The psychiatrists chair,....., funny things supposed to have been said during analysis

[grahamg]

Every tv show where a client visits their analyst, as far as I can remember, (so long time ago, black and white tv days), had the psychiatrist asking someone to tell them about their childhood, and it would always turn out that something bad happened then to explain everything happening later in life.

Not sure if this happens quite so much today, (maybe its become a cliched phrase psychiatrists are reluctant to use, "Tell me about your childhood"?), but there are funny things a bit like this that I believe still do occur. An example springing to mind is the supposed expert psychoanalyst asking the now fully recovered patient "what they think brought them round to normality",...., aren't they supposed to tell you this?? (I'm not trying to debunk psychoanalysis btw, I believe those with training can have great insights into our behaviour cant they).

Still, the subject of the man or woman being asked to lie down whilst they are undergoing analysis is a rich area for comedians in this country to mine for material to make us all laugh.

It certainly used to be used in comedy anyway, with Benny Hill often using this situation in his shows, and Spike Milligan too, (folks in the USA may not be quite so familiar with Spike, a very witty Irish guy who was one of the contributors to "The Goons" radio show in the 1950s, and wrote about his wartime experiences in a very funny way too).

 

[timoc]

"The brain is a very complex thing, Mr Jones, but we've made good progress, so, when I snap my fingers, you will again be asleep, then you can tell me again about that saucy dream featuring Marilyn Monroe."

 

[Lawrence]

When I used to see a psychologist, I would sit up on the couch, I did not lay down. Sometimes the one-hour session would go by so fast I wondered if she hypnotized me and got information from me that way. She is a nice doctor and is a medical doctor as well. I guess I will not know if she reprogrammed my brain. Sometimes I would leave those sessions wondering to myself “What did we just talk about”.

 

[grahamg]

Would you believe this, the comedian I mentioned above, Spike Milligan, (who I knew had had breakdowns), taking part in a radio show where he is interviewed by a real doctor, (Dr. Antony Clare), and the show is called, "The psychiatrists chair"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (afraid it is rather a long broadcast, but early on sure enough, he gets asked about his childhood):