Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Roy: Reality Therapy Vlog: "PsychoTherapy 2.0"


I started to comment on Dinah's post, entitled That's Entertainment???, about reality TV shows exploiting folks with mental illness, and my comment turned into this new post. I have come to the following reasoned conclusion. Ahem.

I am quite certain that at some point, soon, there will be a reality therapy show... more likely an internet video log, or vlog. You know, a webcam in your office, for the world to see what happens in therapy. "Bringing The Couch into your living room."

Every Tuesday evening from 7-7:50, for example, "Melissa" can be seen talking with her therapist (live). God forbid if she's late, as the shrink would then look into the cam, telling why he thinks she's acting out because of the interpretation he offered the previous week, and her troubles confronting authority figures... maybe even with video-snippets from prior sessions, driving home the point. I'm sure if you miss a session, or "show", you can download it to your iPod from iTunes, and watch it when *your* patient no-shows, all the while wishing that you could have a successful therapy vlog, like Dr. Pheel has.

Some patients will even develop their own following, like groupies, cheering their successes on, or jeering at the more narcissistic or annoying "clients". I suppose if there are advertising sponsors, then the therapy would be free for the patient, and the therapist would reap some financial benefit. Perhaps Google ads popping up on either side of the screen, at the mere mention of a product or service by the doctor or patient:





Sponsored Links

Toxic Waste Weight
Cleanse the waste "weight" and lose more pounds and inches.
www.puristat.com

"Doc, ever since I started taking the Paxil, I've gained so much weight. And I've been constipated. It's really depressing."
Sponsored Links

Constipation Gone Forever
Read about the #1 natural remedy for constipation. It works!
www.DrNatura.com

Netizens would flock to the patients' blogs to see what they are *really* thinking between sessions, leaving comments about how insensitive the shrink is; or how she should let go of the idea that her bitch of a mother will ever care about anyone but herself; or about how she is such a misandrist (or, he, a negative animus); or that her iatrist is using the wrong otropic drug; or that she could become a "clear" if she just joined the org; or maybe even that, for the low price of just $9.99, in four easy installments, that she, too, could have her very own Emotional Support Duck, thus, forever doing away with the perverse dependency on her work-a-day psychiatrist.

It would get people interested in therapy again, like in the 60's, but only more tricked-out and jazzed-up for the plugged-in generation. Who needs insurance? If your problems are interesting enough, or bizarre enough, all you need is a therapy sponsor. If you are willing to try out the latest pharmaceutical, the drug company may even sponsor your reality therapy vlog, though probably with a side contract stating that for a given sum of money you will not divulge any unpleasant reactions you might experience, such as a blue tint to your vision, spontaneous flatulence, or painful erections lasting longer than 4 hours or 10 inches.

Some day soon, this year or next, web-enabled therapeutic voyeurism -- dubbed PsychoTherapy 2.0 -- will become the biggest thing to hit Psychotherapy since Managed Care. Or Prozac.

Or even Freud.

6 comments:

Dinah said...

I can't decide which one of you I need to commit first! Fukidol? Dr. Phil? Roy, sweetheart, where do you find these things and Why were you up at 3AM/?????

This truly is your finest. Please answer the door when the police arrive.

The good news, your hospital has agreed to accept you, and because you're the boss, but only because you're the boss, they will let you keep your emotional support duck on the unit as long as it doesn't smoke or wear shoelaces.

NeoNurseChic said...

This may not be as far from the truth as you think. Check out the following link:
http://www.startingovertv.com/

It's for a show called Starting Over which airs on NBC at 11am (I think) in the Philadelphia area. I've seen parts of this once or twice, and I have to say that when I watched it, I wanted to hurl. There aren't really words to describe it other than exploitative and disturbing...

Take care,
Carrie :)

Spiritual Emergency said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Actually, there are a few shows that get very close to this. You have:

1. Starting Over (as mentioned) [NBC]
2. Breaking Bonaduce (we even get to see him go into a manic state!) - extremely interesting show with a lot of it in the therapist's office. [VH1]
3. Blow Out - the hairdresser with a therapist - never fails to cry during his session! [Bravo]

And I'm sure there are others. Those are just the ones I watch (don't tell anyone!). ;-)

Sarebear said...

Ever seen Pat Croce: Moving In?

He's a life coach or some such, but he goes and gives quasi-therapy to people, but more tries to help em see that the problem is not working for them, and sometimes sends say a drug-using teen, to a treatment center, or help married people who can't stop fighting about something, or whatnot.

I got into this show for two months last year, but . . it just seemed so . . . well, je ne sais quoi. I'm sure the "helpees" have to sign something saying they aren't mentally ill, in order for him to come. I know "guests" on Dr. Phil's show have to sign something like that. Although from what I've seen of both shows, there's people who probably OUGHT to be diagnosed, lol!

Well #@$%%^abbit. Yet another rambly post, brought to you by the stupidity formerly known as, well, me.

NeoNurseChic said...

I never saw Pat Croce's show, but he did (or still does?) own the Philadelphia 76ers. One year, I was up at Penn State for our dance marathon, and he was the guest speaker at the Four Diamonds banquet. He was definitely one of those "Go get'em tiger!" type people... ;)