In Treatment 3x04

The other day Paul spotted an advertisement for Gina Toll’s novel, Admissions. Until last year, she used to be his mentor and therapist, but he was always struggling to get from under her wings, while coming back for the mothering he did not receive as a boy. Now he is going to a different therapist, Adele Brouse, and he is carrying a copy of Gina’s book under his arm. He thinks he’s merely walking in to renew his Ambien prescription. But Adele is stern and curt, yet soft spoken. Paul gets uncomfortable fast and twice makes a comment about her age or lack of experience. He closes himself off, merely expecting her to fill out a prescription and let him go his way. But she indicates she is not going to do that so easily. He falls silent – and then starts talking about Frances and her dying sister. That’s when he finally tells her his father died of Parkinson’s, that his dreams have been trying to tell him to stop ignoring his symptoms (stiffness, dizziness, shaking hands), but he denies he is afraid. She confronts him with his resistance to open up, and questions his dependence on Gina (his teacher, his supervisor, his analyst and his marriage counselor). She notices the book and he admits he’s embarrassed. Then he finally opens up, although more about his patients than about himself. He confesses his frustration not making progress, to have a brief moment of connection – like when Jesse told him about the voice mail from his birth mother – only to see it implode on itself; or his feeling that he really cannot do anything to make situations better – like bring back Sunil’s wife. After she fills out the prescription, she points out that he has been talking about escape and entrapment, in relation to his patients, Gina, as well as Parkinson’s. She also wonders why he is still waking up from the same dream if he has realized several days ago what it was communicating to him. Before he leaves, Adele stresses that her door is always open for him. “What did you just say?” Paul responds stunned. The last time he saw Gina she told him that she was not going to tell him her door is always open for him.