I think it's the other way round, your android (and his parents) should reconsider having Tina as the therapist! She should have been more interested, and conveyed concern, even if it was just the evaluation.
You’re absolutely right about Tina! She’s failing basic professional standards.
I drew from real experiences here. In Argentina, some therapists can be quite blunt or even refuse patients. I’ve found some who judge you, though there are good ones too.
Therapists can be weird sometimes. Once I left a session and saw a small ceramic heart on the hallway floor right in front of her office door - like a little decorative ornament blocking the way. When I bent to pick it up, the therapist quickly said “No, don’t touch it!” Like she believed it had some mystical power or something.
So yeah, maybe the android deserves better than Tina!
The pacing thing feels so real when you’re anxious. I myself experienced that and it’s terrible. Gym helps a lot.
And yes, that therapist with the ceramic heart was such a strange experience. Maybe I already wrote about that therapist somewhere. I have bad memory :)
This one is so rich in details about the internal world of the android. Where did those stories come from? (I'd love to see you develop either or both of them into stories in their own right!)
It's interesting that the android, like us, is able to give others good advice but not take his own advice to others.
I didn't like the therapist's response to the android. He was authentic and open with her, but it seems like she is going to reject him as a patient. I think this is a fear a lot of us have. Why be open and honest when we're only going to be rejected and despised for it?
The story about the man with the fetus in his backpack comes from a series of poems I wrote called “El joven pálido” (The Pale Young Man). I also adapted it into a screenplay as a road movie some time ago. The story of the woman who sees a nonexistent child I developed during the pandemic - it’s a screenplay meant to be filmed in a single location (the house). I was planning to film it but haven’t yet.
The fetus story has been with me since I first thought of it almost twenty years ago when I started my Spanish blog. Maybe at some point I’ll adapt and publish those poems here. I’m glad you liked them. I felt they served the android’s story well, though I was a bit scared to expose them.
As for the therapist, she is quite harsh. I think she gets scared by the story of the woman with the nonexistent child, and maybe, like some therapists, realizes the android’s case is too difficult for her. Perhaps in that future they want positive people, and that “personal growth” culture has become established.
Thanks for reading me, Judith. I see that besides writing, you’re a fervent reader and I’m saving the ones you recommend. Maybe you should make a post with the best you’ve read here as a guide for readers.
I think it's the other way round, your android (and his parents) should reconsider having Tina as the therapist! She should have been more interested, and conveyed concern, even if it was just the evaluation.
You’re absolutely right about Tina! She’s failing basic professional standards.
I drew from real experiences here. In Argentina, some therapists can be quite blunt or even refuse patients. I’ve found some who judge you, though there are good ones too.
Therapists can be weird sometimes. Once I left a session and saw a small ceramic heart on the hallway floor right in front of her office door - like a little decorative ornament blocking the way. When I bent to pick it up, the therapist quickly said “No, don’t touch it!” Like she believed it had some mystical power or something.
So yeah, maybe the android deserves better than Tina!
I've experienced people pacing that way - I'm hoping the android finds relief! The therapist with the ceramic heart would make a good story
The pacing thing feels so real when you’re anxious. I myself experienced that and it’s terrible. Gym helps a lot.
And yes, that therapist with the ceramic heart was such a strange experience. Maybe I already wrote about that therapist somewhere. I have bad memory :)
I agree!
This one is so rich in details about the internal world of the android. Where did those stories come from? (I'd love to see you develop either or both of them into stories in their own right!)
It's interesting that the android, like us, is able to give others good advice but not take his own advice to others.
I didn't like the therapist's response to the android. He was authentic and open with her, but it seems like she is going to reject him as a patient. I think this is a fear a lot of us have. Why be open and honest when we're only going to be rejected and despised for it?
Thank you for such a thoughtful response!
The story about the man with the fetus in his backpack comes from a series of poems I wrote called “El joven pálido” (The Pale Young Man). I also adapted it into a screenplay as a road movie some time ago. The story of the woman who sees a nonexistent child I developed during the pandemic - it’s a screenplay meant to be filmed in a single location (the house). I was planning to film it but haven’t yet.
The fetus story has been with me since I first thought of it almost twenty years ago when I started my Spanish blog. Maybe at some point I’ll adapt and publish those poems here. I’m glad you liked them. I felt they served the android’s story well, though I was a bit scared to expose them.
As for the therapist, she is quite harsh. I think she gets scared by the story of the woman with the nonexistent child, and maybe, like some therapists, realizes the android’s case is too difficult for her. Perhaps in that future they want positive people, and that “personal growth” culture has become established.
Thanks for reading me, Judith. I see that besides writing, you’re a fervent reader and I’m saving the ones you recommend. Maybe you should make a post with the best you’ve read here as a guide for readers.
Keep reading each other!