Person to Person

Nowadays we are so speedy about everything we do. We pack so much into a day. We rush around getting oodles accomplished. We have drive-by visits. We eat take-out food. We zip off e-mails. We have quickie intimacies. Is there any doubt that life today is lived in the fast lane?So, why oh why does psychotherapy have to be so slow? Why can't somebody do something that will speed it up?Well, that trend has already begun. The drug companies have provided us with scads of quick fix meds. Self-improvement marketers have provided us with quick fix, learn everything weekends. Even psychologists have streamlined five-times-a-week psychoanalysis to once-a-week pragmatic therapy. But still, in this era of supersonic speed, why can't we do better? What else can be done to hurry therapy along? Folks, I've got the answer. A real breakthrough, executed at breakneck speed. I, along with some of my esteemed colleagues, have found the solution. You'll love it. Your insurance company will adore it. That annoying person who sent you to therapy will relish it. Listen up. Let the drum roll begin. The latest, the greatest, the much improved therapeutic model!One Sentence Therapy!!!!If your therapist is really astute (like me), with her gazillion years of training and experience, she will articulate - the one sentence - that will turn your life around. In that spectacular moment, you will grasp all the insight you need, all the sensitivity others tell you you need, all the wisdom you wish you had. Furr-get about struggling to control your anger. Furr-get about busting your hump to communicate better. Furr-get about plugging away to build your self-esteem. This new school of therapy, affectionately termed "Gotta Go Therapy," is providing remarkable breakthroughs. I am privileged to share with you some of those "one sentences" that have turned lives around:"Get over it already.""Stop complaining and be grateful for what you have.""Sure, your spouse is a difficult person, but how about looking at how demanding you are?""Quit obsessing. Quit stalling. Just do it!""Keep an open mind, but don't open it so far that your brains fall out."Thanks for reading this far, folks. There's lots more that I could share with you. But I'm sorry. That's all the time I have.... Gotta go!Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice and author of Master Your Fears: How to Triumph Over Your Worries and Get On With Your Life. She specializes in helping individuals, families and couples overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. She invites you to visit her website at www.psychwisdom.com Copyright © 2004