes...

THERAPIST:

What do you mean?  In some ways?

SYBIL:

In the decision making department

THERAPIST:

And you think you are perfect in other departments?

SYBIL:

Not perfect.  Who is perfect?

THERAPIST:

Many people are perfect

SYBIL:

Maybe?  But we have been told that human beings are not perfect

THERAPIST:

It's the excuse of disabled people.

SYBIL:

It's not an excuse.  It's a fact

THERAPIST:

What fact?

SYBIL:

Fact about human beings.  We are capable of making mistakes.  We are not perfect.

THERAPIST:

What mistakes imperfect human beings make?

SYBIL:

I don't know.  I can' know about the whole human race...

THERAPIST:

Do you know about yourself?

SYBIL:

About myself?

THERAPIST:

Yes, about yourself...what other mistakes have you made beside not being able to

decide about what shoes to wear, or what dress o wear, or what color blouse to buy?

SYBIL:

Yes,  I have problems about all the other things you mentioned but those are not the mistakes

those are the decisions.  I have told ou again and again that I have a problem making decisions

and you are being hostile and intimidating about my vulnerability...

THERAPIST:

I am not insensitive to your vulnerability.  But thats not vulnerability, that's stupidity...

you are now un-able to decide what shoes to wear, what dress to wear,  what blouse to buy..

and you are calling me hostile.  Do you want me to pamper you and tell you it's ok.  it's perfectly

ok to always ask others, "Should i buy black blouse or red blouse?  Should I wear sneakers or

heels today?  Don't you have any belief in you?  Any sense of trust in you?  These are ordinary things

if you can't decide about little things how can you decide about big things?

SYBIL:

That's exactly why I am here.  Thats exactly why I am paying you my money year after year after

year.  I have spent my whole inheritance on this this so called therapy which doesn't give any

answers towards healing but only asks aggressive questions about the problems.

THERAPIST:

Your problems are so immense that aggressive questions have to be asked

SYBIL:

I have no problem except decision making process....

THERAPIST:

Listen to her people...

SYBIL:

What people?  You have other people in the room?

THERAPIST:

You see any other person here?

SYBIL:

But you said, "Listen to her people."

THERAPIST:

That was a metaphorical statement

SYBIL:

Why did you have to make a metaphorical statement when there is no body here except us...

THERAPIST:

That's when one makes metaphorical conclusions when there is no one else is around but

you can still see people.  That's called, a metaphor ...

SYBIL:

But therapy must not deal with metaphor.  Therapy is real.  Isn't it?  It's between two people,

the patient and the therapist.  They are both real.  Talking about real problems and trying to find a

solution...

HERAPIST:

W are talking about problems but that doesn't mean we can solve them...

SYBIL:

What?  What did you say?  Why am I here if you can''t solve my problems? Why am I paying my

money?

HERAPIST:

Money can't solve all the problems.  Money actually causes more problems.  If you didn't have

money o pay me, you would have tried very hard to solve your own problems.  It's because of the

money that you are here.  There are two problems here.  Your problem about lack of your ability

to decide about important things and petty things and your money.  Your money makes you incapable

o solve your own problems.  So with the joy of having money you seek help....

SYBIL:

But it's important to seek the advice of an expert if you can't solve problems on your own.

I mean this is America.  We are Americans.  Help of all kinds is available here.  How o dress, how to

sneeze, how to be popular, how to be famous, how to speak properly, how to assert your self without

yelling...I mean if you start yelling, no one takes you seriously...people completely ignore the

problem which made you yell to begin with.  All they keep repeating is.  "You are yelling.  You are

yelling.  "Stop yelling" . 'She is yelling"  'You are yelling."  She is yelling."  and by that time, the

problem which made you yell was totally ignored.  So there are experts to go to to seek help...

especially when you have money.  Thats what America is all about.  Have money, have problems,

and solve them by paying money to the experts like I have been doing for a very long time

but I have a feeling that you are not interested to solve my problem...

THERAPIST:

I am interested.  I am very interested to solve your problem.  I am an expert.  I earn my money

by solving problems.  But the problem here is that you hired me for one problem.  Your lack of ability

to make decisions.  hats what you are paying me for.  But your inability to make choices, make

decisions have causes so many other problems...like I gave you he example of one knee problem

which caused the second knee problem, which caused the back problem, legs problem, feet problem,

spine problem but the patient went for physiotherapy only for one knee problem.  Patient is paying

only for one knee, one problem, like you and that one single problem has caused so many other

problems that with only one fee, the doctor, the therapist, the physiotherapist can not treat all the

subsequent problems and not ge paid for all the multiple problems. we ae here in America.

Everything is specialized.  Different doctor for the foot, different doctor for he mouth, nose, eyes,

liver, kidneys,  stomach, Utres, heart, limbs, throat, thyroid, eyes, lymph glands, blood vessels...

I mean you have to pay a lot of money, many different visits, to many different doctors for many

different problems and you fortunately have money.

So if you are serious about treatment , you have to think and  decide if you want to be healthy

you have to pay for all the other problems which came from your single problem of not being

able to make decisions.  Remember that you came to me years ago...for one problem and

because of that now you have so many more problems...If you are willing to pay me 10 times

more, I will be glad to elp you....

Oh! gee, we went overtime.  My next patient must be waiting in the waiting room.

Now I am sure she as well has developed a second problem of being neglected by her

own therapist but that's also your fault,  because you have never been able to understand

how the system works here in America...Let me tell you one more time.

Here in America, one problem leads to another problem and that is why we have so many experts

and that's why every you and every one else have to have tons and tons of money to get American

expertise............