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10 Sessions and Life's Greatest Lessons from an Unexpected Patient
Review by Cate Montana
Prologue: Under normal circumstances, the province of psychotherapy is practiced privately. What is said behind closed doors remains there. ... I can truthfully say that in all my years of practice, I only compromised that bond of confidentiality with three patients. The first involved serious child abuse, and the second concerned an individual who is imminently suicidal. These were clearly based on a duty to warn and protect.
The third case, which is the focus of this book, has nothing to do with legalities or ethics. It has to do with a patient whose initial claims represented the most elaborate and complex delusional system I've ever encountered. I was given express permission to tell the story in a public forum. Indeed, I was encouraged to do so.
Ok - so what would you do if you were a well respected psychiatrist and an unassuming looking man made an appointment and proceeded to explain that he was God, and that we was looking to "vent?" Maybe you'd sit back and think, "Yeah, well I've heard that one before. Obviously psychotic. Maybe paranoid, maybe paranoid schizophrenia..." Which is exactly what Richard decides upon hearing his new patient, Gabrielle's, personal introduction. No last name, no address, no family history, no phone number is on the new client information sheet, only one entry under "occupation," which Gabrielle lists as architect.
As proof of his identity, Gabrielle proceeds to tell Richard his last night's dreams, his thoughts upon awakening, his hygiene routine, and his personal concerns. He finished off recounting a tale of a fishing trip and conversation Richard had with his grandfather at age seven. "I sat speechless for a few seconds. He could be a stalker, but the information was too detailed. The only rational explanation was that this man calling himself God actually was a psychic."
And so the story goes. No matter what Gabrielle says, Richard is locked firmly into the role of physician - and skeptic. But he listens - which is of course what he is paid to do, all the while hoping somehow to unravel Gabrielle's secret and his real identity. Meanwhile, Gabrielle provides him with new insights into what God is - and isn't. For example, just as the universe contains both perfection and imperfection, so God isn't perfect. And He's frustrated - over what? Humanity's stupidity. "It's at the heart of every conflict, and yet so much conflict is really nonsense," He says. Plus, humans don't want to take responsibility for their own creations - they want to lay it on God, who is limited to the role of the architect and producer. Never mind He set free will into motion in the first place, and that He sees His real role as a focal point - an "organizing force for people's beliefs." People insist on believing God is "out there." And there, Gabrielle insists, lies humanity's - and subsequently His - real problem. God is within. And it's up to humanity to discover that.
A fun and easily paced read, God's Shrink is not particularly deep. Real life psychiatrist and author Micheal Adamse, Ph.D. misses some opportunities to sink a few points home - such as the co-creative aspect of a humanity imbued with divinity, and deeper insights into the ramifications of the naturally schizoid nature of a universe based in duality. Despite its shortcomings, it's a good book that's extremely well written and entertaining. It's perfect for the niche of readers who are open to new insights into the nature of God and reality and humanity's place in the world - but who are unwilling, or unprepared to be stripped bare of their belief systems.
A lovely, gentle primer into life's lessons.