Revisiting My Lecture

This time last year I was struggling to write a lecture on a patient's perspective of psychotherapy to be delivered on a Master's course at one of London's universities. It took me quite a long time to put the lecture together and was based on posts from this blog and emails between myself and Mr Smiley. The lecture went down very well and I can remember the thrill of receiving a spontaneous round of applause from the audience. Like so much of what has happened in my life during the last 18 months or so, I wrote about the experience on this blog.

I have been asked to deliver the lecture again this year and because of what has happened in the intervening period I feel that it needs updating. In order to do this I had to find out where the lecture script was stored. I have to admit that I had a nasty feeling that I might have to type it all up again, but as luck would have it I have found the relevant file and it has now been transferred onto my new laptop so that I can spend some time working on updating it.

I have quite a bit to add. I have to talk about the termination of my psychotherapy and the terrible effect that it had on me. It is important that these students understand that the way that therapy is terminated is as important as the therapy itself. I will have to mention that I have spent some time in a mental hospital and how, as a result of that hospitalization, I am in therapy again albeit only short-term this time and to deal with slightly different problems.

I have a couple of weeks to do this updating but I know that I am going to find it quite difficult so I will have to start in the next day or two. Trying to do this when I'm really having difficulty doing the simplest things is not the way that I would want to do things, but I know that if I do what I can, when I can, it will get done.

And S has said that he will take me out to lunch afterwards, so I have that to look forward to.