Just call me Miss Cleo

When I sat down with my shrink on Monday, the first question he asked me was not the usual: “Rate your suicidal thoughts on a scale of 1-10.” Instead, he bounced happily on his couch and asked “So when did I get a new girlfriend?”

“Ummm… “ I replied. “I dunno… do you have a new girlfriend?” Even though I knew why he was asking, I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

It’s part of a little running inside joke we share, namely that Borderlines can read minds. (Borderlines do tend to be VERY perceptive. We’re really good at picking up on people’s cues and non-verbal signals. I know that I’m good at it because I was always watching my parents as a child. I had to learn to predict their bizarre and often violent behavior.)

You see… about two years ago, I noticed one morning that he looked different… his hair looked disheveled and he looked like he was wearing old clothes. He also looked tired and stressed. I asked him if he was ok.

“God, you borderlines are perceptive!” He said shaking his head. “I’m curious, why do you ask?”

“Well, you’re wearing different clothes, you look exhausted and you’re not wearing your wedding ring.”

“Yeah, I’ve been going through a rough time lately.” We left it at that since I knew I couldn’t ask for details.

Early this year, he admitted that he’d been going through a separation and that he and his wife were now divorcing. I had already figured all of this out and told him so. We talked about it a little and I told him that I hoped he was taking care of himself. I also got the sense that he was back in therapy himself and that it was helping. Soon afterwards, he hired a personal trainer and lost some weight. After a while, his mood looked lighter too. He bought himself a little house and told me about how he was fixing it up.

So I’m sure, when he asked me about his new girlfriend on Monday, this was what he was referring to. I actually hadn’t surmised he was dating anyone, but I had noticed that he seemed very happy lately.

But… his question made me a little uncomfortable. We have an unusually close relationship for a therapist and a client. It seems to work for us. We’re very similar and we get along very well. Still, I feel a little odd when it’s out in the open like that. I like it better when I just read his mind and we laugh about it.

The whole thing’s a little tricky. What do you do when you’re friends with your doc? And do I use my psychic powers for good or evil?