I have started this blog with a gratuitous picture of my cat, Coco Divine. Though she looks adorable, don’t be fooled. She is not very friendly, at least not to anyone except me and my partner (and yes, he is the one who named her. I was thinking of something like ‘Butch’ but lost the coin toss). Coco worships my equally furry partner, probably because he brushes her every morning in what we call the ‘love spot’ on top of his Ikea dresser. During this intimate event I make myself scarce in case Coco tries to pee on me. She has been known to squirt angrily on other people. One of her nicknames is, logically, Madame Golden Showers. Other less logical nicknames include Devil Dog, Sweet Baby Jesus, and Cocsatawny Cocs. 

Besides being appropriately self-indulgent for the holidays, posting about my cat introduces the theme of this blog. After all, pets are considered therapeutic. This subject matter is a little lame, you are thinking. You are correct, but I experienced little of note this week and you are stuck with a handful of loosely related observations about therapy in what might be my weakest blog entry. So get ready! According to about.com ‘in the broadest sense, therapy is a term that can be applied to any form of treatment for any illness or disorder. For example, antacid is a form of therapy for heartburn, rehabilitation is a form of therapy for addiction, and exercise is a form of therapy for obesity.’ These days most people immediately think of therapy in terms of ‘the talking cure’ meant to alleviate mental illness, and come to think of it, exercise is another great form of therapy for the mind as well as for obesity. All the same, I will start with ‘slap therapy,’ an activity described to me by a friend who becomes increasingly enigmatic the longer I know him. My nickname for him is ‘man whore,’ mainly because I doubt that he is a man whore, despite his charming ways and best intentions. Just the other day, MW explained that it can sometimes be a good idea to ask a trusted friend to slap you across the face, in a ‘thanks I needed that’ kind of way. Continue reading →