
- Vol 32 No 6
- Volume 32
- Issue 6
A Curious Kind of Love
Sometimes when proposing a treatment plan, I flash to an image of my patient seated beside me on this orchard bench watching orioles court in May’s sharp sunlight...
Sometimes when proposing
a treatment plan, I flash to an image
of my patient seated beside me
on this orchard bench watching
orioles court in May’s sharp sunlight,
the female feathered in spring-leaf-green,
her mate glowing orange and new-moon
black, the couple a cloud of chatter
and lust. Strange, you might say,
for a psychiatrist to compare
the start of treatment to a mating ritual,
though Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
once said our work brings us
as close to one another as we can be
without having sex.
Yes, I know about boundaries,
how fantasy differs from action,
and the way we bond with patients
in an imaginary nest, woven with
strands of listening, limit setting,
and a curious kind of love.
Articles in this issue
over 10 years ago
Introduction: Reflections on the Crossing of Cultures in Psychiatryover 10 years ago
A Tour de Force of the History of Psychiatryover 10 years ago
New Findings About Youth Suicideover 10 years ago
Clinical Considerations in Renal Failure, Depression, and Deliriumover 10 years ago
Can Climate Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health? A View From Historyover 10 years ago
The Most Widely Prescribed Med for Medicare Recipients?Newsletter
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