Two of Me
I saw a shrink recently. He was a nice enough guy, as most are in a professional setting. He said something interesting which has been stuck in my head. I figured I'd let it run around here for a little while and see if its legs fall off.
I'm 32 now. I was paralyzed when I was 16. Most people grow and change at a fairly slow, comfortable pace. The doc suggested that as a result of this radical and abrupt change in my life I am now, developmentally speaking, two 16 year olds. I had 16 years with one body and set of circumstances and another 16 years with this new body and circumstances. Its a neat idea. I'm particular drawn to the fact that it has a nice symmetry to it.
To be fair to the unnamed doctor, I've only seen him once and he was very clear about the fact that he was just throwing shit out there to see what stuck. That said, is this really the best you could do? Any jackass with enough smarts to boil an egg could come up with this. Oh really, you mean becoming paralyzed was an abrupt change? You don't say? That never occurred to me.
Secondly, is it ok for me to have a problem that doesn't have to do directly with the wheelchair? I mean why does everything that isn't going well have to be somehow related to my car accident? Relating everything that goes poorly in my life to the wheelchair doesn't sound very healthy to me. Particularly since there is no way for me to reverse the condition. If my mental health goes sour because of issues related to my paralysis, and I will always be paralyzed. doesn't that mean that my mental health will always go sour? (If A=B and B=C, then A=C. Don't complain about math class, it is more useful than you think).
That said, it does explain some things. I've been fixated on getting a tattoo and shaving my head to form a mohawk. I thought I was a dirty old man for having sexual fantasies about Britney Spears, but it turns out that it is actually developmentally appropriate. Does this mean I have to go to the prom? I didn't go the first time so imagine my discomfort now.
So much for the first visit.
I'm 32 now. I was paralyzed when I was 16. Most people grow and change at a fairly slow, comfortable pace. The doc suggested that as a result of this radical and abrupt change in my life I am now, developmentally speaking, two 16 year olds. I had 16 years with one body and set of circumstances and another 16 years with this new body and circumstances. Its a neat idea. I'm particular drawn to the fact that it has a nice symmetry to it.
To be fair to the unnamed doctor, I've only seen him once and he was very clear about the fact that he was just throwing shit out there to see what stuck. That said, is this really the best you could do? Any jackass with enough smarts to boil an egg could come up with this. Oh really, you mean becoming paralyzed was an abrupt change? You don't say? That never occurred to me.
Secondly, is it ok for me to have a problem that doesn't have to do directly with the wheelchair? I mean why does everything that isn't going well have to be somehow related to my car accident? Relating everything that goes poorly in my life to the wheelchair doesn't sound very healthy to me. Particularly since there is no way for me to reverse the condition. If my mental health goes sour because of issues related to my paralysis, and I will always be paralyzed. doesn't that mean that my mental health will always go sour? (If A=B and B=C, then A=C. Don't complain about math class, it is more useful than you think).
That said, it does explain some things. I've been fixated on getting a tattoo and shaving my head to form a mohawk. I thought I was a dirty old man for having sexual fantasies about Britney Spears, but it turns out that it is actually developmentally appropriate. Does this mean I have to go to the prom? I didn't go the first time so imagine my discomfort now.
So much for the first visit.