marathon

Back in the office. Tuesday and Wednesday were full days. In ways the vacation was really good, but in other ways it makes it difficult to miss a step in the process. Therapy is usually done a week at a time, and for me, after things are moving I often shift to two weeks.

But therapy has a rhythm; it is slightly different for each client, but they fall into it. Each person can only tolerate a certain level of working on each obstacle, each person will change only so fast, and unlike the TV show, the change is usually slow.

By Thursday I was feeling roughed-up a bit. I was still a bit jet-lagged. Still waking up too early and fading earlier than usual. I knew going in I had ten appointments and I didn't know how I would hold up. People kind of get offended if you fall asleep in their session. (I've only done that once, and she was really boring and I was taking antihistamines).

But I saw my first appointment and she was struggling with the similarities between her husband and her father, and soon she was crying. My second appointment just came back from his mother's funeral so that was very busy, and then, suddenly it seemed. it was seven o'clock and I had only hour left to go.

It's like basketball, or marathon running; you can get in a zone and things seem more intense, and it's easier to focus, and you feel like you know exactly what you're doing.

When people ask: "How do you stand to listen to every one's problems?" I try to tell them that it's not like that at all. It's like being handed a different puzzle every hour and it's your job to work with someone you like to try and put the pieces together. It's fun and it's fascinating, especially when it works.