Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“I took a lot of psychology in college for my major. I would have taken even more, but the pre-med course requirements ate up the bulk of my schedule.”
“Psychiatry is a different discipline anyway,” she replies. “Psychology is the study of human behavior. Psychiatry is the practice of treating mental illness. They’re two sides of the same coin, but they don’t exactly overlap.”
I rub the side of my head with my free hand. “So what you’re saying is that I have to learn how to treat mental illness as well?”
“That’s a given, of course. That’s what psychiatry is. But more than that, you need to be willing to dive deep into your own mind and understand how you react to things. Only then can you begin to understand how others might be feeling.”
I sigh heavily into the phone. “That sounds complicated.”
“It is,” Aunt Melanie says with a soft chuckle. “But that’s what makes it so fascinating.”
“Fascinating…” I echo her words, but my mind is going in circles trying to comprehend the enormity of what lies ahead.
“And remember this,” she continues. “A psychiatrist isn’t just a doctor who prescribes medicines. We delve into the unconscious, understand the past and present of a person. We seek to change the course of their future. It’s a heavy responsibility. We don’t just heal. We understand.”
“Understand…” I echo.
“And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, Angie. You’re going to learn so much more. Our job is not just to understand them but to help them understand themselves.”
A light bulb shines above me then. “And I can’t help them understand themselves without first understanding myself.”
“Bingo,” she says. “It’s a lifelong journey, and it’s not always pretty. God knows I discovered some things about myself along the way that didn’t exactly thrill me.”
“How?” I ask. “I guess I always thought of myself as pretty normal.”
“Normal is a relative term,” she says. “We are all complex beings made up of experiences, emotions, and thoughts that shape us into who we are. And believe me, when you start digging deeper into your psyche, you might uncover aspects about yourself that you never knew existed.”
I swallow hard. “How did you do it, Aunt Melanie?” I ask. “How did you dig deep?”
“It wasn’t easy. It took time. It took patience. And it took courage.”
“Courage?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“Yes. Courage to face the truth about myself—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
The line goes quiet for a moment as I let her words sink in.
“Did you ever regret it?” I ask.
“The truth can be painful sometimes,” she replies, her voice steady. “Facing it head-on can be daunting. But regret? No, never. Confronting the truth about myself made me a better psychiatrist. It made me a better person.”
“I guess I never thought about it like that,” I say.
“You’re just starting out on this journey. There’s so much for you to learn, so much for you to experience.”
“But what if I don’t like what I discover?” I ask, fear creeping into me.
“You may not,” she says. “And that’s okay too. Understanding isn’t always about liking what we find but acknowledging it and learning how to cope with it.”
I take a deep breath. This path I’ve chosen seems so much more elaborate, more intricate than I imagined. “I guess I have a lot to think about.”
“And that’s okay,” she assures me. “Take your time to digest all this information. Remember, self-discovery is a marathon. A lifelong journey. You’re allowed to take a break now and then if you need it.”
“Thanks, Aunt Mel. I’m excited. And a little scared.”
“Completely normal,” she says.
“Dr. Engel made it sound like I needed to understand myself before I could even begin helping others, but I see now that’s not what he meant.”
“Right. He meant you have to be open to understanding yourself deeply, and that’s a process that happens simultaneously with helping others. It’s not two separate stages but two intertwined journeys.”
“But isn’t it possible that I may end up losing myself while trying to understand others?” I ask.
“It’s a valid concern,” Aunt Melanie says. “But remember that one of the key aspects of being a psychiatrist is the ability to maintain professional boundaries. You’re there to guide your patients, not lose yourself in their stories.”
“But how do you detach yourself?”
“It’s not always easy,” she admits. “It requires practice and constant self-reflection. It won’t happen overnight, or even over the years of your training. And more importantly, it requires a sense of balance. You have to learn how to be present for your patients without getting emotionally entangled.”
“That sounds challenging.”
“And it will be, but challenges are what help us grow.”
I let it all sink in. Or at least I try to, but Aunt Melanie has dumped a lot of information on me. It’ll take a while to let it all marinate.