Couch 240: The Vanadis Couch

Welcome to the couch, old and new! A place to hang out - sometimes you get immediate feedback, sometimes you don't.

Shouting, "Cool Whip" tends to bring others out from between the cushions if you're feeling lonely.

This is a chatty thread. All are welcome. We're kind of psychologically oriented, sometimes. We try to be supportive. At times we discuss what that means.

It’s a place to plop down on the couch when you come home from work or wherever, or wake up in the middle of the night, or check in at lunch, rant a bit or not, and be among friends.

We advise you not to drink or drug and text your therapist ("T") - we speak from experience.

Sometimes the thread moves fast and you might get overlooked; sometimes it moves slowly and all you hear are crickets. Sometimes you get hugged or thanked pages later. So if it's a bigger question, you might want to start a new thread.

Grab a cushion, a spot on the floor, or an armchair in the corner and make yourselves comfy.

Asteroid number 240 is named Vanadis, discovered by A. L. N. Borrelly from Marseille Observatory on 8/27/1884.

On Vanadis did Kubla Khan
His stately pleasure Couch decree...

Hi couchies! Cool name!

Cool name!!

In today’s NYT Spelling Bee “acked” is not a word.

And we wonder why Mars att-acked?!

Morning couch.


Not feeling this work thing today. Woke up with some kind of stomach bug, blech, want to just crawl back in bed and sleep all day. I'm sure I'll feel better soon. Working at home I can just drag myself in here in my pj's and nap at lunch so....

Ugh, I hope you feel better soon, Artie!

I don't really like my new pdoc. She just pushes her own agenda, she doesn't really listen, and she assumes a lot. Like I scored high on a bipolar test. I do not have bipolar. I scored high because of the depression part of it, but I experience no mania. So now she thinks I have bipolar... Or she's really pushing her new group with the religious guy.

I miss my other two Pdocs.

My T did a home visit on Saturday night. Her hair is more pink than before/more than it shows up on Zoom. It looks good on her. I got two hugs. A little bit of my psychosis is coming back, not much but a little. We are going to keep an eye on it. I really do enjoy the home visits.

Thanks for the new couch, Lost!

Ugh. Is there any way to see a different pdoc?

I'm glad the home visits are helpful. Did she just talk to you this time rather than to your parents? I'm not sure how I'd feel about home visits. I'm sure Dr. T would be uncomfortable in the mess of my house, for one, but I guess it would be an incentive to clean up?

There are very few pdocs here accepting new patients where I'm located. I tried a clinic full of pdocs, but they kept insisting I could only see this one NP who my insurance said wasn't covered. Then I tried the last pdoc who was worse than this one. I also tried to contact two others who never contacted me back. I think I can work with this one so long as she doesn't mess with my meds.

She greeted my parents and made short chit-chat with them. Maybe 3-5 minutes of chit chat.

Then while my parents sat in the living room, T and I sat in the dining room. Parents were watching TV but if they wanted to they could probably hear what we were talking about but that didn't really bother me.

My parents keep the house really clean so that isn't an issue. It might be an issue if we met in my room which is usually kind of messy. Plus there is mostly just the bed in there and a bunch of books and a bureau.

I do kind of like the home visits because it is nice to see her in person instead of just her head or part of her head on Zoom. (We are doing Zoom tonight though.) And she gets to see me interact more with what is in the room. I found that eye contact was harder and I was fidgety-maybe a bit nervous seeing her in person but it was still a good session.

I know her office is fairly far away, but would it ever be possible for you to meet her at her office on occasion, like for weekend sessions? That way, you'd get to see her in person without having your family right there. I guess if it doesn't bother you though, then maybe it wouldn't be worth the drive?

That certainly is a plan that we have talked about. But not in concrete terms. More like, "someday" I will come to your office. It's a good hour to hour and a half away. Whereas her daughter lives in the same city as me. She visited her daughter on Saturday and then did a home session with me and a home session with another client.

Meeting her in her office would certainly be a different perspective about her. I have seen her at her kitchen table through Zoom, her bed, through Zoom, and her living room couch through Zoom. And at my house twice. I am intrigued to know what her office looks like.

(trigger for illness/death)

All the hugs, Artie.

I hope you are able to show yourself some extra kindness today.

Thanks, Lost.

HUGS Artie. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry, Artie--that's an awful way to go.

I'm sorry for your loss, Artie, and the possibilities that may come of it.

I'm feeling really really really really really upset right now. I was planning on going somewhere today figuring my Mom would pay for me since she has done so for things so many times in the past but when I asked her she said no and really felt no shame in doing so, and I don't have money to pay myself so I'm not going to be able to go. I never expected my Mom would say no like she did so it was very unexpected that she did. I sort of not want to do another thing for the rest of the day and just stay in my room upset but I know I should get up and do a few things. It will be hard for me to accept but I know that life must go on.