In Treatment

Every Sunday and Monday Sally and I watch HBO's In Treatment, which presents 25-minute episodes of therapy sessions with a cast of patients. It takes place mostly in the office of Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne), as he works to help people. The problem is that Dr. Weston has as many problems as his patients.

We think the acting is uniformly excellent. We also know a little bit about therapy, since we've both been through it. I don't think it hurts to talk to a professional, especially when a person has issues he can't talk about with family members or friends. Or frankly, when we're too close to the problem and need a fresh perspective.

In 1995 my boss drove me to the tipping point. I finally went into therapy with Brenda, who I visited for five years, working through a number of issues. Sally visited Brenda, also, and was helped. So when Sally and I watch In Therapy, we're familiar with some of things we're hearing. The shows are dramatic, not reality TV, so there are arcs to the stories there wouldn't be in real life. Some of what I'm familiar with is how resistant some people are to hearing the truth. They go into therapy wanting to be validated in what they are doing. When the therapist suggests something else they first reject it as if they are being attacked. If they're smart they'll listen and think about it, and many times discover the professional is correct.

My first sessions with Brenda were tense. I didn't know what to expect and she was trying to draw out of me what she needed to know. A year or more later when I had shown substantial progress she told me the first couple of times she talked to me, "You scared me. You were so paranoid* and scary I didn't think I could continue with you." That shocked me down to my shoelaces. Say what...? Me scary? She thought I was on the edge. Edge of what? Going postal? Nope, that's not me, and she found that out. We developed a rapport. We both worked hard and we had results.

So both Sally and I know enough about the subject to be dangerous. We now recognize people with disorders we're familiar with from therapy. I couldn't sit someone in a chair and tell them how to fix their problems, but I can recognize their problems and give my diagnosis, "Man, you're all screwed up. See a shrink."

Anyway, In Treatment is excellent drama with great acting.

*Hence the name of this blog.