Læknablaðið - 01.06.1961, Page 51

LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
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colleagues and made slow pro-
gress with him for about six
months. Due to an error in tech-
nique, and his compulsive need
to be helpful, i.e., inappropri-
atelj^ helpful, this therapeutic
venture ended. Slie promptly
called and asked me to refer
her to someone else explicitly
stating she wanted someone
verv experienced, and would
pay an even higher fee at an
even greater financial sacrifice.
She worked with tliis therapist,
Iier eleventh, about five years;
the longet she had worked with
anyone. I knew of her progress
in quite soine detail and it was
gratifying to hear of it. This
woman’s perseverence after
liaving tried working with ten
different therapists and her
finally working effectivelv witli
an eleventh is indeed a tribute
to human tenacitj7 and the
liuman urge toward self-realiza-
tion.
Ten years ago I saw another
woman in consultation. She was
42, separated and had one son,
aged 18. She was brought to me
by her weak father and domin-
eering, narcissistic younger sist-
er for the express purpose of
my convincing her she should
enter a mental hospital. Two
psychitatrists before me had
diagnosed her as a dementia
praecox, hebephrenic type, and
I could confirm that diagnosis.
However, as I talked to her I
felt she had the wisdom that
comes from a life of suffering.
I also felt she wanted, and was
available for therapy. The re-
lief, the increased openness fol-
lowing my remark that I felt
she, in fact, had had a tough
life, as well as my question re-
garding her seeking therapy,
plus other things I observed,
convinced me tliat this woman
had considerahle assets. After
working for two years witli a
colleague, to whom I had re-
ferred her, she had earned the
grudging respect of lier family,
had become self-supporting and
her tenacious delusions regard-
ing dictaphones in the walls,
and her paranoid system ahout
her former physician, had al-
most disappeared. Her life,
from which she was beginning
to obtain some satifaction, was
tragically ended by a coronary
thrombosis from which she
died immediately.
Although this woman was oh-
viouslj^ very sick, in fact
psychotic, there were enough of
assets visible and available for
me to liave made my recom-
mendation. I mention her to
emphasize that we should not
he taken in by what is obvious,
what is in the foreground, and
wliat is so overt, namely a per-
son’s sickness, nor should we
be frightened by the diagnosis,
the labels we attach to people’s
sickness. Only by evaluating a