Love's Executioner

I do not like to work with patients who are in love. Perhaps it is because of envy… (Yalom)

I can understand the dilemma that Yalom proposes in the chapter named 'Love's Executioner." Love is associated with such positive emotions. Yet for some people, it is more of an infatuation instead that led to malignant thoughts and behaviors. Thelma had a love affair with her previous counselor. She spoke very fondly of him and his therapeutic practices as her face and gestures were highly animated. She look forward to each and every therapy session she had however eventually they stopped after the therapist (Matthew) took a new job. About a year later Thelma ran into Matthew in a public location. The two hit it off, talked all night, and eventually became intimate.

There intimacy developed quickly over a short period of time; especially for Thelma. They saw each...
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