Posted by twinleaf on December 4, 2007, at 20:17:56
I am almost always startled by what he says- not when we are working on my stuff, but in the spaces between that- during the quiet intervals.
me: (looking at the top of his bookcase and noticing a chess set)
"you've got a chess set! Do you play with patients?"T: "only if I have a patient who looks like he wants to" (I don't know if that was meant to be humorous, but it got me started on a prolonged fit of giggling).
****************
T: "When I worked at ************** (a private mental hospital), we had nice grounds. We used to walk with patients there. It was very pretty. The eventual object was to get the patient to meet with you indoors at a set place, but that was hard for many people at first. It was very painful for them"
me: "a way to start.."
T:"yes. I had a patient once who was a very good athlete. He wanted to show me his fastball"
me: "and he did?"
T:Yes. It was very nice there. Not institutional. There was no sign."
me: "homey"
T: "yes"
*******************
me: "I feel like i want to ask you a thousand questions about yourself, so I'll know you."
T: " you can ask me anything. Then we'll probably explore why you want to know something, and what it might mean to you. I might ask you what you think the answer might be."
me: "it feels good to know I can ask anything- that I'm not trespassing"
T: It's important for a patient to know something about their analyst, because THE ANALYST IS REALLY THE PATIENT'S FATE'
me: "yes... wow, I guess that's true"
******************
When I am talking about my own stuff, he is extremely attentive, and makes short comments so that I know he is listening and understanding. But moments like the ones above are actually more powerful. They are the times when he is there in a way that we can know one another a little more. I never know when these moments will happen; he says he doesn't know either- that they can't be planned. They just happen. When they do, I always feel that I have been given something wonderful. I wonder what it is like for him.....actually, I think I know....
poster:twinleaf
thread:798825
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20071204/msgs/798825.html