Special

I really like this HBO show called In Treatment. Each 30-minute episode is a therapy session: Paul, the psychologist and one patient. Brilliant writing, at times I feel like I am in therapy myself and just had some sort of an epiphany through listening to their conversations. On an episode I just watched, Paul's talking to his 40-some year old single and successful lawyer patient - a woman. He asks her why she thinks she keeps having affairs with married men. She says it must be because they are unavailable from the start so she knows it won't work out and she can stay distant from them herself. And, also importantly, she says sex is great because most married men are just starved for it. Paul listens, thinks, and for once, offers an opinion. He suggests that those men share something with their lovers: secrets. The affair is their secret. And that makes her feel special in a way. As if she had a special bond with them through their secret. As if they chose her in a way above others. Feeling special can be a very strong motivator. And I think it can be so often misguiding. Something to think about.