On My Office Wall
As you leave my office, at eye level is a framed New Yorker cartoon. A man, his wife, the son, and apparently the grandmother are lined up in a row confronting a wary young girl. He says<
“Bad news –we’re all out of our minds. You’re going to have to be the lone healthy person in this family”.
The girl looks shocked at the realization of her ‘black sheep’ status. But there is also some relief in her face, some ‘ah! They have finally admitted it!” It makes me smile.
Another framed cartoon (from the Chicago Reader) is by Lynda Barry, titled “That Certain Monster”. In four steps it conveniently summarizes a basic Jungian psychology concept, the overpowering of the ego by a complex. I am no longer in Evanston Illinois amongst Jungians; no one out here ‘gets it’, but I like it as a memory of my analytical days.
Next to it is a print from Alice in Wonderland. Alice is talking to the Cheshire Cat.
This poster silhouettes my patients as they sit and tell me their matters. I don’t know if any stop to read it or get the connection <
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where--“ said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you are sure to do that,” said the Cat, “If only you walk long enough”
Next to it, a photocopy of the first page of the children’s book “The Pokey Little Puppy”.
It is signed by my analytical teacher from U of Chicago, as an award for being initially skeptical about ‘psychology’ only to go further than the Freud wanna-bes in my class.
These aren’t as important as the diplomas, but they are always up in my office.
“Bad news –we’re all out of our minds. You’re going to have to be the lone healthy person in this family”.
The girl looks shocked at the realization of her ‘black sheep’ status. But there is also some relief in her face, some ‘ah! They have finally admitted it!” It makes me smile.
Another framed cartoon (from the Chicago Reader) is by Lynda Barry, titled “That Certain Monster”. In four steps it conveniently summarizes a basic Jungian psychology concept, the overpowering of the ego by a complex. I am no longer in Evanston Illinois amongst Jungians; no one out here ‘gets it’, but I like it as a memory of my analytical days.
Next to it is a print from Alice in Wonderland. Alice is talking to the Cheshire Cat.
This poster silhouettes my patients as they sit and tell me their matters. I don’t know if any stop to read it or get the connection <
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where--“ said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you are sure to do that,” said the Cat, “If only you walk long enough”
Next to it, a photocopy of the first page of the children’s book “The Pokey Little Puppy”.
It is signed by my analytical teacher from U of Chicago, as an award for being initially skeptical about ‘psychology’ only to go further than the Freud wanna-bes in my class.
These aren’t as important as the diplomas, but they are always up in my office.
posted by Ur-spo at 12:44 PM
2 Comments:
I disagree. They are more important then the diplomas.
They show who you truly are!
Dang, rodger beat me to it. I find those more important myself, a degree is a piece of paper saying you accomplished something, it tells nothing of your own mind truly. These other items do!
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