Dear SAWE,

Your point is absolutely relevant and important. What I am suggesting is by no means some kind of strip-tease, in which people are encouraged to "bare all" here on PC. As you will see, I have indeed posted here the kind of report to which I referred, and, considering your serious points, I don't see where my report exposes me too much (if you think so, please let me know!). All of our experiences are highly different and personal. Any individual who feels that the posting of such a report would be too embarassing and too painful, should not (of course) participate. And that will probably be a significant number of individuals. There are many things I've talked about with T that I would never want to discuss in public (and, it's agreed, posting in PC IS "in public"). But I don't think I have to include such matters in order to post an accurate and relevant report. Please read my report and then react to it.

I do feel VERY unhappy at your challenging my motives. Writing a report (my idea, not T's) has been very helpful for me, and I just wanted to share that particular tactic with other PC members in therapy. I haven't the slightest voyeuristic interest in other people's interior lives. I simply believed, and still believe, that whatever we do here on PC in public, the writing (in private and/or public) of such reports can help people in therapy use their therapy time to best effect.

You said: "Surely there is no thought that PC people don't have the gumption or the clarity to do this with their own therapists, in their own privacy?"

No doubt about gumption on my part. But as to clarity? I wonder. My impression is that quite a few PC members aren't quite as clear as they could be when describing what's bothering them and what they're doing to overcome it. I could be wrong. That's just my impression.

You said: "I do not in the least suggest a book or research paper in the works, but there are those who lurk on PC for that purpose, you know."

I'd have to say that, no, I really haven't been all that conscious of lurkers looking for material for their books or research papers. And even if there were, why should any of us care? I would think that there's a bounteous plenty of material for such people (if they exist) just from the normal posts that are online at this time. Why do you worry about this? (It only occurs to me now, in afterthought, that you might perhaps have been thinking that I was collecting material for research. That idea provokes in me the wildest hilarity. I'm an old, semi-retired man, simply trying to earn enough to pay the bills. I haven't done a research paper since 1967. And I'm not doing any now. Though perhaps this wasn't really your thought.)

You suggest a "private forum." On the lines of which of the existing forums? Is there one to which you can cite?

Take care!