Girl, Interrupted

Kaysen visited a different therapist and enjoyed their sessions because his office had a view of trees and was very calm compared to the ward. The therapist, named Melvin, sometimes allowed Kaysen to sit quietly, but often tried to inquire about her emotional state, which Kaysen found intrusive and unhelpful. When Kaysen observed that Melvin’s three cars seem to correspond with the ego, superego and the id, Melvin was unamused. He later recommended that Kaysen enter analysis, which she felt ambivalent and skeptical about, not understanding how it would be different from the regular therapy. However, Melvin convinced her by claiming that she is the only patient at McLean who could do analysis, since her personality is “fairly well integrated” (110). Kaysen was flattered by this idea, and agreed to undergo analysis with Melvin. However she found that in their analysis sessions, he treated her more coldly and had little to contribute to their discussions.

With more reason to move around the hospital, Kaysen was soon introduced to the tunnel system that ran underground and connected different areas of the institution. She loved the ambience and network of the tunnels and likens it to “being inside a map […] Like the plan of something rather than the thing itself” (112).