Interpretation

You know those therapy sessions where things just come together, and you get to the end, and you can look back on the content and the structure of the session, and like, everything just aligns, and is so profound, and you just kind of sit back all, like, whoa, and it's so about the alliance that you end up sort of vicariously raw and exhausted, and ultimately you look at your patient and you're just, like, wow. Good work. How cool that I was here for that.

I had one of those tonight.

Except I was the patient. And I left and was sort of like, ohhhh. So THAT's what that's like on the other side of the couch.

Cool.

Also, how many years have I been in therapy, and how many therapists have I seen in the recent past, that this is the first time that's really all come together like that? Which, okay, is not entirely true - this is the first time that it's come together like that in the way that I was able to have sort of that directed awareness of the process because I'm in residency and training in psychotherapy. Which makes me wonder why anyone would be in training and not be (or at least have been) in their own therapy.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I really think a large part of the key to being a good therapist is having a good therapist. Because some things you just can't learn by hearing about them.