top of page

“But…doctor, you don’t understand…”



Twenty one year old Jay entered my office utterly perplexed.  Within seconds he spelled out his dilemma:  “Doctor, I got a problem and I need to figure it out now, today.  I don't know what to do with my life.  Should I be a lawyer or a doctor or maybe a professor but I also love musical theatre and I can sing and dance….I can’t stop thinking about this day after day.  I know this all sounds sort of crazy but I keep talking about this and I’m driving every one around me nuts.  Can you help me decide…please?!”



So, we talked.  We talked for a good hour.  It was quite clear that Jay was consumed with obsessional thinking, something he likely inherited from his father.  Perhaps a medication, like Prozac, might help, at least to some degree.



But there was more, much more, to Jay’s cries for help.  He was a searcher,  searching for himself.  At age 21, he was on a journey, a good and necessary journey, a journey not unlike many his age.  We talked about his identity, or rather his lack of identity, and I told him that we should talk more about this, that the decision about profession was simply not possible right away……..



“But…doctor, you don’t understand…”.



Well, maybe I didn’t understand, maybe my initial approach was too strong, too direct.  Jay, like many of us, was locked inside his own head, his own perceptions, a prisoner of limited insight, and pleaded that I give him the specific answer, now, today, to his perplexed state.



“Man can never be happy if he does not nourish his soul as he does his body.”


            (Menachem Mendel Schneerson)



The good news is that Jay came back the next week and the week after that and the week after that….and we walked his journey together.


17 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Charge!

Healthy people confront their issues; and confront them again; and again. Unhealthy people resign.

Trouble

Know your emotions, yes!, be in touch with your emotions, yes!, but if your emotions alone determine your behavior, you’ll get yourself...

A Mirror

A lot of us have a hard time looking at ourselves.  One cure for this is that when you look at others, and especially if you see their...

Comments


The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read or heard on this website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911. If you are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time. If you are located outside the United States, call your local emergency line immediately.

bottom of page